The Funhouse [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray]

Director: Tobe Hooper Tobe Hooper

Overview

This low-budget horror film about teenagers trapped in a carnival funhouse with a freakish monster is pretty standard stuff. Director Tobe Hooper manages a few shocks and includes some typically peculiar supporting characters, but this film is less entertaining than either of his previous excursions into such territory. Not as scary as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) nor as bizarre as Eaten Alive (1976), The Funhouse may as well have been directed by an anonymous hack as one of the foremost names in the genre. The movie tie-in novel, penned by "Dean R. Koontz" under the pseudonym "Owen West," is actually far more frightening than the film on which it was based.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/06/2022
UPC:	0826663226577
Original Release:	1981
Source:	Shout Factory
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	9,156

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Elizabeth Berridge	Amy Harper
Cooper Huckabee	Buzz Dawson
Miles Chapin	Richie
Largo Woodruff	Liz
Sylvia Miles	Mme. Zena
Kevin Conway	The Barker
William Finley	Marco the Magnificent
Wayne Doba	The Monster
Shawn Carson	Joey Harper,Geek
Jeanne Austin	Mrs. Harper
Jack McDermott	Harper
Sonia Zomina	Bag Lady
Ralph Marino	Truck Driver
Herb Robins	Carnival Manager
Susie Malnik	Carmella
Sid Raymond	M.C.
Larry Ross	Heckler
Frank Grimes	Voyeur
Frank Schuller	Poker Player
Peter Conrad	Midget
Mildred Hughes	Tall Lady
Glen Lawrence	Spectator
Mike Montalvo	Spectator
Shawn McAllister	Garbage Collector
Sandy Mielke	Garbage Collector
Allison Caine	Voices
John Beal	Composer

Technical Credits

Lawrence Block

Steven Bernhardt	Producer
Tobe Hooper	Director
Mark L. Lester	Executive Producer,Producer
Mace Neufeld	Executive Producer,Producer
Derek Power	Producer
Lawrence Block	Screenwriter
Rick Baker	Special Effects
Fern Champion	Casting
Pamela Basker	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Tobe Hooper's entry into the slasher film cycle of the early 1980's lacks the inspiration and scare power of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but still manages to deliver the goods for its target audience. The best element of The Funhouse is its setting: the filmmakers did an excellent job recreating the sleazy, nocturnal feel of a traveling carnival and this helps the film maintain a creepy atmosphere even when its storytelling falls short. The least impressive element of The Funhouse is Larry Block's lightweight script, which takes a long time to get going and builds itself around a quartet of cookie-cutter teen protagonists that aren't like to inspire much sympathy in the audience. The latter problem carries over to the performances: only Elizabeth Berridge sparks any interest via a believable, effectively underplayed performance as the main heroine. These problems make The Funhouse a pretty lightweight affair, especially when stacked up against a real horror classic like Halloween. That said, The Funhouse remains worth a look to horror buffs for a few reasons. The biggest reason is the supporting cast: Kevin Conway is believably sleazy (and terrifying) as the villainous Barker, mime-turned-actor Wayne Doba pulls off the impressive feat of humanizing the film's mutated killer without the benefit of any dialogue and cult favorites Sylvia Miles and William Finley add color in bit parts as carnival workers. Director Tobe Hooper delivers an exciting finale and works in the occasional inspired stylistic flourish along the way: the best of these is the tongue-in-cheek opening sequence, which manages lampoon key moments from Psycho and Halloween at the same time. Ultimately, The Funhouse is too uneven to qualify for classic status but remains of interest to genre fans for its periodic flashes of inspiration.

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