The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper)

 

Back before Tobe Hooper's career hadn't completely derailed, he managed to coast through a few years with a couple of decent flicks. Hooper's "mistake" was having started off strong with a monumentally successful and universally iconic horror masterpiece as his main jumping-off point. Unfortunately, he was left with no choice but to coincide with the horror "norm", more or less.

"The Funhouse" was Hooper's more "traditional" approach to the slasher genre (I couldn't and WOULD'T consider "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" a traditional slasher film) in the post-"Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" craze of the early 80s (look for the not-so-subtle nod to "Halloween" AND "Psycho" in the opening scene).

A group of teens are bumming around a seedy carnival and think it'd be a NIFTY idea to jump off the funhouse ride and spend the night inside. They end up peeping in on one of the masked carnies paying the haggard old fortune teller for some saweet lovin'. And not unlike my first prostitute encounter, he has "bad timing" and chokes out the snotty bitch after she refuses to give his money back. While Sticky Pants is mulling over it with his carnival barker father, the sneaky kids are discovered and, from there, your slasher formula takes off...

I've always really liked "The Funhouse". The atmosphere plays a big part in building some nice suspense. The entire carnival setting is tremendously filthy and has a completely unwelcoming, unclean vibe. The effects by Rick Baker - namely the unnamed killer freak - with his fangs, cratered face, and late David Carradine hair are neat looking. Like Leatherface (the original, of course), he is given no real back-story and comes at his victims fucking HARD. Also, the interior set design of the funhouse is well done and creepy. If Hooper had one thing pegged, it was incredibly detailed sets.

"The Funhouse" is very fun flick that certainly goes along well with the Halloween holiday 'watch list'. If you haven't seen it, see it.