By far the best DVD version out there is Criterion's two-disc 'Special Edition'. It contains the restored original theatrical release, plus the rare original 'director's cut' which contains over ten minutes of long missing footage.
The most fascinating extra (for me, at least) was the extensive info on the film's location, the wonderfully weird tourist resort Saltair.
- DISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSION
- New digital transfer of the original theatrical version
- The Movie That Wouldn’t Die! The Story of Carnival of Souls: a documentary on the 1989 reunion of the cast and crew
- More than 45 minutes of rare outtakes accompanied by Gene Moore’s organ score
- Theatrical trailer
- An illustrated history of the Saltair resort in Salt Lake City
- The Carnival Tour: a video update on the film’s locations
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
- DISC TWO: THE EXTENDED DIRECTOR’S CUT
- Selected audio commentary by screenwriter John Clifford and late director Herk Harvey
- One hour of excerpts from films made by the Centron Corporation, an industrial film company based in Lawrence, Kansas that employed Harvey and Clifford for over 30 years
- An essay on the history of Centron from Ken Smith’s Mental Hygiene
- Printed interviews with Harvey, Clifford, and star Candace Hilligoss, illustrated with vintage photos and memorabilia
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
The bad news: the suggested retail price is $39.95, but it can probably be found out there for much, much less.