- Actors: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott, Cooper Huckabee
- Directors: Tobe Hooper
- Format: Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: R (Restricted) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Universal Studios
- DVD Release Date: 19 Oct 1999
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00000F4O1
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 166,553 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Review
The Guardian
Best label 2011
Arrow
"It's often the smaller-funded labels that do the best work. Arrow has released marvellous discs of many of cinema's classics, such as Bicycle Thieves, Rififi and Les Diaboliques, but it's for their horror releases that they truly excel. The more respectable directors like George A Romero and Dario Argento get their due here, but Arrow also pull out all the stops for such (unfairly) lesser regarded Gore-teurs as Lucio Fulci and Frank Henenlotter. Blu-rays of Fulci classics The Beyond and City Of The Living Dead show that the films are far more atmospheric and better made than they ever appeared before, and for Henenlotter (with the imminent Frankenhooker disc) you get extensive extras that cover the rarely examined scene of low-budget New York film-makers and the lost grindhouses of Times Square and 42nd Street."
--The Guardian
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
i think tobe hooper's chainsaw massacre is overrated. i think his recent output has been awful at best. this little gem from 1981 took me by surprise, not just for its minimum bloodletting but because i'd never heard of it. its good - its better than good. it has a genuine sense of dread and a fear and paradoxically, an understanding of human vulnerability and mutation.
like chainsaw massacre, this challenges our perception of physical appearance and those who live outside the perceived 'norm'.
this also manages to be terrific excercise in suspense and homage (referencing among other things, todd brown's freaks and hitchcocks psycho). it works as a straight ahead horror and also as social commentary in a way that the best horror movies do.
why have you never heard of it? you tell me...
like chainsaw massacre, this challenges our perception of physical appearance and those who live outside the perceived 'norm'.
this also manages to be terrific excercise in suspense and homage (referencing among other things, todd brown's freaks and hitchcocks psycho). it works as a straight ahead horror and also as social commentary in a way that the best horror movies do.
why have you never heard of it? you tell me...
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
To begin, Tobe Hooper is one of my all-time favourite horror movie directors. From his raw debut shocker THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to the Spielberg-friendly spookfest POLTERGEIST, Hooper has always managed to raise a fanboy warmth in my heart when one of his new movies is released. THE FUNHOUSE is a minor work in his canon, which benefits from great make-up effects from Craig Reardon/Rick Baker and Hoopers' own strong visual directorial style. The actual script is pretty lame, with four teenagers sneaking into a funhouse for an aftershow scare. They are quickly dispatched by a deformed creature in the most routinest of fashions.
The scares are handled well and the excellently spooky cinematography benefits the look and feel of the production. The movie itself echoes an older style of horror film that at that time (the early to mid 80s) seemed to be unfashionable as movie theatres were littered with the likes of FRIDAY THE 13th and the next splatter epic that could outdo the last (I'm not saying that was a bad thing in itself, as Hooper himself returned to gory horror with his own underrated TEXAS CHAINSAW sequel). The cast provide the usual teen-kill fodder, and the main villain (a strange but interesting make-up creation) is always good to look at in this atmospheric chiller that falls short of Hoopers' other work but in itself is an entertaining horror flick that delivers the spooky goods even if a chainsaw isn't involved...
The scares are handled well and the excellently spooky cinematography benefits the look and feel of the production. The movie itself echoes an older style of horror film that at that time (the early to mid 80s) seemed to be unfashionable as movie theatres were littered with the likes of FRIDAY THE 13th and the next splatter epic that could outdo the last (I'm not saying that was a bad thing in itself, as Hooper himself returned to gory horror with his own underrated TEXAS CHAINSAW sequel). The cast provide the usual teen-kill fodder, and the main villain (a strange but interesting make-up creation) is always good to look at in this atmospheric chiller that falls short of Hoopers' other work but in itself is an entertaining horror flick that delivers the spooky goods even if a chainsaw isn't involved...
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Now I have seen just about all horror films going, and it is really REALLY hard to uncover a genuinely creepy film. I first watched this as a kid, and bought it again a couple of years ago. If your like me and find those pikey funfairs deeply disturbing, and whats more find clowns worthy of gassing, then this is right up your street, if your looking for something a little different.
I would not expect less from Tobe Hooper, but to be honest I did not expect to be quite so freaked out by the atmosphere created once the kids are inside the attraction. God damn it, this is good scary stuff. WATCH IT ALONE
I would not expect less from Tobe Hooper, but to be honest I did not expect to be quite so freaked out by the atmosphere created once the kids are inside the attraction. God damn it, this is good scary stuff. WATCH IT ALONE
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
'Something is alive in the Funhouse....'
A creepy and enjoyable film, The Funhouse shared a double bill in 1981 with My Bloody Valentine.
No gore to be found here, and what once was an 'X' film now comes in for a... Read more
No gore to be found here, and what once was an 'X' film now comes in for a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Avengers Assemble
Creepy
The value and quality of this product were 5 star and the postage was very quick. Cheap 80's movie but still creepy. Excellent service.
Thank you
RD
Thank you
RD
Published 17 months ago by Rachel Daye
Completely stank
Okay Acting was horrible, monster was horribly looking and some things made completely no sense.
Sure it had somethings to it like the motivation. Read more
Sure it had somethings to it like the motivation. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by J. Moncrieff
A 'Fair' movie
Watched this when I was younger and could remember a few snippets. I enjoyed the movie again as much as the first time. Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by Mrs. G. A. Finch
Funhouse? Don't even go there...
I love horror films, but this was 90mins of pony. Visually it was dull, Rick Baker's 'monster' was laughable & the acting was dire. The films only saving grace was the score. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2009 by Mr. P. Saunders
All the Fun of the Fear
During the early 1980s, slasher films were very popular; there seemed to be at least one released at the cinema every week. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2007 by Foggy Tewsday
tobe hoopers best movie
people always talk of "the texas chainsaw massacre" when tobe hooper is
mentioned but this 80s classic proves his directing talents. Read more
mentioned but this 80s classic proves his directing talents. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2007 by jack firestick
Once again, Tobe Hooper fails to impress me
As a huge horror fan, I've always felt as if I should really like and appreciate Tobe Hooper - but I just don't, really. I keep giving him chances to impress me, and he never does. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2006 by Daniel Jolley
funhouse(carnival of terror)
I watched this film in the cinema,and without a doubt, its the best horror i have ever seen. I am glad to see it out at last on dvd. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2005 by michael hill
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