302: Carnival of Souls

We’re back and we’re enjoying the salt air. Or should that be the Saltair? Either way, it would be even jollier if there weren’t all these ghouls around. We have nothing against them, and they do seem to serve a useful purpose, but they do have an unfortunate habit of popping up when you’re least expecting them. On the other hand, they are lively dancers, especially for dead folks. We suppose that if you are going to have a Carnival of Souls, some not-quite-live entertainment goes a long way.

Main Topic: Carnival of Souls

This episode delves into the 1962 horror film Carnival of Souls. While it wasn’t a commercial success by any measure, it has become a classic of the genre, influencing everyone from George Romero to David Lynch. The story of its origins is almost as strange as the film itself, and we go into both in detail, looking for inspiration for our games of Call of Cthulhu.

As Carnival of Souls is in the public domain, you can watch it on YouTube. We highly recommend doing so before listening to this episode, as we will spoil the bejesus out of it.

Our Guest Host

Regular listeners will know that Paul has left the Good Friends. Matt and Scott are inviting interesting people we know to join us as guest hosts, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to our discussions.

We are delighted to have Ross Bryant join us again as our guest host for this episode. You may know Ross from The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Dropout TV, The Glass Cannon Network, or the many improvised Call of Cthulhu games he and Scott have played together on Ain’t Slayed Nobody. He is currently developing a new historical Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast called Walking Shadows, with Rashawn Scott, Becca Scott, and Zach Reino. The first episode will be out in 2025, wherever you find your podcasts.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

• “She Moves Backwards” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• Herk Harvey
• Centron Corporation
• “Ministry of Fear” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• British Public Information Films
• Hauntology
• Candace Hilligoss
• The Third Man (1949)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• Macbeth (1971)
• Lee Strasberg
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• World’s Greatest Sinner (1962)
• Mystery Science Theater 3000

• The Survivor by James Herbert
• The Survivor (1981)
• Alien (1979)
• The Shining (1980)
• Lost Highway (1997)
• The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss
• Funeral potatoes
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• Fugue state
• “The White People” by Arthur Machen
• “In the Garden of Eden” from The Simpsons
• Arnold Schoenberg
• The Backrooms
• American Horror Stories

• “UNLAND” from Fears Sharp Little Needles
• “UNLAND” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
• Mulholland Drive (2001)
• The Crow (1994)
• Robert Aickman
• Wraith: The Oblivion
• Kult: Divinity Lost
• Saltair Pavilion
• Edge of Midnight
• Wes Craven Presents “Carnival of Souls“ (1998)
• The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord Server

The Saltair Pavilion before the ghouls arrived

News

Blasphemous Tome Issue 13

We are hard at work on issue 13 of The Blasphemous Tome, the fanzine we put out twice-yearly for Patreon backers of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias. This new issue will contain “A Social Responsibility” — a brand-new and gruesome Call of Cthulhu scenario from our own Matt Sanderson, set amidst the urban decay of modern-day Northampton.

Anyone backing us at the $5 level or higher by the end of this year can expect a printed copy of the Tome, signed by our own fair extremities. Backers at the $3 level will receive a voucher for a discounted print-on-demand copy, and everyone will receive the PDF.

Don’t forget that backing us also gives you access to the entire back catalogue of the Tome in PDF format, which includes a wealth of Call of Cthulhu scenarios you won’t find anywhere else.

Christmas Story Reading on the Good Friends Discord

With Christmas fast approaching, Mike Perceval-Maxwell of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories is once again organising a full-cast ghost story reading on The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord server. This time, we shall be reading two tales of William Hope Hodgson’s occult detective, Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Specifically, we will be reading “The Searcher of the End House” and “The Horse of the Invisible”.

So fire up your electric pentacle and join us by the fireplace at 22:00 GMT (note updated time — the time mentioned on earlier episodes is wrong) on the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th of December. Don’t despair if you can’t make the live performances, as we plan to record them and release them as special episodes on the podcast feed.