10 Horror Movies Nobody Understands

The original ‘dead the whole time’ movie, Carnival Of Souls is an existential and psychological horror film a good two decades ahead of its time, co-written, produced and directed by the redoubtable Herk Harvey.

Protagonist Mary Henry is the only survivor after her car plunges off a bridge into torrential waters. Moving to Salt Lake City, she is haunted by nightmarish spectral figures, and drawn to an abandoned circus pavilion by the lake shore, until she finally enters to see herself dancing with the ghouls... and disappears, leaving nothing but footprints in the sand. A postscript sees the car pulled from the river with Mary’s body inside.

For nearly sixty years, film fans have obsessed over what the twist ending actually means for the narrative of the rest of the film. Did Mary hallucinate the whole Utah experience in the last few moments of her life? If so, why - and what’s with all the scary ghosts pursuing her?

Was it Mary’s ghost that started a new life in Salt Lake City? It would explain the vengeful spirits, determined to drag her to the afterlife - but how is it that no one else realises that she’s dead? How does she leave footprints or physically interact?

Or is everyone in this vision a ghost, Salt Lake City representing a kind of purgatory? If so, why does she vanish? Surely she’s right where she should be?

Sadly, Harvey died in 1996, and took the correct interpretation of the movie to the grave with him...