Texas Trip, a Carnival of Ghosts is less of a talk-ey review of drive-in theatres and monsters in Texas and more of an atmospheric tour. Texan artists perform ritualistic drum-laden sonnets. They stand on the roadside in particularly creepy masks and recite poetry. All while the scenery of haunts and drive-ins is intimately shown on screen. The documentary which was screened at 2020’s Fantasia Film Festival combines the stories of 5 characters. They each give a personal insight into the horrors and monsters and, the people behind the fears of many.
The most interesting of them is a guy who does a body transformation and turns himself into a human cello. Shaman musicians in masks, a real-life goddess. Real people are interspersed between anecdotes and stories.
“If you don’t have wounds, how can you know you’re alive?”
Quote from author Edward Albee
Texas Trip A Carnival of Ghosts Documentary
Ak’Chamel The Giver of Illness
An entity called Ak’Chamel evokes Shinto rituals known in the Bayous. They wander through the wild forests and deserts of Texas.
Ernestina Forbis
As well as the others, Ernestina is a musician of lo-fi and visual sound work. A mystic, a former addict, and a religious worshiper in an unknown language. Her addition to the freakshow scene is mesmerizing.
Grady Roper
In addition, Grady Roper has an imaginary family. It comprises himself, Attic Ted, and Virginia Black. He partakes in freakshows and music performances and has also toured the world. I can honestly say I’ve really never seen anything like the scene that he sets up about mid-way in a live performance.
Giless « Mother Fakir »
Giless is an organizer of Texas Underground tours. A purveyor of culture and a self-confessed walking encyclopedia. His most renowned talent is being the first person in history to transform his body into a human cello. His voiceover narrative of much of the documentary is personal and almost confessional. Easily the most interesting part of the overall documentary.
“Pain is a nuanced thing. Most pain is psychological and we can control it. We can become habituated to pain. We can become addicted to pain but we create our own pain. “
Quote from performer Giless « Mother Fakir » Who transforms his body into a human cello.
- A film by Steve Balestreri & Maxime Lachaud.
- Produced by Le-loKal Production & Tobina Film.
- 79 min / 2020 / Documentary.
Texas Trip A Carnival Of Souls Review
Surprisingly, I wasn’t much of a fan of Texas Trip. It felt more like I was at a museum than engaging in an informative context.
Further, there simply wasn’t enough going on to keep my interest. At times it felt like these people were still as private and unknown as to when they were introduced. Most people know characters like this, the ones that walk around at festivals and entertain. For me. There simply wasn’t enough anecdotal explanation of the people behind the masks.
