First, this was directed by Tobe Hooper who has had an interesting if uneven career. He's made some great films like Poltergeist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Life Force and then some real duds like The Mangler and Spontaneous Combustion. Funhouse falls somewhere in between with enough good stuff to make it worth a view.
The plot is standard fare...A pair of teen couples Amy & Buxx and Richie and Liz go to the local carnival. They enjoy all the usual carny attractions and then get the bright idea of spending the night in the Funhouse. Amy is the young, pure as the driven snow heroine and at first hesitant but then agrees. The couple hop on the ride and begin going though the funhouse. They hop off the cars while inside and wait for the park to close for the night. Now this is actually pretty cool. Who, as a teen, didn't think it might be cool to do the same thing?
Well while exploring the funhouse the four teens witness a grisly murder by a freak in a Frankenstein mask and then find themselves pursued by the maniac and his father who is the Funhouse's barker, luring people inside. They soon find they are trapped inside with the freak and his father and being hunted down.
Funhouse is a pretty decent horror. It stars quite slowly but then builds suspense once the kids enter the funhouse and witness the murder. Hooper offers up little salutes to other horror films throughout the funhouse setting. The acting is what you'd expect from a no-name cast. Many of these actors never did another film after this one. Still, Hooper shows how a cheapie slasher can rise above the pack when you have a decent director.
STEP RIGHT UP...
Revered horror director Tobe Hooper fills THE FUNHOUSE with a sense of surreal terror. The carnival itself seems forbidding and ominous; the funhouse is perversely fascinating. Hooper uses bits from classic films like HALLOWEEN, PSYCHO and even his own TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in this sometimes frightening film. Hooper lets the pace of the film slack somewhat, however, which ultimately keeps the film from achieving truly classic status. Kevin Conway as the barker (several of them in fact) steals the movie from the youthful cast in his twisted portrayal of a man whose own son is a freak of nature, and who is psychotically killing people. Oscar nominee Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) has a small role as a fortune teller prostitute who manages to piss off the son, and suffers for it. Cooper Huckabee, Miles Chapin, Largo Woodruff and Elizabeth Berridge are the doomed teens and their performances are adequate for this level of horror film. Hooper piles on the suspense in the last quarter of the movie with an especially tense seen in the boiler room. Not a classic, but a decent entry in the horror circle.
Horrible
I am a huge fan of 70's and 80's horror, and this 1981 horror flick directed by Tobe Hooper is horrendous. I cant believe he would do a flick like this. Someone says "splatter fest ", HUH are you kidding me there were 2 murders you saw and niether one was to brag for. Please rent b4 you buy, as I am a fan of horror movies and know when there is a good one, take my advise this isnt good at all, it was a waste of my $10. Just to give you an idea of great horrors I will name a few.......
1-Texas chainsaw massacre ( the original from 1972 or 74 )
2-Exorcist
3- Maniac ( directed by William Lustig )
4- Dawn ( 1978 )/Day of the dead, Night of the living dead
5- Zombie ( directed by Lucio Fulci )
6- Re-Animator
7-Creepshow 1 & 2
8-Seven ( a bit newer film from the 90's ) More a suspense thriller, very good flick.
9-Evil Dead
10-Tool Box Murders ( 2005 ), the original made in the 70's sucked bad. This movie was directed by T.Hooper, not great but not bad, good enough where i bought it.
So by giving you ideas of what a good horror is, you should take my word and not buy FunHouse.
When you go into a movie, you can go in two different ways. You can go in to it not expecting too much or you can go into it expecting a lot. After reading reviews for "The Tourist Trap" I decided to check it out. While the movie wasn't the worst I've seen in that genre it's far from the best.
What you do expect from almost every horror movie made between 1978 and 1983 is delievered here, bad acting, cheesy effects and a trite story line.
Synopsis: Four young travelers come upon an old, abandoned gas station that turns out to be a creepy, deserted wax museum. When Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors), the owner of the macabre museum, lures the tourists into what he calls Slausen's Lost Oasis, mannequins begin to come to life and one by one the tourists become victim to... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Schmoeller DVD Release Date: Released the 11 January 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I was in this film as an extra, I played a guy dressed as a clown, got paid 20 bucks and a free meal for a days work, what a joke, should have flipped the camera off in a background scene. O-well, I did urinate in the director's coffee. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ben Johnson - Jamie Lee Curtis Director(s): Roger Spottiswoode DVD Release Date: Released the 07 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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You may never have heard of this neglected 1974 gem, but you've probably seen one of its many imitators. Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder (also look for Andrea Martin of SCTV fame) star as two residents of a sorority house that is emptying out as Christmas approaches. The atmosphere is jolly and carefree, except for an ongoing series of menacing telephone calls, and, oh yes, we've just seen someone climb into the attic with apparent ill intent. Kidder does some scene-stealing as the bad girl, Hussey illustrates one of the downsides to having beautiful long '70s hair, and Keir Dullea does a nice turn as the creepy boyfriend. Director Robert Clark knows that the unseen is far scarier than what can be seen and he ratchets up the tension beautifully, making good use of ominous shadows,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Olivia Hussey - Keir Dullea Director(s): Bob Clark (III) DVD Release Date: Released the 06 November 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This bizarre little horror movie is set in the mining town of Valentine Bluffs, which may be in Canada, though the odd, indeterminate accents of the cast are perhaps meant to suggest that it is truly a regionless everyland. In a cruel twist of fate, the Bluffers have not celebrated Valentine's Day in 20 years due to a terrible mining accident. This year is to be the first return of the Valentine's Dance--repeatedly described by adults as the biggest event of the year--but someone (or something?) is trying to put a stop to the fun by delivering heart-shaped candy boxes with real hearts in them. The dance is called off in the name of public safety, the young (well, youngish) people decide to hold a party inside the mine instead, and if you think we're getting out of this one without... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Paul Kelman - Lori Hallier Director(s): George Mihalka DVD Release Date: Released the 03 September 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Leaving aside the painful and horrific real life incident that taints the movie for a moment, lets just look at the movie as it is. First off, I love horror movies, some of my faveorites even include ones that are considered "Bad" by tons of movie critics, like the first 4 'Friday the 13th' movies. I love most of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, and the first 2 Halloween movies, and tons others, inlcuding, yes, Victor Salva's own 'Jeepers Creepers', whcih I think is the best horror movie to have come out in the last 5 years.
But Clownhouse is just laughable and annoying and terribly acted. The bickering among the 3 brothers was driving me nuts for one. The characters do so many amazingly stupid things that are cliches in horror movies, and they do them often, more so than in... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Victor Salva DVD Release Date: Released the 31 December 2025 This item is currently not available.
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