You probably knew it but I didn't. So I'm watching TCM with my youngest ysty and a B&W movie titled Carnival of Souls comes on. I think "crap, a low budget loser" but I'm doing a dad thing and stick with it. I'm finding it intriguingly entertaining and wondering where it was filmed. Suddenly the lead gal pulls her tranny troubled '61 Chevy into Lawrence Tire and Oil and drives onto the lift. On the bay wall is a 3' x 5' tin sign advertising Dev Nelson's sports show on WIBW channel 13.
Holy crap! This is Lawrence, Ks 1962. I thought things were looking strangely familiar. Anyway I found the flick weirdly entertaining. I check it out on Wikipedia. It's become a cult classic and been rated in top 50 (#39) of all-time horror films. Turns out a guy who lived in Lawrence and worked for an outfit that made industrial films for clients decided to make a flick. He'd been to L.A. on business. While driving back to Lawrence he passed thru Salt Lake and saw a huge abandoned amusement park on the shore of Salt Lake. His mind clicked this would be a great movie set.
Long story short he cobbles together $17,000 from various Lawrence business people ($500 a clip) and pledges another $16,000 to get to a cost of $33,000. The star made $2000. Filming was done in Lawrence and Salt Lake. As a set the huge amusement park was rented for $50. Early and crucially in the movie a car drives off a bridge in Lecompton into the Kaw drowning the young women inside. And off we go. The city of Lecompton allowed the scene to film at no charge only stipulating the bridge railing be repaired. That cost $38. I remember there used to be a nationally well known organ manufacturing biz in town. A great scene is filmed there. Gone out of business? The movie premiered in the fall of 1962 at the Main Street Theater in Lawrence. Initially it didn't stir much excitement nationally. However with time it influenced George Romero and others becoming sort of the template for movies of the type to this day. It's out on Blu-Ray from Criterion, a top shelf outfit. Das ist alles.
Holy crap! This is Lawrence, Ks 1962. I thought things were looking strangely familiar. Anyway I found the flick weirdly entertaining. I check it out on Wikipedia. It's become a cult classic and been rated in top 50 (#39) of all-time horror films. Turns out a guy who lived in Lawrence and worked for an outfit that made industrial films for clients decided to make a flick. He'd been to L.A. on business. While driving back to Lawrence he passed thru Salt Lake and saw a huge abandoned amusement park on the shore of Salt Lake. His mind clicked this would be a great movie set.
Long story short he cobbles together $17,000 from various Lawrence business people ($500 a clip) and pledges another $16,000 to get to a cost of $33,000. The star made $2000. Filming was done in Lawrence and Salt Lake. As a set the huge amusement park was rented for $50. Early and crucially in the movie a car drives off a bridge in Lecompton into the Kaw drowning the young women inside. And off we go. The city of Lecompton allowed the scene to film at no charge only stipulating the bridge railing be repaired. That cost $38. I remember there used to be a nationally well known organ manufacturing biz in town. A great scene is filmed there. Gone out of business? The movie premiered in the fall of 1962 at the Main Street Theater in Lawrence. Initially it didn't stir much excitement nationally. However with time it influenced George Romero and others becoming sort of the template for movies of the type to this day. It's out on Blu-Ray from Criterion, a top shelf outfit. Das ist alles.
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