Carnival of Souls (1962)

Ultra low budget thriller that has garnered quite a cult following over the years and for good reason. A young chick crashes her car into a lake after her and a friend try to drag race another car. Several hours later she is seen walking out of the lake, alive and well. However as days pass, weird stuff starts to happen (zombies follow her around, people ignore her as if she is “not there”) and she starts to feel drawn to an old abandoned carnival on the outskirts of town. While this one was made on the super cheap and there are practically no graphic scares, the film does terrific on a psychological level. Great camera work and atmosphere are laced throughout the picture helping the old carnival come alive, it’s truly creepy and was perfect for the film. The low budget actually works for the film in some ways, and not against it. The budget was $30,000 for this film, and plays better than films made for millions. Required viewing for the serious horror fan.