Good review.
I get the comparisons to the original _Carnival of Souls_ and _Alphaville_ (though I have not seen the other French films you listed). I myself see some parallels to the original _Cat People_.
I have said before, elsewhere, that Hopper's low-key, naturalistic performance, as the desperately horny but basically decent sailor on shore leave, added a lot to this.
I might also single out the always-wonderful Luana Anders as the "nice" girl.
The strange woman -- the "Sea Witch" -- that Johnny follows to Captain Murdock's place was played by Marjorie Cameron, who had a genuinely weird history. I mean she is supposed to have been previously involved in some serious, hard-core occultism. Her presence in the film definitely darkened the tone, and gave it a little more authenticity.
The very early Sixties was a good time for televison as well as film. Check out the TV series _Route 66_ sometime if you possibly can. There's a good article about it on Wikipedia, and I know that some of the eps are out on DVD. My personal favorite ep is one titled "Love Is A Skinny Kid."
And of course there was _Thriller_, and _The Twilight Zone_, and _The Alfred Hitchcock Hour_, and _The Outer Limits_. I was just a kid, but I remember it all.
Ozy
And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.
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