The Funhouse (1981)

Four teenage friends spend the night in a carnival funhouse and are stalked by a deformed man in a Frankenstein mask.

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writer:

Lawrence Block

Stars:

Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Amy Harper
Shawn Carson	...	Joey Harper
Jeanne Austin	...	Mrs. Harper
Jack McDermott	...	Mr. Harper
Cooper Huckabee	...	Buzz Dawson
Largo Woodruff	...	Liz
Miles Chapin	...	Richie
David Carson	...	Geek
Sonia Zomina	...	Bag Lady
Ralph Morino	...	Truck Driver (as Ralph Marino)
Kevin Conway	...	Freak Show Barker / Strip Show Barker / Funhouse Barker
Herb Robins	...	Carnival Manager
Mona Agar	...	Strip Show Dancer
Wayne Doba	...	The Monster
William Finley	...	Marco the Magnificent

Storyline

Two young couples on a double date go to a mysterious carnival. As a prank they decide to spend the night in the funhouse. When they witness a brutal murder, they suddenly find themselves in horrific danger.

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Plot Keywords:

night | house | carnival | murder | funhouse | 

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Taglines:

Something is alive in the funhouse...something that, tonight, will turn the funhouse into a carnival of terror!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carnival of Terror

Filming Locations:

North Miami, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 90 min (cut) 80 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reshoots of scenes took four days due to lost film footage which had got caught up in a local teamster war. Director Tobe Hooper has said that the filming of this movie in Miami / Florida occurred during the Scarface era.

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Quotes

Buzz Klemmet: Hey! Watch who you're calling an asshole, asshole.

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Connections

References The Jazz Singer (1927)

User Reviews

Above average 1980s scare flick

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.