Candace Hilligoss | |
|---|---|
 Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962) | |
| Born | Mary Candace Hilligoss August 14, 1935 Huron, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–1964, 1971, 1981, 2000 |
| Spouse | Nicolas Coster (div. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | https://candacehilligoss.com/ |
Mary Candace Hilligoss (born August 14, 1935) is an American former actress and model. She gained fame for her role as Mary Henry in the independent horror film Carnival of Souls (1962).
Mary Candace Hilligoss [1] was born August 14, 1935 [2] in Huron, South Dakota, the daughter of L.F. Hilligoss. [3] She was raised in Huron, where she was active in school plays. [4]
After studying at Huron College [5] and the University of Iowa (where she acted in theatrical productions) [6] for three years, [7] she went to New York City to study acting with a scholarship [8] to the American Theatre Wing, studying under Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. [9] She made her professional acting debut in summer stock in Pennsylvania. She acted at the Cape Cod Playhouse, appeared in a touring production of Idiot's Delight with Nina Foch, performed in television programs produced in New York, and worked as a dancer at the Copacabana nightclub. [7]
After college, Hilligoss attended the Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in New York. Following her graduation from there in 1956, she was one of five models who traveled to South America on a month-long tour to demonstrate then-new American fashions. [5]
She is best known for her portrayal of Mary Henry, a church organist haunted by specters, in Carnival of Souls (1962), a low-budget horror film that has developed a cult following. [10] She had been offered a role in the Richard Hilliard-directed horror film Psychomania (1963), but opted for the role in Carnival of Souls. [7] She stated that at the time, she took the role as a "take-the-money-and-run type of situation"; [9] she was paid approximately $2,000 for her work in the film. [11]
She also appeared in a supporting role in the horror film The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964), [12] which was shot in Stamford, Connecticut, while Hilligoss was living in New York. [13] In 1997, she was asked to appear in the remake of Carnival of Souls, but declined. [14]
Hilligoss was married to actor Nicolas Coster, with whom she had two daughters, Candace and Dinneen. [15] They divorced in 1981. [16] As of 1990, Hilligoss lived in Beverly Hills, California. [17] Her self-published memoir The Odyssey and the Idiocy – Marriage to an Actor was published in 2017.
In 2022, Hilligoss voiced an animated version of herself as she appeared circa 1962 in the CG animated short film Once Upon A Time on Mars.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Carnival of Souls | Mary Henry | [18] | |
| 1964 | The Curse of the Living Corpse | Deborah Benson | [18] | |
| 1971 | South of Hell Mountain | Helen | Uncredited | |
| 2001 | Talk Fast | Herself | Documentary | |
| 2022 | Once Upon A Time on Mars | Astro-Gal | Voice, animated short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Naked City | Mrs. Harris | Episode: "Hold For Gloria Christmas" | [19] |
| 1981 | Quincy, M.E. | Actress Kimberly / Victoria Sawyer | Episode: "Stain of Quilt" |
Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The population was 14,263 at the 2020 census, and it is the eighth largest city in South Dakota.
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Carnival of Souls is a 1962 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young woman whose life is disturbed after a car accident. She relocates to a new city, where she finds herself unable to assimilate with the locals, and becomes drawn to the pavilion of an abandoned carnival. Director Harvey also appears in the film as a ghoulish stranger who stalks her throughout. The film is set to an organ score by Gene Moore.
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The Curse of the Living Corpse is a 1964 American horror film produced, written and directed by Del Tenney. The film is about a series of murders that haunt the family of a man who died leaving extensive instructions in his will to avoid him being buried alive. The film marked the feature film debut of actor Roy Scheider. It was originally co-billed with The Horror of Party Beach (1964). Both movies were filmed in black-and-white in Stamford, Connecticut by Iselin-Tenney Productions, a short-lived production company the director formed with Alan V. Iselin, the owner of a chain of drive-in theaters.
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