The Funhouse

R

Released Apr 13, 1981

1 hr. 36 min.

Horror

List

67%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

43%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Rebellious teen Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz (Cooper Huckabee), and their friends Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin). Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy "Funhouse" horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy and her friends must evade the murderous carnival workers and escape before it leaves town the next day.

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It's more like a nightmare than fun at the carnival. This is another 1980s slasher movie amongst many directed by Tobe Hooper. Liz gets back at her folks by escaping to the local carnival that's just arrived. Buzz her boyfriend and Liz and Richie accompany her to having a night on the town. But the fun stops when they witness a murder by a deformed psychopath wearing a carnival mask. Amy and the others must escape the killings before the carnival leaves, that is if they can make it through the night. It really does take over an hour for things to get moving. The first kill takes a long time to set things up. I didn't really feel for these characters and the little brother could've been cut from this thing entirely. The killers deformed face looks gruesome though. But there are better slashers out there.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

Full Review

Mike P

Solid early 80s thriller from acclaimed Horrormeister Tobe Hooper; is actually pretty good; and was actually well received by the critics back in the day; (see the 67% Approval rating on Rottentomatoes); and it was a solid hit to boot...A group of kids spend the night at a shady carnival on a dare for the thrill of it...And it doesn't go well...Enough thrilling moments, effects and atmosphere to recommend it to horror fans.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Mark H

The Funhouse will satisfy fans of that specific era, late 70's/early 80's gritty, atmospheric, slow-burn horror. Fans of Texas Chainsaw (an unquestionable masterpiece) looking for a more mature, refined Tobe Hooper will be disappointed - he seems to be just working here, getting paid for a gig. This movie is all but undone by an almost laughably silly and low budget-looking monster. The story is fine, a traveling carnival with a grim reputation and incestuous relationships, it's no coincidence Hooper focuses on mutations and "freaks" of nature in the early scenes. But the reveal of the hideously deformed son of the barker will evoke laughter as much as gasps. It truly looks like a rubber mask with corn syrup dripping endlessly from its mouth. This is a B movie, with a decently trashy, grimy atmosphere similar to films like The Tourist Trap. It's about on that level. If you want mutations and slime, watch The Thing (1982) instead.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

Kazall R

The Funhouse is a slow, boring movie with uninteresting characters, lame villains and stupid jokes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/25/23

Full Review

Woodle B

It was incredibly boring.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/16/23

Full Review

B Rad

I liked it but it is a bit slow to get to the good stuff. Never the less I like it and recommended it

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/08/23

Full Review

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Tobe Hooper

Director

Elizabeth Berridge

Amy Harper

Cooper Huckabee

Buzz Dawson

Miles Chapin

Richie

Largo Woodruff

Liz

Sylvia Miles

Madame Zena

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

[Tobe Hooper] shows both his range and his thematic consistency in this luscious, morbid 1981 fairytale.

Jan 11, 2019

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...Hooper spends much of the movie’s endless runtime focused on the one-dimensional protagonists’ meandering, hopelessly tedious exploits.

Rated: 1/4

Nov 25, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The imaginatively designed funhouse, oddball characters along the periphery, and a masterfully staged climax allow this to stand out.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 11, 2022

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

The Funhouse is all the fun of the fair with no disappointment.

Jul 27, 2022

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

The story is slow, obvious, and repetitive. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

Charles Webb

MTV

A terrific twist with its killer makes it one worth seeking out.

Jul 3, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Rebellious teen Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz (Cooper Huckabee), and their friends Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin). Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy "Funhouse" horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy and her friends must evade the murderous carnival workers and escape before it leaves town the next day.

Director: Tobe Hooper
Executive Producer: Mark L. Lester, Mace Neufeld
Screenwriter: Lawrence Block
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Sound Mix: Surround

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