Fast-paced and atmospheric thriller set in and around the carnival midway. Two couples visiting the local traveling carnival decide to spend the night in The Funhouse and fool around as a lark. After witnessing a murder, they become the targets of a deformed maniac and his barker dad who are determined they will not leave to report it to the police. I read the Owen West (aka Dean Koontz) novelization back in the day, which was infinitely more padded with back story, abortion issues, religious fanaticism, and a rather Byzantine attempt to link the heroine and her younger brother to the killers before they ever set foot on the midway. Mercifully, the film abandons all of the excess baggage and strips the story done to the bare essentials. I enjoy Tobe Hooper's direction here much more so than that shown in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as it seems we are seeing a much more polished effort. He nicely establishes the atmosphere of the midway, which by turns is colorful and sordid. The central characters are nicely delineated (although due to the abandoning of the subplots from the novelization, Shawn Carson's younger brother seems like a fifth wheel rather than integral to the story) and well played by an appealing cast. They seem like credible and overwhelmed young people rather than fodder for the axing. Lead Elizabeth Berridge, in particular, has a nice girl next door quality and radiates a resourcefulness through her terror without ever seeming like either Superwoman or a victim. The make-up for the primary killer is particularly effective and novel. The film builds up a substantial head of steam before going for broke in a wild Grand Guignol climax. The score is also worth mentioning as it provides a very effective counterpoint to the action. Ironically, this film is rarely mentioned by horror fans, having been buried amid the morass of Friday the 13th clones that proliferated in this period, but it is definitely one that should be rediscovered.
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mnpollio8 November 2008
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Tobe Hooper's straight slasher flick deserves a chance. We admire this genius for "Poltergeist" and especially "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but it's fair to recognize the good job he did with "The Funhouse".
The movie is creepy itself because of it's colorful but creepy setting and atmosphere. I mean, how could something go wrong in the fun house? Well, when there's a freak wearing a Frankenstein mask killing other weird people you can imagine that things could get nasty.
The premise is well known. Two couples go to the amusement park at night and soon after they arrive they enter the fun house and witness how a freak kills a woman. That's when the typical killing starts as the freak and his father chase the teens in order to "hide" the murder.
Overall there are some very creepy moments like when the freak takes off his mask revealing his disfigured head, when this freak slaughters a girl with his claws, the crazy witch, the puppets, and the death scenes. Hooper's direction is top class as always. He put a lot of effort in a low budget slasher flick and that's why he deserves some credit. I'm not saying that he wasted his talent on a movie that doesn't asks much for it; I think that this is one of the best looking and directed slasher flicks of all time. There are some camera angles that looked very innovative for it's time (example, Richie's dead body in the moving wagon).
The acting is quite good for a movie like this. I felt sorry for the kids when murdered. Also, the cinematography is quite impressive. The movie is from 1981 and looks very good. The correct use of light in dark settings helped a lot and gave a creepy look to the fun house. The F/X is also good. The freak looks gruesome and horrible in a positive way. The gore is okay.
"The Funhouse" is definitely a must see for fans of the genre. I can say that this is one of the best slasher flicks out there. The movie is not only about a demented killer chasing teens but it has some truly suspense moments and the effective jump-out of your seat scenes. Recommended for horror fans in general; this is another Tobe Hooper classic that shouldn't be missed.
I wonder if this movie inspired Hooper to make "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". There are some similarities between the two movies; for example, the freak trying to abuse on a girl, the setting, the "child" abuse (uh, the freak is often beaten and yelled by his father), some death scenes, the ending, etc. -
ryan-1007520 September 2019Certainly not in the list of greatest Tobe Hooper films, but must say it is an old slasher you would need to see if you are a fan of that genre. We are introduced to Amy Harper (Elizabeth Berridge) in a scene that is Alfred Hitchcock's PYSCHO meets John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN. It surprisingly does work well and works better than most films that have been influenced by those pair of classics. I think you can thank Hooper for that. Amy is off to the carnival with her new boyfriend Buzz (Cooper Huckabee) and two other friends Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin). After some good scenes that well set up the carnival atmosphere they decide to spend the night at the funhouse.
Hooper really does create some very good tension in the film. To go along with good and intense music by John Beal. Along the way though we do see a major influence to this film and that is FRANKENSTEIN. What with one of the workers of the funhouse hidden behind a Frankenstein's monster mask and the secrets that are revealed about that character. Personally, I feel the second half of the film doesn't work as well as the first. Not to say that the second part is bad. Far from it, but to me the build up just seemed to work better than when you are getting into the meat of the story.
Rick Baker did some good makeup effects and also starring Kevin Conway who nicely portrays three different barkers at the carnival and William Finley as Marco the Magnificent. -
chaos-rampant31 July 2012Along with every other horror fan out there, I have been puzzling about Tobe Hooper. Texas Chainsaw features highly in my list of favorite films. At least two of his other films are really worthwhile, one of them right here. But, it all quickly unraveled for him and by the time he had moved on to Cannon in the mid-80's, he was pretty much over as a filmmaker. I think the crux of the problem is that he was not Hollywood material. He seems to have been a shy and almost asocial presence on his own sets, a kind of droopy, charmless guy, bullied off The Dark by the crass Kinski, sidestepped in Poltergeist by the more agile Spielberg, which can be viewed in Europe as the kind of quality that signifies an artist, but the Hollywood environment requires someone to direct the crowded set and costly , complicated production, and that means energetic decision-makers of some persuasive wit and strong character.
You see, he did not come up through the Hollywood system at all. He was a documentary cameraman in the 60's and you can see that in his best work. He did Chainsaw in a close circle of friends, away from Hollywood fanfare. It just didn't seem like he could muster the ego for necessary friction to see that vision through (the drug problems were probably ways to cope with that). His own fault was that he couldn't find it in him to cut out on his own.
At any rate, I consider Hooper our loss. The guy had a genuine vision and that vision is prized by me, even snippets of it like we have here.
Here's an easy riddle: the film is typical in the slasher vein about a group of teens stranded after-hours in a funhouse. Its singular call to fame now is that it was once part of that notorious list of Nasties. Now that list is dumb and arbitrary in a number of ways, but why this nearly bloodless film? Why not Friday the 13th?
But of course for the same reason that Texas Chainsaw got an R rating. The very fabric and walls of the thing are violence.
Oh, a lot of what's inside including the storyline and bad guys is silly or simply mediocre, and mainly put together from bankable horror elements, from jump-scares to ruby-red color filters, which is after all the gist of a funhouse: the horror house is fun because you anticipate the elements and staging, and look forward to this being controlled around you. The opening that slyly takes us from a re-enactment of famous scenes in Halloween and Psycho through a Frankenstein poster on the wall to Bride of Frankenstein playing on TV, is Hooper's way of commenting on the redressing of spare parts he's going to use.
That's fun and really a lot of the film is, but not genuine vision. Hooper's vision is something more powerful than either Carpenter or Argento, both effective in other respects, were doing on this level, and that is the place itself is causing evil. It was dumbed-down by Spielberg in Poltergeist - written by him but a Hooper-originated project - as an actual force in the walls, and all sorts of gizmos and movie effects were brought around to clarify. But it was something altogether different to a 'haunted house' effect in its original conception.
Chainsaw is the most pure in this regard. But, it's a recurring feature in Eaten Alive, Salem's Lot, Poltergeist, and this. Hooper explained it as a 'physical sensation' he was after. I think it's something more he achieved.
There is violent energy in the gears and walls of the world, and it's the turning of those gears much more than storybased character decisions that control and manifest the energy as a kind of semiconscious , animal evil in the narrative of the film.
You can observe that the 'Funhouse' extends and anticipates the actual physical place (opening scene - dog - shotgun guy). It's something mischievous in the air. In our film, all of it is centered on a imaginative kid on his way to the scary place. That kid is scared out of consciousness. Shots of the unconscious kid are intercut with shots of the terrified teenagers trapped inside the maze. And there is the enigmatic shot of the boy saying nothing about that to the parents.
This is brilliant. The boy pulled a prank and expects one back from his sister, the cosmic prank that shatters lives is the universe conspires to stage the real thing.
Nothing of this registers directly, because we are distracted by the much more ordinary monster in the narrative (initially Frankenstein).
The entire last 20 minutes are a zap of cinematic energy from these cosmic gears that create and destroy the monster that is the prank that throws the world helter skelter (the finale takes place in a staging area full of gears).
Why? Because the god of the machine is watching (as the old crone cackles about) and wants to be amused.
Make no mistake, this is the sister film to Texas Chainsaw. -
claudio_carvalho27 December 2009The teenager Amy Harper (Elizabeth Berridge) dates Buzz Dawson (Cooper Huckabee) for the first time and they go to the carnival with their friends Richie (Miles Chapin) and Liz (Largo Woodruff). They smoke grass and have good-time visiting the attractions including a side show with freak animals. The silly Richie suggests the group to spend the night in the Funhouse for fun. During the night, they witness the murder of the fortune teller Madame Zena (Sylvia Miles) by a man wearing a mask of Frankenstein from an opening in the ceiling of a room. They decide to leave the fun house but they find all the exits locked. Meanwhile Richie sneaks in the room and steals the money of the manager of the place. The masked man returns with his father and owner of the fun house to show the corpse of Madame Zena; when the man realizes that he had been robbed, he presses his son that removes the mask and shows his horrible face. Richie startles and drops his lighter in the room. The owner asks his freak son to chase the thieves and eyewitnesses in a night of terror for the teenagers.
"Funhouse" is a good low-budget slash movie and as usual based on the stupidity of a group of teenagers, especially Richie that is an irritating character. The cast is formed by unknown actors and actresses and Miles Chapin seems to be repeating his performance in "Hair" with another imbecile character. Tobe Hooper uses the entertainments in the fun house to keep a creepy atmosphere, but the movie could be shorter. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Pague para Entrar, Reze para Sair" ("Pay to Get In, Pray to Get Out")
Note: On 02 April 2015, I saw this movie again. -
amandagellar-3107727 November 2021Fun-loving teenagers break into a carnival funhouse for an overnight spree and discover that there's a bloodthirsty and deformed murderer inside waiting to pick them off one by one.
The Funhouse can't help but be unfavorably compared to director Tobe Hooper's triumph, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It doesn't quite hold a candle to that film and it's intensity, but all the candy colors of the funhouse corridors aren't a terrible place to lounge around for 90 minutes and the makeup effects for the main bad guy are impressive. -
SnoopyStyle23 October 2014Amy Harper has a bratty younger brother Joey. Her father forbids her to go to the carnival which had a couple of bodies found last year. She's on a first date with gas jockey Buzz Dawson. He's a bad boy who insists on going to the carnival. They don't get off on the right foot. He picks up his friends Liz and Richie. Meanwhile, Joey sneaks out to go to the carnival by himself. Richie has the idea to spend the night in the funhouse ride. Joey waits for the group to leave the funhouse. The group witnesses the brutal murder of the psychic.
As early slasher movies go, this is not the worst but I wouldn't recommend it. The young lead actors aren't that compelling. To be kind, they are amateurish and annoying. Other the Amy, I don't mind if any of them die. There isn't much of a story. The first half is pretty dull, but the carnival is pretty sleazy and creepy. I do like the amateur creepiness. It feels like an authentic bad small-town traveling carnival. As the kids start running for their lives, the movie gets somewhat better. But the movie is still pretty boring. Director Tobe Hooper has done better before and after this. This is not one of his best. -
utgard1421 September 2015A deformed killer is stalking a group of teens at a carnival because they saw him murder a prostitute. Heavens to Murgatroyd! Director Tobe Hooper, responsible for one of the greatest horror movies of all time (TCM) and at least partially responsible for another (Poltergeist), takes a stab (ha!) at the '80s slasher craze. On the surface it seems like just another "mental defective/weirdo/lunatic" goes on a killing spree movie. Those were hardly rare in the '80s. But it's put together well with stylish direction and ample amounts of suspense. The cast is decent with Elizabeth Berridge doing a fine job as the Final Girl. She also has a nice nude scene at the start of the movie, for all the breast enthusiasts out there. The main flaws with the movie are the pacing in the first hour and the overall familiarity of the material. Still, it's worth a look if you like '80s horror.
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cmoyton28 April 2012Inexplicablilty added to the infamous "videos nasties" banned list in the UK during the 1980's Funhouse ranks as possibly the most boring horror movie of all time. Tobe Hooper dined out for years on the over-hyped Texas Chainsaw Massacre churning out derivative horror garbage like Funhouse during the subsequent years.
For a movie with a running time of one hour 35 minutes its about 44 minutes before anything remotely interesting happens. The walking talking clichés who enter the carnival do the attractions and then the viewer is taken round some of the attractions again. Yawn. In the meantime the kid brother of one of the main players, having sneaked out of the house and made his way to the carnival wanders around the funfair trying to find his older siblings. This is also really boring. Hooper has mastered the art of stringing out tedium to the point of infinity with a script that could be summarised on the back of a postage stamp. Even factoring in the age of the film, Funhouse is a cliché ridden, poorly acted borefest with a lamentable rubber faced monster. And some people rate this as a masterpiece. Nurse!. -
meddlecore1 October 2017Four hormone-driven teens sneak into a funhouse at a traveling carnival, and plan to stay the night. Little do they know, it harbours a deformed sex-crazed maniac. Now, they've seen too much, and must find a way out, before the monster and his father find them...to dole out their own brand of carny justice.
The way the whole sub-plot with the little brother plays out is really weak. It's only included to offer a possible out that never comes to fruition...and it plays out as awkwardly as does that last molestey scene with the little kid in it.
Petty criticisms aside, however, it's an entertaining film. The funhouse robots are pretty rad, and the monster is badass. The kills could have been a little more gory...but the one where they accidentally axe their friend is great! There's a nice amount of tension in that final scene too.
While not a masterpiece of horror or anything, this Tobe Hooper film is certainly worth a watch. But it's not particularly scary.
6 out of 10. -
TheExpatriate70021 May 2011Who could fail to make a good horror movie out of a carnival? It has all the perfect ingredients: freaks, sleazy carnies, creepy fun houses...
The answer, unfortunately for viewers of The Funhouse, is Tobe Hooper.
The film, which follows a group of dim-witted teenagers trapped in a fun house, suffers from bad writing, poor character development, and general unbelievability. For starters, the film goes nowhere for the first forty-five to fifty minutes. If this time had been used for character development, it wouldn't be so bad, but instead it just follows the characters as they meander through the carnival.
Furthermore, when things finally get going, none of the characters are worth caring about. Their behavior is too stupid for the viewer to be invested in them, particularly when they just stand around when they should be running.
This issue is particularly striking in the case of the heroine. She does little if anything to protect herself. For the viewer to invest themselves in a protagonist, whether it be Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween or Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street, they have to make some effort to defend themselves, or at least act independently. Our heroine just stands around screaming.
The only thing saving this film from a one star rating is its at times inspired use of atmosphere. The carnival comes across as genuinely sleazy, with shifty carnies and the occasional mad person walking about. Furthermore, the ending is truly eerie. However, this is not enough to save a boring, badly made film. -
Nightman8522 September 2005From director Toby Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-1974) comes this above average slasher-thriller film, that's certainly one of the best of the '80's!
Teenagers go to the county fair on a double date. Once there, they decide to spend the night hiding out in the fun house, unknowing that the consequences will be horrific.
The Funhouse is a great, suspense-filled horror film that's far more intelligent than most of its type, especially compared to most of the "splatter" films of the era. The story is a gripping one, which builds tremendous tension right up to its claustrophobic climax. Hooper gives us an atmosphere of dread, much like he did with the original Texas Chainsaw'. The carnival becomes an underworld of fear and darkness in the skilled hands of Hooper with some colorful set pieces. The music score is wonderfully moody and dramatic.
The cast is great as well. The beautiful Elizabeth Berridge makes a great screen debut. Cooper Huckabee is good as Berridge's beefy date. Kevin Conway is the best of the cast though, in his sinister performance as he plays a trio of carnie barkers. Kudos also go to makeup artist Rick Baker for one memorable creation!
For those looking for above-average suspense and horror, seek out this entertaining gem!
*** 1/2 out of **** -
Wuchakk27 February 2015I first saw "The Funhouse" a few years ago and was impressed since it's a semi-obscure horror film from 1981, although the movie poster has gotten some mileage. I guess I was expecting something low-budget and lame, but that's not the case. This is a top-rate quasi-slasher flick from that era, taking place at a carnival, which is a great location for a horror movie. The plot revolves around two high school couples (Elizabeth Berridge & Cooper Huckabee and Miles Chapin & Largo Woodruff) who spend their double date at the local carnival and foolishly decide to spend the night at the Funhouse where they inadvertently witness a murder. Horror ensues as the masked murderer turns out to be a hideous freak.
I discovered why this is such a well-done horror film from that era – it was made by Tobe Hooper who directed significant horror films like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), "Salem's Lot" (1979), "Poltergeist" (1982) and "Crocodile" (2000). I realize a lot of people don't appreciate the last one, but I actually prefer it to the other three.
The movie's effective because the protagonists represent the typical 17-18 year-old youths from that time period, or any time period really. The story takes its time to establish the characters on their carnival date before the horror goes into overdrive and the acting of the teens is convincing when it does. That's one of the things I like about this movie the most (beyond the carnival atmosphere, that is) – it's realistic tone. Don't get me wrong, there are things that happen that wouldn't likely happen in real life, like a prop at the Funhouse scaring the youths at precisely the right moment, but generally speaking the tone's very believable, plus there's no goofiness or indications that it's all a joke, as in "Crocodile."
Both girls are a highlight, particularly Largo Woodruff as Liz. Sylvia Miles appears as the tarot card reader, Madame Zena; she still looked good for being in her late 50s.
The freak is played by Wayne Doba who is passionate in his portrayal and extremely credible. Plus the make-up is hideous and memorable. I also liked the depiction of the monster's relationship with his dad, the Funhouse Barker played by Kevin Conway. All-around outstanding job on this front.
Unfortunately, the pacing of the film is weak and there are numerous draggy sections, which causes one's mind to wander. This is the only reason I don't rate it higher. The movie would've been more effective if they cut 12-15 minutes of fat, which explains why the video version only runs 80 minutes; that's the version you want to see.
The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in North Miami, Florida.
GRADE: B -
I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. This film came aft the success of FT13 n during the era of slashers. Here too, teens r chased n killed off but the settings n the reason for slashing is different. Nothing happens for entire 45 mins n when the action picks up, the film offers no gory or inventive kills n the body count is very low. Tension n suspense is almost nada.
The film is about four teens who stay back in an amusement park's dark ride after the closing hours but they get trapped aft witnessing a murder.
Expectations were sky high aft Hooper's successful TCM. Hooper failed to get a good editor. This movie is a perfect example of a slipshod editing.
Why we (audiences) were shown the entire trip around the carnival
Why were we shown the kid venturing out n then the kid roaming around in the amusement park
Why were we shown the guy in the car telling the kid not to venture out
Why were we shown the guy calling up the parents to pick up the boy
What was the significance of scene with the beggar lady preaching in the bathroom
Is this film suppose to be a morality tale - teens who do not listen to their parents, pay the price or teens who steal pay the price. -
rembrandt3621 October 2007There was a time, before Six Flags took over the nation, that traveling carnivals were normal to see coming to mid-size towns during the summer. Thus is the setting for "The Funhouse." Teenager Amy Parker and her friends Liz, Ritchie, and Buzz have piled into Buzz's muscle car for a night at the carnival - the same carnival were some teenage girls had disappeared a year previous.
After getting high and taking in a few rides, the group proceeds to take in the freak of nature tent, a magic show, get their fortunes told, and sneak a peek at a girlie show. Towards the end of the evening, Ritchie gets the bright idea to spend the night in the Funhouse, challenging the others to do the same.
The four teens enter the Funhouse and proceed to ditch their ride cars. After the carnival closes, the group of kids starts a make out session in the dark when they hear a noise. Looking through the floorboards, they see that the Funhouse worker Gunther (made up to look like the Frankenstein monster) is paying for sexual favors from the fortuneteller (Sylvia Miles of "Midnight Cowboy"). When he "jumps the gun" so to speak, she berates him and refuses to give his money back. This sends Gunther into a frenzy and he proceeds to strangle her to death. Having witnessed this, the kids decide to try to get the hell out of there.
Making their way around the darkened corridors with nothing more than a lighter, the foursome try to find the exit. Ritchie discovers the dead body of the fortuneteller and says he's going to check on her to make sure she is in fact dead. When he returns, he finds Buzz has indeed found the exit, but it is a steel door that has been padlocked. They decide to try and see if the entrance is open. On their way towards the front, they see a light wink on below them. The carnival barker has walked into his office and has discovered that Gunther has killed the fortuneteller.
Be it that the barker is in reality Gunther's father, he decides that they will get rid of the body and blame it on the local townsfolk. When Gunther gives back the money he took from the cash box to pay the fortuneteller, the carnival barker discovers that the rest of the money is missing. Enraged, he incites Gunther into beating himself up, to the point where he rips the Frankenstein monster mask off exposing a horribly deformed person underneath. Shocked by what they see, the kids shrink back from the sight, only to lose the lighter through the floorboards. The clatter makes a noise, and the carnival barker stops his tirade with Gunther when he realizes they are not alone...
This is one of those movies I BEGGED my parents to see when it first came out. The commercials for it looked AWESOME. Unfortunately as a whole, it did not totally live up to my expectations once I saw it. For one thing, the Funhouse itself is an impossible structure. The thing has a sub basement in it for Pete's sake. This thing is supposed to be mobile? There is no way this thing traveled with the rest of the carnival. Plus, back in the day, there was some false advertising. Two different commercials had been cut. One of these had footage of the two actors (Cooper Huckabee and Elizabeth Berridge) being chased by Gunther through sets that did not even exist in the movie. I hate when production companies do that, as it misrepresents what is up on the movie screen.
Of course, the carnival barker firing up everything in the Funhouse well after midnight must have gone over really well with the nearby carnies trying to get some sleep.
Back in the day I believe this was made for 2.5 million dollars. Please keep in mind that was a BIG budget for a horror movie. The money definitely went towards the production design. Technically, it is a good movie. All of the moods are there, and the sets for the Funhouse itself are impressive. The music by composer John Beal is tremendous, and adds a lot to the overall flavor of the movie. Noted makeup artists Rick Baker and Craig Reardon did a credible job with the makeup of the deformed Gunther. Unfortunately there was not a lot of articulation in the prosthetic, and it comes off more like a mask at times.
Director Tobe Hooper has had a spotty career that has had more ups and downs than a carnival roller-coaster. He of course is known for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" back in the mid 70s, but since then he has had a hard time matching the "feel" and effect that his initial foray into terror had. This movie is very sluggish at times and even when the action picks up, the pacing feels like it is going in several different directions.
As to the death scenes, they are on a whole pretty unspectacular. Mind you, this was back at the height of the early 80s horror resurgence, so it was odd that with such a story and location that so little was done with it. What this movie has going for it is atmosphere, decent acting and good character development.
A tidbit: The large bald mechanical clown head seen in the background of a few shots ended up as a mask in Rob Zombie's "House of 1,000 Corpses." -
matthewlcorey28 March 2021A group of teenagers decide to spend the night in a carnival funhouse and are stalked by a ghoulish family. Elizabeth Berridge (Amadeus) stars in one of director Tobe Hooper's underrated entries in the horror genre. Will the teens survive their grim ordeal? Rediscover this gem and find out.
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pedro11727 January 2001Well...I logged on hoping to find a review of this movie that felt like I did, and it just wasn't there. The vast majority of the reviewers of this film seem to have fond memories of being scared by it when they were younger. Never having seen it before might explain why I found the film so boring and unoriginal. The opening scene, described by many as a homage to "Halloween" and "Psycho", felt more like a ripoff to me; plus I felt bad for poor Elizabeth Berridge (better known as Mozart's wife in "Amadeus") who had to bare her breasts within the first 4 minutes of the film, for no other reason than to fulfill the gratuitous boob shot that was required of so many films in this genre. The film itself takes much too long to get going...nothing happens (and I mean NOTHING) within the first hour. By the time deaths finally began to occur I really didn't care. The look of the film is great, the score is interesting (without borrowing a lot from other films), and the killer is interesting as well, but I just couldn't get past one simple fact: for a travelling carnival, the funhouse itself is huge, consists of multiple floors and most obviously could never be packed up an d moved to a neighbouring town by the one man who runs it. It looks great Tobe, but a basement on a carnival ride? Enter at your own risk.
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ma-cortes26 January 2023Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing. Something is alive in the funhouse...something that has the form of a human, but not the face...something that feeds off the flesh and blood of young innocents...Something is alive in the funhouse...something that, tonight, will turn the funhouse into a carnival of terror! Pay to get in. Pray to get out. Something is alive in the funhouse!
From the director who brought you the cult favorite "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" going on this ¨The Funhouse¨ about four teenagers spending a night at a carnival funhose , they then witness a murder , and become next on the list of victims . This is a nice and entertaining film but nothing that hasn't been seen before . If you are looking for a watchable 80's horror film this is a cool choice providing buckets of blood and several limbs essential elements to movie terror. Tobe Hooper's Terror film in medium budget and lots of violence and gore with excellent make-up from notorious Rick Baker ; made just after the classic ¨Texas Chainsaw Massacre¨ . Hooper's success with "Chainsaw" landed him in Hollywood , then Tobe rejoined the cast of "Texas" and with Kim Henkle again for "Eaten alive" (1976), and subsequently this Funhouse (1980). Filmmaker Tobe proceeds a bestial and savage picture with plenty of grisly killings , disembowelled and butchered corpses , terrible events , sleaziness , and anything else . This is a suspenseful and frightening yarn , and adequately paced with plenty of chills , thrills, surprises , twists and turns. This noisy as well as visceral film contains images of graphic violence , and ominous scenes and it may not be suitable for all audiences , viewer discretion is advised. It boasts a nice main and support cast , such as : Elizabeth Berridge, Kevin Conway, Miles Chapin, Wiliam Finley and Sylvia Miles.
Dark and sinister cinematography by cameraman Andrew Laszlo and the camera often assumes a pointedly aggressive stance . Screeching and eerie musical score by means of strange and offbeat sounds composed by John Beal . The motion picture was competently directed by Tobe Hooper . Hooper had greater success with Stephen King's 1979 mini series ¨Salem's Lot¨ (1979). In 1981, Hooper directed the teen slasher film ¨The Funhouse¨ (1981) for Universal Pictures. Despite its success, "The Funhouse" was a minor disappointment. In 1982, Hooper found greater success when Steven Spielberg hired him to direct his production, haunted house shocker ¨Poltergeist¨ and the inferior remake ¨Invaders from Mars (1986)¨ and the disappointing , minor sequel Texas Chainsaw massacre 2 (1986) . But his essential big success was forever ¨Texas chainsaw massacre¨ that in 2003, Hooper co-produced the hit remake for New Line . In the 1990s, Hooper continued working in both film and television with ¨Spontaneous Combustion¨, ¨The Mangler¨, ¨Crocodile¨ , ¨Mortuory¨, ¨The Apartment Complex¨ , ¨Dark Skies¨, ¨Perversions of Science¨, ¨Shadow Realm¨, ¨Night Vision¨,¨I'm Dangerous Tonight¨ and ¨Djinn¨ got notorious failures . Rating : 6.5/10 . Passable and acceptable. -
baumer29 May 2000Even some of the greats have their bad days. Spielberg struck out with Hook, Stone with U-Turn and Hooper was out to lunch with this poor effort. Funhouse takes a typical premise but does nothing with it. Four teens are out for an evening of fun at a carnival and they end up paying for it with their lives. It is a great idea to have two guys and two girls spend the night in a funhouse but the execution of it is quite banal. And that is too bad because it had all the ingredients to be quite scary.
What is good about the film is the opening which pragmatically tips it's cap to Carpenter's opening shot in Halloween. It is a nice touch to see a Halloween mask put over the camera as a little boy, heavy breathing and all, walks slowly into the bathroom where his sister is taking a shower and then pretends to stab her with a plastic knife. The other decent part in the film is when the first guy dies, he is then hit in the head with an axe by one of his friends. They thought he was the killer coming around a dark corner and they split his head open with an axe. These two parts were very well done. The rest of the film is not.
The killing doesn't even start until almost an hour into the film. And that is fine if the movie and the screenplay in particular would have done a better job of setting it up. But all we get is some inane scenes of the kids going on carnival rides and smooching. Nothing forbidden is even remotely mentioned about the funhouse except that a couple of years ago a couple of kids were found dead in a funhouse a few states over. But then they leave it alone. I wanted to know more about this funhouse a few states over. How did the kids die? Was there a suspect? Was anyone indicted in the murders? There was nothing to make me afraid for the kids to enter that house. And that is where the film fails. Sure the killer is deformed and ugly and blah blah blah but even he isn't that scary.
Funhouse is a disappointment but Hooper is to be forgiven. He directed TCM and Poltergeist and that is a good enough track record to be exonerated from any wrong doing with this film.
4 out of 10
**** Just a side note. Has anyone ever given any thought to Hooper being somewhat of an animal rights activist? I have. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there was great detail not only verbally but visually to the slaughter of animals. And this one had a carnival full of deformed animals on display for everyone to gawk at. I can't put my finger on it but there has to be some sort of connection there. If anyone else has any theories, please email me. And if that is the case, then kudos to you Mr. Hooper. -
Hooper has been known to every horror fan for being creator of legendary THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Well I don't know why this movie is bit forgotten, but it's one of the best Hooper movies till date.
Make no mistake, this is your typical slasher flick. Four teens decided to spend a night in a Funhouse after a few joints and they witness brutal murder by a strange man. Soon, man turns out to be a vicious madman who is after them. Will they survive? (well, yeah, one will survive for sure) Special effects by FX maestro Rick Baker makes this one shine. Gore in this movie is done simply great, and mask of Frankenstein that killer uses during half of the movie is brilliantly great. Too bad we didn't see too much of it, but you'll gonna love it anyway once killer puts his mask down. Trust me, you will.
Now... about characters. The Funhouse is slow movie and that's actually a good thing about it. It tries to develop the characters and yes it does successes on some levels, you actually care for characters. Lead actress, always lovely Elizabeth Berridge who plays Amy is sweet and looks very innocent here, even if she does reveal her boobs in one scene (actually two), but anyway, her character is very sweet and you care for her during the whole hide and seek period. Rest of the characters are OK and you can root for them even if they are not the smartest (why the hell would you take a joint in a Funhouse!? In a carnival? Why the hell would you steal a money from a gypsy? Don't you know it's a dangerous thing to do!?) I won't tell you anything more. If you are a horror fan, if you are a slasher fan, if you are a Tobe Hooper fan, or if you just want to see good ol' slasher flick, watch THE FUNHOUSE for sure, because this is how slasher flick should be made.
ps. Too bad Tobe Hooper officially became a sucker. This and Poltergeist were two last great movies Hooper has made. All the rest suck badly. -
tommyterrible-129 October 2010Dean R. Koontz was approached to write the book based on the original story pitched to him and being young and wanting a paycheck he agreed. The book was definitely better than the movie and when the movie was released the book, by his pen name "Owen West" (by Mr. Koontz's admission, he was "Owen" out "West" and needed the money, thus the name Owen West) was basically yanked from the stores due to the fact that the movie was so poorly reviewed. Do yourself a favor and try the book, so much more dark, complex and much more of a back story. The father/barker story is explained, the mother/drinking is explained and the story is more emotional. If only Hollywood could learn to just film the book. I have the same feelings on all of Mr. Koontz's work translated to film. Watchers, Phantoms, Whispers...etc. The closest that a film maker has come is the film version of "Intensity". The song "If I had a million dollars comes to mind when I watch some of these films comes to mind because I know as a fan of the material, I could do so much better, and you know you could too.
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Up until THE FUNHOUSE, Tobe Hooper had only come pretty close to recapturing the relentless and ruthlessly nightmarish feel of the classic that catapulted him to fame, THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE. TCM 2 came closer than most of his films, but it traded in psychological terror for buckets of blood 'n' guts, where the first TCM had very little.
THE FUNHOUSE goes back to Hooper's roots, trading in the gore for playing with your nerves like Jimmy Page playing guitar. Traveling carnivals have always had a sinister, menacing undertone to them - that's part of what makes them so attractive - and Hooper, with a smart assist from Larry Block's script, takes that queasy unease and turns it up to '11', so that when the true horror is revealed, it's intensified that much more.
Four friends on a double date (Elizabeth Berridge, Miles Chapin, Cooper Huckabee and Largo Woodruff) decide to hole up in the Funhouse of a traveling carnival just outside of town way past closing time, just for kicks. It's a weird place that gives off a freaky vibe, but they don't come to realize just how freaky, until they see something that puts all of their lives in danger, and realize to their horror that not all the freaks in the show are fake...or at all "fun".
I don't want to spoil the surprises, but as is his habit, Hooper front-loads the movie with some acting vets, including genre favorites William Finley and Sylvia Miles. Plus the great Kevin Conway plays a pivotal role in bringing about the terror and death that the seemingly endless night holds for the trapped teens.
Anyone expecting Hooper and company to just pour on the gore is bound to be disappointed. THE FUNHOUSE is more about empathy and atmosphere...I mean, who HASN'T been through a funhouse like this at some time in their lives? The more you can put yourself in the place of the main characters, the spookier the film will be for you - especially in the third act.
Kudos to everybody for putting in some damn good performances, but especially to Berridge and to Wayne Doba who gives us a monster that is by turns pathetic, disgusting, pitiful and horrifying. And for John Beal, who created a score that plays with your nerves just as powerfully as the visuals do.
This is one of those best viewed alone, with the sound up and all the lights out...And don't worry - if you screech like a little schoolgirl at some parts, it'll be our secret, I promise...(hehheh) -
The Funhouse presents a not so pretty picture of carnival life, and a somewhat pathetic-albeit homicidal-monster with a decidedly unhandsome visage, and penchant for mayhem.
The opening of the film is a nod to Halloween and Psycho, two other masterworks of the genre, and from there builds into a creepy story revolving around teen lust, sleazy carnival characters, and a 'man-made' monster that has needs like everyone else, but simply cannot satisfy them in more socially acceptable ways. A fascinating subtext running through the story is that it is a variation on the tragedy of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. In Tobe Hooper's tale, the monster is one born of genetic mutation, cleverly foreshadowed by the Freak Animals Alive tent exhibit, where the fetal brother of the monster floats in a jar as an abominable attraction for the hoi polloi.
Indeed, in the film's opening sequence, the Frankenstein monster is shown, first as a poster showing the Glenn Strange characterization (my favorite!), and then as a Mego dolloh sorry, action figurecarried by the young boy, Joey, whose sister soon curses him because of his bizarre prank that scares the wits out of her. Joey's actions are also another subtext running through the film: he dons a mask to become a monster that frightens his sister, and the actual monster wears a Frankenstein mask to become less of a monster, and therefore less frightening to others. It is interesting to note that, unlike the current spate of horror films that feature eye (popping)-candy and little else, in this film, the characters are presented with choices, yet consistently make the wrong ones. And as we all know, in a horror film, when you make the wrong choices, someone, or more likely today everyone, winds up dead. Amy, Buzz, Liz, Ritchie, and Joey consistently make the wrong choices, and suffer the dire consequences. In the tale of Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation, wrong choices also led to death and disaster, but at least here we have the Funhouse!
The funhouse is surrounded by the carnival, a seedy, grimy affair filled with seedy and grimy denizens. There is a bag lady that looks very much like Grandmama from the Addams Family spouting "god is watching you!" a homeless man that wonders around like a zombie, a few bums, the past her prime fortune teller and palm reader (well played by Sylvia Miles), the not so magnificent Marco the Magician, and the barkers (three of them superbly played by Kevin Conway as if he were a natural). Properly toned by John Beal's score and Andrew Lazlo's cinematography, the loud and brightly lit carnival facade hides a darker, more primitive underbelly of murderous anarchy, and its nexus is the funhouse, established by Mr. Hooper's use of two tracking crane shots, one at the beginning and one at the ending of the mayhem, that emanate from the funhouse to encompass its surroundings.
Our hapless group of monster fodder soon regrets their decision to stay the night in the funhouse, and Joey soon regrets sneaking out from his bedroomdown the trusty-trellis-by-the-windowto visit the carnival. We also learn that the father of the monster has regrets about letting it live, in a scene that contains a wealth of hinted at backstory, but must share responsibility for its actions because of choices he has made. Dean Koontz, in his novelization of the film, includes this back story.
The climactic confrontation in the mechanical belly of the funhouse is suitably horrific, yet uses little gore, and, unlike the requisite sequelization antics of many fright films today, provides a definitive and satisfying closure. Unlike the mindless snuff horror approach to today's films, The Funhouse explores themes and provides a story depth that is worth viewing, along with the thrills and chills. -
StanleyStrangelove26 August 2007You've seen this slasher film many times before. A bunch of kids spend the night in a funhouse. One of the girls gets to show off her body in the shower for no reason except the director wanted to see her nude. The kids have boring sex. The kids who have boring sex get knifed by some goon in a mask. The one girl who doesn't have sex does not get knifed by some goon in a mask. Now throw in some puppets with bobbing heads. Why? Who cares.
Tobe Hooper, whose only claim to fame is the miserable Texas Chain Saw Massacre, serves up another bomb in Funhouse. The effects are cheesy which is surprising because Rick Baker did them.
Funhouse is unwatchable, boring, derivative, predictable, dull, did I mention boring, over talkative, uninteresting and did I mention boring.
Funhouse rips off Halloween and Psycho.
Did I mention this film is boring? -
brandonsites198117 August 2002Group of teenagers double date and get the idea of spending the night in a carnival funhouse for a lark. They get more then they bargained for however when they witness the murder of a psychic at the hands of a freak. Richly colored, nicely mounted flick has effective jump scenes, terrifying special effects and a good cast full of oddballs. One of Tobe Hooper's better horror films.
Rated R; Violence, Nudity, and Profanity.