slywlf54 I watched Repo - a genetic opera about a year ago just before it left Prime, and immediately ordered a DVD copy - I was that delighted and impressed. When I heard rumors about Carnival naturally I was excited and as soon as possible I watched it.... huh? For the sake of clarity and fairness I will only be comparing this film to its predecessor, as Zdunich is a realm unto himself, and any comparison to other artists would be apples to nutmeg.* * * spoilers ahead * * *First the good. The visual aesthetics were easily on a par with Repo, quirky and ambitious and fun. The music, while not quite up to the standards of Repo was at least consistent with the overall milieu - overly colorful, occasionally discordant and yet somehow likable. The acting was generally satisfactory, occasionally excellent. Based strictly on visuals and sound I would have given this at least a strong 7/10 The not so good. Unfortunately the story lost me. Repo created a strong, vital and internally consistent world, where there is no black and white - just myriad shades of murk - and it worked fabulously. In Carnival, however, I was left theologically baffled, consistency confused and ultimately dissatisfied. OK, the grieving and obsessed father, as a suicide, would qualify for Hell according to traditional Catholic beliefs (just as a point of reference, I adhere to no formal religion, but am not atheist), so while personally problematic as a sympathetic character, at least his presence was logical. The kleptomaniac was likewise an obvious "sinner" in the traditional sense, and so her presence was in keeping with the usual standard for Hell. The naive teen, however, was guilty only of what amounted to terminal stupidity - excessive trust in the face of perpetual betrayal. I for one have often felt that stupidity ought to be painful, but making the idea of "criminal stupidity" into a 'going to Hell level sin' just did not ring true for me and made the already tissue-paper fragile cohesiveness of the story dissolve into shreds of melodramatic lint. Then there was the never explained issue of the little boy - was this the son, and if so why was he in Hell? The motivation of the Devil at the end was the only semblance of coherence in the latter portion of the story. Whether the child even really existed, was bait for the father, was a red herring or a diablo ex machina was never clarified. Perhaps it will all become clear in the second installment. I sincerely hope so, as I am rather a fan of Zdunich and this film was a bit of a let down.

theoneandonlydee Though I did enjoy the musical numbers that appeared in this film, I wasn't very impressed as whole. I came into this film optimistic as I had been recommended it, based upon other films that I enjoy. Some of the characters are interesting and the makeup crew that were used in this film did an amazing job! Unfortunately there wasn't much character development and it more three different short stories that didn't make much sense rather than a film as a whole.The only character we seem to get to know is Satan himself, who is shown in a better light than God which I found an interesting concept and would enjoy to see in future movies. The last short story we get shown lasted a little longer than the previous ones and I did sympathise with the characters, though again there wasn't much character development; though I do suppose it did have a rather happy ending in cliché to most films that include a horror theme.

SmokingBomber Just because your movie brings together two fairly unrelated genres doesn't mean it is free from criticism, and "The Devil's Carnival" is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.The film follows the tales of three people as they explore the titular Devil's Carnival and they replay three classic fables. An interesting set-up with a lot of potential, but the writing is so heavy-handed that the message falls flat on its face.As far as the plot is concerned there are a lot of good ideas, but watching the finished product is like a slow-motion train wreck. Nothing ends-up coming together. It doesn't matter if you have any good ideas for your movie if they aren't executed well. For example, there is this one gatekeeper-type character that keeps banging-on about "the rules" sporadically throughout the movie, but this never ends-up coming to anything and is left as one of many loose ends.Most of the actors seem to be phoning it in for most of the film, which is particularly sad because there are a few people in this movie that working their hardest at giving a good performance.All the shots are the same cookie-cutter bore: close up of the singer, cut to carnival audience, back to singer, slowly pan up from ground, repeat. This movie is "safe"--it takes no risks and gets nothing back from the audience as a result.The music all sounds the same and the lyrics are not clever nor engaging. Rocky Horror Picture Show is a masterpiece of film, and I actually feel bad for having to compare it to this nonsense. Rocky Horror was clever and energetic--Devil's Carnival is just plain boring, with immediately forgettable song-writing and lacking any "spirit" of its own."The Devil's Carnival" is a terrible movie. Good makeup and good ideas are completely overshadowed by clunky writing, samey lyrics, unremarkable songs, and terrible acting and execution. Give it a miss.

brittanlow I first saw this film as part of the first Road Tour and I have to say I was infinitely impressed. Besides the fantastically brilliant soundtrack, the incomparably talented cast, the spectacular plot line and the unmatchable talent of Zdunich and Bousman as a pair, the project is a feat in itself. When you consider that the film was shot in a week, in the cold dessert, on a $100,000 budget, and then edited and released within 3 months for viewing, it's awe inspiring. To be able to create what has been created here is the sort of thing that makes all dreams seem possible with work. Darren Lynn Bousman, Terrance Zdunich, and the cast and crew involved have all put part of themselves into this project, and when you see it, you can feel it for yourself.