This movie essentially begins with two teenage couples deciding to visit a nearby traveling carnival and once there they choose to spend the night in the chamber of horrors known as the "Funhouse". Although they fully understand that what they are doing is wrong what they don't count on is witnessing a murder and being trapped inside with a deformed, maniacal killer who has been ordered by his father to ensure that none of these witnesses escape alive. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, as one of the first 80's "slasher films", this particular picture wasn't too bad overall. Admittedly, although the features of the "monster" were a bit ridiculous, the plot pretty much followed the standard format for this specific time-period and the acting was equally basic, there was enough suspense to keep things interesting for the most part. In short, this wasn't a bad movie and because of that I have rated it accordingly. Average.

"The Funhouse" is a film which everyone has spoken something about, even thought it's not even a classic of the genre. As the movie began, I felt like I was about to see the most bizarre and horrifying thing of my life, when, in fact, it was just the most bizarre. It is like this because, despite Tobi Hooper being a horror master, this project doesn't seem to be made to be (exclusively) creepy; the funny aspects of the story are what, in fact, bring some charm to it. Honestly, I thank god that it wasn't creepy; if director wanted it to be, he would SURELY be able to. All in all, if you've enjoyed 2007's "Dead Silence" and you want to see a corny and hilarious version of that, "The Funhouse" is probably a good choice for you.

The Funhouse (1981) ** 1/2 (out of 4)A teenage girl sneaks off with three friends to a carnival even though her father warned her that there were issues with this sideshow the previous year. At first the four are having a great time but after witnessing a murder they become the hunted by a mutant.Tobe Hooper's THE FUNHOUSE was released at a time when slashers were taking over the genre and if you look at the poster you'd think that this was going to be another but it's actually not. I think the film had a pretty negative reputation for quite sometime because people were going in expecting something that what they actually got. Technically speaking this is an extremely well-made film that manages to build up a rather nice atmosphere and it certainly has some interesting stuff going for it but there are still some flaws that keep it from being a good picture.It's interesting that Hooper would go for a scare picture even though that's not what people were really wanting in 1981. The film manages to have some very good moments thanks in large part to Hooper giving it a very interesting atmosphere. You can certainly feel the carnival atmosphere as you watch the picture and the screenplay certainly gives us a lot of character development for the four leads. Another good thing the film has going for it is the cinematography and music score. Both of them perfectly capture the "shocks" of what the film has to offer. For the most part the performances are also good with Elizabeth Berridge making for a good lead and we get some nice support from Sylvia Miles and William Finley.The film has its issues as I said and this includes the fact that nothing really happens until after the hour mark. I'm sure Hooper and company were wanting to build up the atmosphere as they did but I think they should have thrown in some sort of killing to keep people caught up in what's going on. Also, logically, you have to wonder about really being trapped in such a small space. This here is what really keeps the film from being better but there's still a lot to enjoy here. If you're looking for gore then you're going to be disappointed but THE FUNHOUSE is a nice little monster movie.

Amy Harper has a bratty younger brother Joey. Her father forbids her to go to the carnival which had a couple of bodies found last year. She's on a first date with gas jockey Buzz Dawson. He's a bad boy who insists on going to the carnival. They don't get off on the right foot. He picks up his friends Liz and Richie. Meanwhile, Joey sneaks out to go to the carnival by himself. Richie has the idea to spend the night in the funhouse ride. Joey waits for the group to leave the funhouse. The group witnesses the brutal murder of the psychic.As early slasher movies go, this is not the worst but I wouldn't recommend it. The young lead actors aren't that compelling. To be kind, they are amateurish and annoying. Other the Amy, I don't mind if any of them die. There isn't much of a story. The first half is pretty dull, but the carnival is pretty sleazy and creepy. I do like the amateur creepiness. It feels like an authentic bad small-town traveling carnival. As the kids start running for their lives, the movie gets somewhat better. But the movie is still pretty boring. Director Tobe Hooper has done better before and after this. This is not one of his best.