Movie Review: The Funhouse (1981)

Genre: Horror  

Director: Tobe Hooper  

Starring: Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: In small town Iowa, four teenage friends visit the traveling carnival: Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) is with her new boyfriend Buzz (Cooper Huckabee), while her friend Liz (Largo Woodruff) is with boyfriend Richie (Miles Chapin). Amy's younger brother Joey also sneaks into the carnival. The four teens decide to have an adventurous night and sleep inside the funhouse, a maze-like attraction filled with scares. When the teens witness a murder, the fun quickly turns into a violent nightmare. 

What Works Well: Director Tobe Hooper patiently introduces the carnival context, allowing the teenagers plenty of roaming-around time to encounter people and places that will become relevant. The horror takes off in the second half, and the freak-show trappings are effectively deployed to elevate the suspense and jump-shocks. Elizabeth Berridge, despite plenty of screaming, is a likeable main protagonist, but the most effective character is the smoothly insidious carnival barker Conrad (Kevin Conway). The special make-up effects by Rick Barker are superbly icky.

What Does Not Work As Well: Most of the acting is barely above amateur levels, and of course the teenagers have to embrace imbecility to fully sink into trouble. The mostly flat characters defang the slasher elements, while the sub-plot involving young Joey never rises above a combination of clutter and filler.

Key Quote:

Liz: I hate people who preach. Especially in bathrooms.

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