Tobe Hooper's straight slasher flick deserves a chance. We admire this genius for "Poltergeist" and especially "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but it's fair to recognize the good job he did with "The Funhouse".
The movie is creepy itself because of it's colorful but creepy setting and atmosphere. I mean, how could something go wrong in the fun house? Well, when there's a freak wearing a Frankenstein mask killing other weird people you can imagine that things could get nasty.
The premise is well known. Two couples go to the amusement park at night and soon after they arrive they enter the fun house and witness how a freak kills a woman. That's when the typical killing starts as the freak and his father chase the teens in order to "hide" the murder.
Overall there are some very creepy moments like when the freak takes off his mask revealing his disfigured head, when this freak slaughters a girl with his claws, the crazy witch, the puppets, and the death scenes. Hooper's direction is top class as always. He put a lot of effort in a low budget slasher flick and that's why he deserves some credit. I'm not saying that he wasted his talent on a movie that doesn't asks much for it; I think that this is one of the best looking and directed slasher flicks of all time. There are some camera angles that looked very innovative for it's time (example, Richie's dead body in the moving wagon).
The acting is quite good for a movie like this. I felt sorry for the kids when murdered. Also, the cinematography is quite impressive. The movie is from 1981 and looks very good. The correct use of light in dark settings helped a lot and gave a creepy look to the fun house. The F/X is also good. The freak looks gruesome and horrible in a positive way. The gore is okay.
"The Funhouse" is definitely a must see for fans of the genre. I can say that this is one of the best slasher flicks out there. The movie is not only about a demented killer chasing teens but it has some truly suspense moments and the effective jump-out of your seat scenes. Recommended for horror fans in general; this is another Tobe Hooper classic that shouldn't be missed.
I wonder if this movie inspired Hooper to make "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". There are some similarities between the two movies; for example, the freak trying to abuse on a girl, the setting, the "child" abuse (uh, the freak is often beaten and yelled by his father), some death scenes, the ending, etc.
The movie is creepy itself because of it's colorful but creepy setting and atmosphere. I mean, how could something go wrong in the fun house? Well, when there's a freak wearing a Frankenstein mask killing other weird people you can imagine that things could get nasty.
The premise is well known. Two couples go to the amusement park at night and soon after they arrive they enter the fun house and witness how a freak kills a woman. That's when the typical killing starts as the freak and his father chase the teens in order to "hide" the murder.
Overall there are some very creepy moments like when the freak takes off his mask revealing his disfigured head, when this freak slaughters a girl with his claws, the crazy witch, the puppets, and the death scenes. Hooper's direction is top class as always. He put a lot of effort in a low budget slasher flick and that's why he deserves some credit. I'm not saying that he wasted his talent on a movie that doesn't asks much for it; I think that this is one of the best looking and directed slasher flicks of all time. There are some camera angles that looked very innovative for it's time (example, Richie's dead body in the moving wagon).
The acting is quite good for a movie like this. I felt sorry for the kids when murdered. Also, the cinematography is quite impressive. The movie is from 1981 and looks very good. The correct use of light in dark settings helped a lot and gave a creepy look to the fun house. The F/X is also good. The freak looks gruesome and horrible in a positive way. The gore is okay.
"The Funhouse" is definitely a must see for fans of the genre. I can say that this is one of the best slasher flicks out there. The movie is not only about a demented killer chasing teens but it has some truly suspense moments and the effective jump-out of your seat scenes. Recommended for horror fans in general; this is another Tobe Hooper classic that shouldn't be missed.
I wonder if this movie inspired Hooper to make "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". There are some similarities between the two movies; for example, the freak trying to abuse on a girl, the setting, the "child" abuse (uh, the freak is often beaten and yelled by his father), some death scenes, the ending, etc.