The Funhouse

Name: The Funhouse
Genre: Horror
Released: March 13, 1981
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 56
Cast: Cooper Huckabee, David Carson, Elizabeth Berridge, Jack McDermott, Jeanne Austin

1981

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	Your Score
7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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The Funhouse

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: March 13, 1981 | R

Starring: Cooper Huckabee, David Carson, Elizabeth Berridge, Jack McDermott, Jeanne Austin, Largo Woodruff, Miles Chapin, Ralph Morino, Shawn Carson, Sonia Zomina

Summary: Four teenage friends spend the night in a carnival funhouse and are stalked by a deformed man in a Frankenstein mask.

Director: Tobe Hooper

Genre(s): Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

R. L. Shaffer

Despite all the cinematic thievery and homage, The Funhouse manages to stand on its own as an eerie, slow-brewing slasher that builds quite a bit of effective tension and dread leading into the more generic final act. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Hooper doesn’t entirely escape the rote business of semi-regular mutilations and impalings, but The Funhouse succeeds in updating a monster from the Universal pantheon and setting it loose in the type of traveling death trap that’s been haunting small towns forever. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

It's rare that any film follows through its chosen themes with such attention to detail, much less leavening the package with a truly anarchic blend of black humour. Read full review

John Corry

Mr. Hooper almost persuades us that he is up to more than just gore, creepiness and trauma. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

While certainly not as interesting or accomplished as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Funhouse is a cut above the average slasher film. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Devotees of director Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be particularly disappointed with the almost total lack of shocks and mayhem. Read full review

Gary Arnold

The Funhouse begins with a lamely facetious reprise of the shower sequence from Psycho and slides steadily downhill there. [18 Mar 1981, p.B4]

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User Reviews

Pluto744

Jun 22, 2021

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13 of 13 users found this helpful130

JohnHartigan

Mar 23, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Funhouse is a rollercoaster ride of chills & thrills. The actors aren't A list but that doesn't matter. The jump scares are effective, the images are unsettling and the movie has a total claustrophobic feel to it. Even if you aren't claustrophobic you can feel the uneasiness that the character's feel throughout the movie. The monster has a freaky apperance and the visuals are very original in a horror movie that is somewhat similar to other "trapped in there, I'm panicking type of horror thrillers. Tobe Hooper did a brilliant job on this movie. If you like Poltergeist you will love The Funhouse. This is a forgotten classic from 1981, and the movie should be rediscovered by audiences today. Whoever doesn't like this movie, they are clearly not a horror fan.… Expand

36 of 36 users found this helpful360

Computey18

Dec 25, 2022

A Movie that has a great setting and atmosphere and lastly, very great ideas.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

HellHoleHorror

Feb 16, 2022

A good popcorn horror. I sat there and ate food whilst this scary movie took me on a hellish night. The main girl is pretty and the main monster hideous. It works really well. The early parts of the movie seemed a little dull in places and there weren't enough killings but it was gruesomeA good popcorn horror. I sat there and ate food whilst this scary movie took me on a hellish night. The main girl is pretty and the main monster hideous. It works really well. The early parts of the movie seemed a little dull in places and there weren't enough killings but it was gruesome with some shocks.… Expand

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

Panchogul

May 1, 2020

The Funhouse (1981)

Sinopsis: En un carnaval, cuatro adolescentes son perseguidos por un monstruo al pasar la noche en la "la casa del terror". Opinión: Sabiendo que esta película está dirigida por el mismo que dirigió La Masacre de Texas (1974) y Poltergeist (1982) mis expectativas aquíThe Funhouse (1981)

Sinopsis:

En un carnaval, cuatro adolescentes son perseguidos por un monstruo al pasar la noche en la "la casa del terror".

Opinión:

Sabiendo que esta película está dirigida por el mismo que dirigió La Masacre de Texas (1974) y Poltergeist (1982) mis expectativas aquí eran un poco mas altas por sobre la media y me llevé una tremenda decepción. De acuerdo a lo que acabo de ver, siento que quisieron mezclar el terror psicológico con el slasher, en lo personal aquí esa combinación no da un buen resultado, ya que tiene demasiado relleno innecesario, dura 95 minutos y las cosas recién empiezan a tomar forma después de los 60 minutos, dejando atrás contenido olvidable que no aporta absolutamente nada, pudo haber sido el segmento de alguna antología, así se habría aprovechado mejor el contenido que realmente vale un poco la pena, en fin, no fue lo que esperaba, no me gustó.

No todo es malo, ya que la banda sonora acompaña bien los pocos momentos que valen la pena y la producción y dirección están a la altura de lo que Tobe Hooper hizo en las películas que mencioné previamente, nada más que decir, decepción total.

Valoración:

1.5 ⭐ de 5 ⭐… Expand

0 of 43 users found this helpful043

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