One-hit wonders, we know about. They are entertainers, usually but not exclusively musicians, who achieve a burst of fame with a singular piece of work and then fade into the inglorious recesses of pop memory. The appellation is often unfair and can be pegged on reasons that have more to do with circumstance than with talent. “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), for instance, occasioned critical opprobrium upon its release, a response that put the kibosh on further directorial efforts by its auteur, Charles Laughton.

Other cinematic one-hit wonders include Barbara Loden’s “Wanda” (1970), Leonard Kastle’s “The Honeymoon Killers” (1970), and the ghostly mood-piece “Carnival of Souls” (1962), in which director Herk Harvey confirmed that the barest of budgets can be a vital coefficient of aesthetic integrity.