The Funhouse (1981)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writer:

Lawrence Block (writer)

Release Date:

13 March 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Funhouse | Night | Carnival | Murder | Double Date

Cast

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 (as D. Lee Carson)
Sonia Zomina	...	Bag Lady
Ralph Morino	...	Truck Driver
Kevin Conway	...	Funhouse / Freakshow / Stripshow Barkers
Herb Robins	...	Carnival Manager
Mona Agar	...	Mona - a strip show dancer
Wayne Doba	...	The Monster
William Finley	...	Marco the Magnificent

Also Known As:

Carnival of Terror

Runtime:

96 min | Sweden:90 min (cut) | Belgium:80 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

West Germany:18 (cut) | UK:15 (re-rating) | Norway:15 (2009) (uncut) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Finland:(Banned) | France:-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | Norway:(Banned) (1981-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

North Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Mace Neufeld Productions

Trivia:

Steven Spielberg asked Tobe Hooper to direct E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) but he turned it down because he was busy on this movie. However Hooper and Spielberg would work together on Poltergeist (1982).

Quotes:

Richie Atterbury: ...Amy'll hit it off for sure. Buzz is a terrific guy.
Liz Duncan: She's stoned. When you're stoned, *Charles Manson* is a terrific guy.

Movie Connections:

References "Mister Ed" (1961)

Unappreciated Hooper

"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.