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23 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :- Unappreciated Hooper, 7 November 2006 Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA
"The Funhouse" is one of my favorite American horror films of the '80s. Director Hooper made this movie during his most creative period, sandwiched in between "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist." The movie is very intense, even intelligent. I also enjoyed all the references to other great films in the genre ("Frankenstein," "Psycho," "Halloween," etc.). It is interesting to see how the film plays with an integral part of the slasher subgenre; the triumph of conservative values over progressive ideas. In Hooper's universe, those people who mock the status quo are punished while the only person who has shown respect for the establishment is rewarded. The acting in the movie is above average. I thought Elizabeth Berridge ("Amadeus") was spectacularly effective in the role of the nominal scream queen. Technically, the movie is exceptionally well crafted. Hooper is just as much interested in character development as he is in building suspense. You get to know the characters before the body count starts. I think it is the kind of movie that deserves to be reevaluated. IMDb's low rating baffles me.
17 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- A stylish slasher. One of the bests from the 80's., 6 May 2005 Author: insomniac_rod from Noctropolis
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.
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Blame it on the locals, yeah, that's a good idea..., 26 June 2004 Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada
Four kids go to a sleazy traveling carnival one night and one of them comes up with the bright idea to spend the night inside the fun-house. While there, they witness a murder and are then pursued by the killer, a deformed monster.One of Tobe Hooper's better post-"Texas Chain Saw Massacre" efforts works mainly because of authenticity (the film-makers located an actual working carnival with 1940's and 1950's era rides and set it up in North Miami) and atmosphere. I don't usually enjoy agreeing with critics, but Maltin is right: it's the impressive visuals that help to sell this movie. It's a little more than just your standard slasher film, because it actually does a good job of trying to be scary. The acting is above average (Elizabeth Berridge is a heck of a good screamer, and if she had been so inclined back in the early 1980's, she might have been able to give Jamie Lee a run for her money. Veteran character actor Kevin Conway in particular stands out, playing three different carnival barkers, chief among them the fun-house barker who happens to be the father of the killer. I actually believed him in scenes where he alternately views his mutant son with utter contempt and then love & sympathy. Street mime Wayne Doba also manages to generate some sympathy for the monster, making him more than just one-dimensional. (The makeup, by the way, was by ace veteran Rick Baker.) Good music, too.The film begins with something I suppose the film-makers feel was "clever": a scene that mimics two infamous movie sequences: "Halloween"'s opening scene and "Psycho"'s shower scene. Is this an homage or a ripoff? You be the judge.Hooper's next film was the very mainstream "Poltergeist" and from what I hear his career became very hit-and-miss from then on (I haven't seen most of his later films but they haven't generated good word-of-mouth).7/10
18 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :- Possibly the last watchable Tobe Hooper's horror film., 30 August 2001 Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland
"The Funhouse" is based on a screenplay by Larry Block and Dean Koontz's "The Funhouse" novel was written and released as a tie-in with Tobe Hooper's movie,under the pseudonym of Owen West.The story moves around a group of teenagers who decide to break into a carnival funhouse and spend the night there for a bit of fun.Soon they're stalked by a ghastly freak from the carnival."The Funhouse" is no "Texas Chain Saw Massacre"(1974)or even "Eaten Alive"(1976-check out my review of it!),but Tobe Hooper really creates some thrills and a good deal of suspense.The film probably ended up on a video nasties list by mistake,as it may have been confused with "Last House on Dead End Street"(1977)which was also known as "The Fun House".So if you like horror genre-check out this quite sleazy and occasionally very scary film.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- The sets are cool., 5 September 2003 Author: acidxian from Haddonfield, IL
The production of this film included the use of a real vintage carnival from the 40s/50s. For anyone interested in the appeal of a traveling carnival, this film has some great sets. "The Funhouse" also features some great Rick Baker/Craig Reardon effects in the form of the movie's "villain", a deformed albino with fangs and claws.But the rest of the production is sorely lacking. Tobe Hooper does his best with the material, but he's not too good at smoothing over the obvious lack of logic inherent in the film. For instance, the plot concerns a small group of four teenagers who decide on a lark to "spend the night in the funhouse" of the traveling carnival they're visiting...the same carnival that was around "when those two girls were found dead in the woods some time ago". Now, why on Earth would anybody in their right minds find the idea of staying in a carnival funhouse overnight exciting? Where will they sleep? What will they do the next day? Won't they get hungry? Thirsty? Have to brush their teeth? Use the bathroom?Not only that, but the attractions in this carnival are most definitely not of the transportable variety. The titular dark ride seems so immense that our teen protagonists find it impossible to navigate their way out of the funhouse when danger rears its ugly head. Here's an idea: maybe follow the metal tracks in the floor until you are standing at the exit? In fact, the funhouse is built like a permanent fixture, with at least two floors and what appears to be a sub-basement! How would the carnies ever be able to dismantle this thing and move it in one day?This flick also suffers another blow by giving us nobody to root for. The teenage "protagonists" are wholly unlikeable. They smoke pot like they're sipping soda out of a can, they steal money from strangers, they are stupid enough to want to spend the night in a carnival attraction, and they commit the unpardonable horror movie sin of fornication--all except for the female lead, of course, although she isn't even interesting enough to be engaging. The dialogue in the film is flat, and it has no success in establishing any characterizations on behalf of the would-be victims. I wasn't even paying attention to most of the film's first reel. "The Funhouse" is also one of those movies where the villains seem to know exactly where their victims will be standing, like directly on top of a trap door that is conveniently deployed right on cue. The machinery of the funhouse also knows exactly how to deposit dead bodies so that they will stop exactly in front of our screaming victims.Suspension of disbelief aside, "The Funhouse" stirs up some uncomfortable feelings when the filmmakers use their "monster" to get scares out of the audience, then tell us he's simply deformed. In reality, he is one of the only sympathetic characters in the movie, and the film's climax is the only portion that packs a wallop: the script pits the only two characters in the film worth caring about against one another.Hooper throws in some sly references to "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", even if it does involve the gratuitous and illogical use of swinging hooks (haw haw), but by the time the movie delivers any real shudders, it's too late. Ironically, Dean Koontz was hired to write a movie tie-in novel for "The Funhouse", which was published under the psuedonym Owen West. Koontz fleshed out the story considerably, adding some great touches that the filmmakers would have been wise to exploit in their own movie. Too bad, because Koontz's treatment may have given Hooper a bigger, sharper hook on which to hang this film.
14 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Fast-Moving And Stylish, 11 September 2007 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
This was better than it should have been, considering most of the actors are unknowns and the film has a Grade B feel to it throughout. It gets good points for two things: the story moved fast and the cinematography was good. I like stylish-looking visuals, which is what you get here.Teenage punks usually turn me off but these guys - with one exception - were tolerable. The language was bad, but much of it came in bunches by just two of the guys.Overall, a surprisingly--decent horror film which is colorful and has its atmospheric merits. Is is super scary? No, but it's a fun-house and fun to watch.
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- For horror fans, The Funhouse is just that!, 22 September 2005 Author: SickBoySimon from Brentwood, USA
From 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, it will be hard to do better than this entertaining gem!**** out of ****
9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :- An excellent and highly underrated slasher from the peak period...., 28 January 2008 Author: Luisito Joaquín González (RareSlashersRated) from Spain
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
We humans all reflect on poor previous experiences and wish that we had chosen a different option, a different set of words or a different solution. It's a common philosophy to imagine what might have been had we reacted to a bad situation in a different way. No matter how successful, happy or influential someone may be, we all carry regrets that weigh heavily upon our shoulders like anchors. Deep inside every one of us is a dreamer that yearns for a chance to relive past experiences armed with the knowledge that we gained the first time around. Although turning back the hands of time is an impossible act, the ability to do so would be beneficial to each and every one of us. This mentality applies in all walks of life, and cinema is no different. Imagine for a moment that after John Carpenter's Halloween set the standard, the genre loosened its restraints and pushed forward to greater heights. Instead of the intoxicating pollution of minimal brained and non budgeted features that plagued cinemas after 1978; what if studios had spent time and money investing in the cycle and pushing new boundaries for its ongoing development? Despite an astoundingly negative reputation, the slasher genre, when handled correctly, can provide exemplary results. Just ask Alfred Hitchcock.In 1981, Tobe Hooper was a director with the world at his feet. Hot on the heels of his cult classic features The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eaten Alive, the director had been recognised by movie mogul Steven Spielberg and his name had become well respected in Hollywood circles. With the weight of a major studio behind him, Hooper decided to invest his talents in the fashionable slasher genre, which on paper promised to provide a feature that would finally rival Carpenter's classic.Hooper makes no effort to disguise Funhouse's slasher heritage and he launches his entry with a scene that references two of the genre's heavyweights. Whilst showering, our protagonist Amy is stalked via Carpenter-alike steady-cam in an opening that successfully sets the mood for the remaining runtime. The carnival has arrived in town and Amy and three of her teenage friends have decided to go along for the opening night. Despite warnings from her parents, the youngster bows to the pier pressure from her boyfriend and the youngsters arrive to be entertained by the lights and attractions on display. Ritchie has the ambitious idea to spend the night in the Funhouse, believing that the group can make-out and spend time alone without the intervention of their parents. It soon turns out to be a fateful plan, when the teens witness the brutal slaughter of one of the workers. Alone and locked in the carnival until morning, the troupe are stalked by a maniacal assassin with no chance of escape.An endless amount has been written about Tobe Hopper's full from grace. Much like a footballer that scored thirty goals in his first season and just one in the next, the downhill slope for the quality of his work was stark and unrelenting. The Spielberg collaboration on Poltergeist was supposed to launch Hooper as a Hollywood suspense maestro that would rival Hitchcock and Kubrick. Unfortunately the movie started a slope to mediocrity from which his career has never recovered. Generally movie fans look back on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the only truly outstanding feature in his catalogue. This record is somewhat inaccurate, because despite the inferiority of the majority of his later work, Funhouse is a decent feature that deserves further recognition. Chainsaw Massacre's strengths were its excessive use of terrifying sound, a skill that Hooper successfully repeats in this follow up. The final scene is an excellent juxtaposition of visual and audible horror and the suspense is harsh and unrelenting. Mixing bright flashes of light and the ear piercing chimes of steel cogs and chains, the director creates an atmosphere of unease that provides an outstanding backdrop to a tense showdown. The movie is helped no end by an excellent performance from the final girl, and the gore is kept minimal, which adds further credit to the director's artistic flair. We humans are obsessed with our image, and Hooper makes an intelligent social commentary as the youngsters glare in amusement at the freaks on display at the carnival. Their brash attitudes are ruthlessly avenged when they realise that they are alone with something they had previously considered to be defenceless against their mockery. Revenge is dished out coldly as the protagonist emerges psychologically warped and drained like the creatures on display at the 'freak show'. Funhouse's subtle ethical theme shows an intelligence largely unseen in the genre. Hooper's stylish direction is complemented by some crisp photography and the breathtaking editing builds impressive tension. Set pieces are skilfully conveyed and the circus freak makes an excellent bogeyman. The leads carry the feature comfortably and Hooper delivers a final that underlines his status and ability. Why Tobe Hooper never became the horror maestro that so many predicted is a mystery. Funhouse proves however that there is more to his catalogue than a Chainsaw Massacre in Texas. By far one of the best of the early eighties slashers, this entry deserves to be highly regarded. On a footnote, Funhouse was bizarrely and inaccurately banned briefly in the United Kingdom as part of the video nasty phase.
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- Above average 1980s scare flick, 8 November 2008 Author: mnpollio from United States
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.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- As Nightmares Go, This One's About As Terrifying As It Gets..., 5 December 2008 Author: Christopher T. Chase (cchase@onebox.com) from Arlington, VA.
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)
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