# Carnival of Souls, or, The Further Adventures of Mary Jo Kopechne **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694 "2011-10-25T01:39:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/1 "2011-10-25T01:39:51Z")
Just saw it for the first time–_yikes_, was it creepy, in a no-budget, cheesy way! Watched it at night, all alone, with the lights off, as it should be. Having been brought up on that “going my way?” Inger Stevens episode of _The Twilight Zone_, I knew where it was going three seconds in, but it was an enjoyable ride. (I love her sleazy neighbor, Lee Harvey Oswald!) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/2 "2011-10-25T04:17:43Z")
This movie is completely illogical, weird, filled with stilted dialogue uttered by the most awkward non-actors, and beyond ridiculous when you really get down to it. I totally f\*\*\*ing love this movie!! This movie has a quality of hysteria and dreamy free-association that really does look like you’re watching someone else’s nightmare bad dreams. The sheer wooden-ness of it doesn’t take you out of the film, instead it increases the surreality of it all. I can’t think of a movie that comes even close to it for the mood and atmosphere it creates. Perhaps the almost-as-bizarre Shatner flick “Incubus” is the closest comparison. Thanks for mentioning it. I have to put this on my netflix queue for Halloween. Favorite scene - midway throught the film, our hapless heroine pours out her hysterical story to her psychiatrist about the strange man who’s stalking her. Her psychiatrist’s chair slowlsy spins around to reveal… ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/3 "2011-10-25T05:19:44Z")
Just watched this on TCM too. Great atmosphere but found it slightly unsatisfying in other areas (plot, character development, etc.). Interesting to note that the main zombie was played by the director. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/4 "2011-10-25T05:33:16Z")
I saw it for the first time last October. I was not terribly impressed. Still, it definitely was the worst of the 31 movies we watched. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/5 "2011-10-25T12:40:18Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Favorite scene - midway throught the film, our hapless heroine pours out her hysterical story to her psychiatrist about the strange man who’s stalking her. Her psychiatrist’s chair slowlsy spins around to reveal… My favorite bit was when she had first poured out her whole story to the doctor, who then tells her, “of course, \*I’m not a psychiatrist \*. . .” I expected him to add, “I’m a podiatrist–but this has been really interesting!” ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/6 "2011-10-25T13:33:09Z")
I’m going to buy the soundtrack. It was really toe-tapping! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/7 "2011-10-25T13:45:05Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > I’m going to buy the soundtrack. It was really toe-tapping! Oh! I loved Father Claude Rains, too! When she plays something a little bit more off-kilter than usual on the church organ, he fires her: “\*Heathen! Devil woman! Out with you! Begone! \*. . . But do stay in touch! Don’t be a stranger, now!” ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/8 "2011-10-25T13:48:05Z")
I’d heard about this movie before, so when I heard it was going to be on TCM I set it up on my DVR. Haven’t watched it yet, but will try to get to it in the next day or two. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/9 "2011-10-25T13:58:02Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I’d heard about this movie before, so when I heard it was going to be on TCM I set it up on my DVR. Haven’t watched it yet, but will try to get to it in the next day or two. Claude Rains? I need to see this. He gives me dirty thoughts and hot flashes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/10 "2011-10-25T14:00:03Z")
[Here’s Roger Ebert’s review](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19891027/REVIEWS/910270302/1023). I’d read this review years ago but never sought out the movie. He calls the acting “surprisingly effective.” Maybe that’s the same as saying wooden acting adds to the surreal nature of the film? It does sound worth watching, I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/11 "2011-10-25T14:07:04Z")
> [@MickNickMaggies](#): > > Claude Rains? I need to see this. Oh, it’s not really him, just someone Claude Rainsish-looking. Likewise, I am pretty sure her sleazy neighbor was not really played by Lee Harvey Oswald, but he \*was \*a dead ringer. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/12 "2011-10-25T14:10:09Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Maybe that’s the same as saying wooden acting adds to the surreal nature of the film? It does sound worth watching, I agree. Some of the acting is quite good, actually: the landlady and the sleazy neighbor are excellent. I think the sleazy neighbor was an acting teacher, though the landlady was an amateur. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/13 "2011-10-25T15:05:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I saw it for the first time last October. I was not terribly impressed. Still, it definitely was the worst of the 31 movies we watched. Er, make that “was not”. The worst was one about a werewolf and vampire women. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-of-souls-or-the-further-adventures-of-mary-jo-kopechne/600694/14 "2011-10-25T15:30:47Z")
Great movie. The lead has a quality that has nothing to do with acting that just feels cold and creepy. In one of the silent interludes, she and the women in the department store who don’t hear or see her really sell it - there’s no special effects but you just believe she could walk right through them - she almost seems to. And the grounding by touching a tree was neat, too. As you mentioned, the organ music from the inside of Gary Busey’s brain is another high point.