The Funhouse (1981)

Directed by

Tobe Hooper

Genre

horror film, slasher film, crime film, exploitation film, teen film, monster film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 36m

Rated

R

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 425 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Four teenagers visit a traveling carnival and sneak into a funhouse ride after hours. They become trapped inside with a deformed killer who stalks them through the dark and twisted attractions.

tensecreepyslow-burnclaustrophobicatmosphericgrittysuspensefuldark

What happens

The Funhouse is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper, written by Larry Block and starring Elizabeth Berridge, Kevin Conway, William Finley, Cooper Huckabee, Miles Chapin, Largo Woodruff, Wayne Doba, and Sylvia Miles. The film's plot follows four Midwestern teenagers who become trapped in a dark ride at a traveling carnival and are stalked by a mentally handicapped albino killer. A Universal Pictures production, The Funhouse was director Hooper's first major studio film after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Eaten Alive (1976). Its producers were inspired to produce a successful teenage-themed horror film following the major financial success of Paramount's slasher Friday the 13th (1980). Though the film is set in Iowa, principal photography took place on backlots at Norin Studios in Miami, Florida. Hooper was stylistically influenced by Nightmare Alley (1947), a film noir also set in a traveling carnival. An independent production, The Funhouse was acquired by Universal Pictures, who theatrically released it in the United States on March 13, 1981. Though a commercial disappointment, the film received mixed to positive reviews from critics with praise for its atmosphere, cinematography and Kevin Conway's performance but criticisms for its pacing and comparisons to Tobe Hooper's other works. Some critics favorably cited its references to several classic horror films, among them works by Alfred Hitchcock, James Whale, and Tod Browning. Contemporary film scholars and critics have noted that the film continues Hooper's recurring theme of family dysfunction as seen in his previous films. A novelization of the film by Dean Koontz was released prior to its release, with Koontz using the pseudonym Owen West. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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