Last Shocktoberfest feature is 'Carnival of Souls' on LRPA

LACONIA — During October on LRPA After Dark, the station is celebrating scary season with the fourth annual Shocktoberfest, devoted to vintage horror films. Oct. 26 at 10:30 p.m., LRPA will out the festival with the cult favorite, 1962’s 'Carnival of Souls,' directed by Herk Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss.

Mary Henry, played by Hilligoss, is out driving with friends when challenged to a street race by a car full of guys at a stoplight. As the girls’ car crosses a bridge, the driver loses control and the car falls into a river. The search party drags the river for the car, and Mary emerges from the water. She can’t remember details about the wreck. To move on with her life, Mary accepts a job in a different state. On the drive to her new position, she passes a deserted carnival pavilion, and finds herself drawn there. There she sees an ominous man, who continues to haunt her.

Although an initial failure at the box office, 'Carnival of Souls' was made on a shoestring budget of less than $20,000, and with a total crew of six, has become a highly regarded and well-loved horror cult classic. Upon the film’s re-release in 1989, critic Roger Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars.

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