Ghost Dance for the Organ Girl: Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls 

This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our celebration of the Halloween season with a little-seen and incredibly influential cult film from 1962, Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls. This is truly discovering diamonds in the landfill. Herk Harvey - a director and producer of industrial and educational films based in Lawrence, Kansas - would create one of the most influential films in cinema that would, somehow, remain almost completely unknown.  Harvey's film would be dismissed upon its intitial 1962 release, but would find an audience through television screenings (it was in the public domain) and public arthouse screenings beginning in 1989. Watching the film, it is easy to see Harvey's influence on such varied directors as David Lynch and James Wan, however its strongest influence seems to be on George A. Romero's first zombie film, NIght of the Living Dead. Take a listen as I introduce this forgotten classic to Mr. Chavez and we dig into the power of its images, sound design, and story. It's a fun talk. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Many Thanks. 

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