The Funhouse

A 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.

Four 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.

Along 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.

Four 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.

A much glossier and classier film than most of Tobe Hooper's films that came before it. You can tell this was the first time he was playing with big studio money and the film looks beautiful, but it does lack some of the grit and intensity of his early work. The special makeup effects for the lead monster are terrific.