Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Predrag "The Funhouse" has an excellent atmosphere. The opening credits are creepy and i'm not even afraid of carnivals. The film follows a good plot and I enjoyed it overall. Not a lot of gore but the carnival is creepy enough, isn't it? The atmospheric build-up is fascinating. The shots of the carnival really capture a weird and incestuous world which only becomes totally apparent on a second viewing. Hooper really knows his stuff and the ideas contained in this piece are quite remarkable as is the notion of multiple casting of some of the characters. The film revolves around a group of teenagers who decides to spend the night inside a dark ride (The Funhouse) and witness a murder between two members of the circus. After this they are hunted by the by the deformed killer and his father and... well, the rest is the usual nerve wrecking scenes.The cast is great as well. The beautiful Elizabeth Berridge makes a great screen debut. Cooper Huckabee is also good as Berridge's date. Kevin Conway however is the best of the cast, in his sinister performance as he plays a trio of carnival barkers. Kudos also go to makeup artist Rick Baker for one memorable creation! The story moves around a group of teenagers who decide to break into a carnival funhouse and spend the night there for a bit of fun. Soon they're stalked by a ghastly freak from the carnival. "The Funhouse" is no "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" from 1974 or even "Poltergeist", but Tobe Hooper really creates some thrills and a good deal of suspense. The carnival atmosphere that was created for this movie is superb. There is everything you'd see at an 80's carnival - rides, freaks, a funhouse, tents, a striptease show, a fortune teller, everything. The after hours night-time atmosphere is creepy. The mannequins and various props inside the funhouse are very creepy. I like the fat lady prop at the entrance to the fun house. Her laugh is super creepy. If you want to see a largely forgotten horror classic, see this movie. They don't make 'em like this anymore...Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Wuchak I first saw "The Funhouse" a few years ago and was impressed since it's a semi-obscure horror film from 1981, although the movie poster has gotten some mileage. I guess I was expecting something low-budget and lame, but that's not the case. This is a top-rate quasi-slasher flick from that era, taking place at a carnival, which is a great location for a horror movie. The plot revolves around two high school couples (Elizabeth Berridge & Cooper Huckabee and Miles Chapin & Largo Woodruff) who spend their double date at the local carnival and foolishly decide to spend the night at the Funhouse where they inadvertently witness a murder. Horror ensues as the masked murderer turns out to be a hideous freak.I discovered why this is such a well-done horror film from that era – it was made by Tobe Hooper who directed significant horror films like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), "Salem's Lot" (1979), "Poltergeist" (1982) and "Crocodile" (2000). I realize a lot of people don't appreciate the last one, but I actually prefer it to the other three.The movie's effective because the protagonists represent the typical 17-18 year-old youths from that time period, or any time period really. The story takes its time to establish the characters on their carnival date before the horror goes into overdrive and the acting of the teens is convincing when it does. That's one of the things I like about this movie the most (beyond the carnival atmosphere, that is) – it's realistic tone. Don't get me wrong, there are things that happen that wouldn't likely happen in real life, like a prop at the Funhouse scaring the youths at precisely the right moment, but generally speaking the tone's very believable, plus there's no goofiness or indications that it's all a joke, as in "Crocodile." Both girls are a highlight, particularly Largo Woodruff as Liz. Sylvia Miles appears as the tarot card reader, Madame Zena; she still looked good for being in her late 50s.The freak is played by Wayne Doba who is passionate in his portrayal and extremely credible. Plus the make-up is hideous and memorable. I also liked the depiction of the monster's relationship with his dad, the Funhouse Barker played by Kevin Conway. All-around outstanding job on this front.Unfortunately, the pacing of the film is weak and there are numerous draggy sections, which causes one's mind to wander. This is the only reason I don't rate it higher. The movie would've been more effective if they cut 12-15 minutes of fat, which explains why the video version only runs 80 minutes; that's the version you want to see.The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in North Miami, Florida.GRADE: B

punishmentpark Elizabeth Berridge, Elizabeth Berridge, where had I seen her before? It didn't come to me, as I was thinking of probably some other horror film. No, she was in 'Amadeus' as quite the frivolous and sympathetic girl who ended up marrying him (Amadeus). She's an exuberant appearance, even if, here, i didn't care much for her acting.The opening scene is titillating fun, but then things get quite boring quite fast. Two double dates (and separately, a kid brother) stroll around a carnival without much really exciting happening (highlight is William Finley as Marco the Magnificent and bloody tricks and tales); it's colorful, though, and if you like a good carnival... In the last half hour things are finally going wrong and some killing, screaming and running must be done. Hardly a slasher, though; no kills until the last half hour (only the mentioning of earlier murders) and no mystery about who are responsible, even if one of them is wearing a mask. Still, there there's a good effort made to give the story some substance, by giving the killers a background and not making all the carnies a murdering bunch.Still, there's not so much to enjoy; 5 out of 10. No, wait, 6 out of 10; an extra point for Berridge and a few very good, creepy scenes (one with Amy, the other with Liz, both in the ventilation system).

TheRedDeath30 Tobe Hooper is a mystery to me. His debut film, Texas CHAINSAW, might be the greatest horror film in modern times, a benchmark in which to compare all horror movies since. So, why is it that he's never really been able to come close to the majesty of that movie? Yes, you can point to POLTERGEIST, but many in filmdom would argue that movie is more Spielberg than Hooper.I would put this movie in a similar category with EATEN ALIVE, his previous film, a movie which I seem to enjoy far more than most. Both movies carry a similar problem, though. They are gorgeously filmed, stylishly lit, artistic slashers with wooden characters, dull plots and poor pacing. Part of that blame lies in the screenwriters, to be sure, but it's as if Hooper spent far too much time worrying about how to shoot his films and not enough wondering if it was a worthwhile film to make in the first place.The movie starts off with an "homage" to HALLOWEEN, introducing us to the main heroine and her kid brother who will be pivotal to the plot. We could, also, argue here that there is a fine line between "paying homage" and "ripping off". Our final girl has a typical a*hole boyfriend who is taking her to a carnival against her father's wishes, with two stereotypical teens in tow. From here, the movie spends a little bit too much time with the teens exploring the carnival. It badly cries out for something similar to the Hitchhiker scene in TCM to establish a bit of tension that will carry the plot through this portion, something that portends the doom to follow, but it's essentially nothing more than 4 generic teens walking around a carnival. When I say generic, I mean it. There is no personality to here. Nothing to like or dislike. They exist only to die later. I do think Kevin Conway's multiple appearance as a carny barker are good here and help to set somewhat of a tone. There's something inherently creepy, to me, about that poor audio, cheap microphone sound that's used well. The fun starts when the teens decide to spend the evening in the funhouse. This is where Hooper really shines. He uses the spooky qualities of the old school carnival shocks to maximum effect, combined with his always excellent sense of lighting to create a genuinely unsettling funhouse atmosphere.The teens then witness something that will spell out their inevitable doom and our creature is unmasked in a reveal reminiscent of Chaney's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The monster makeup is excellent and provides a unique slasher villain. From here, though, the movie just never goes anywhere you want it to go. Hooper sets up these amazing sets and excellent shots and you want so much for him to use this setting to the same max effect that he was able to use the old farmhouse in TCM, but it never gets there. The killings become paint by the numbers, formulaic slasher deaths, all leading up to the inevitability that our final girl will escape and the monster will meet its' demise.It's better than the majority of generic slashers that came out in the wake of HALLOWEEN and Friday THE 13th, but can't quite elevate itself to classic level.