The Funhouse
1981
Universal Pictures / Mace Neufeld Productions
Universal Pictures / Arrow Films / MCA/Universal Home Video
6.25 / 10
This film goes to show how stringent the English film board was back in the eighties as this got an X certificate on release and then ended up banned... and now in its UNCUT version, it rates a 15 certificate.
To be truthful though, after watching - and still viewing - films on the video nasties list I cannot understand why or how this film achieved a banned status. In Tobe Hooper's other banned film Eaten Alive there are scene's of torture and animal cruelty, whereas in Funhouse there's nothing along these lines. In fact, this is pretty standard fayre in the slasher mould. There are rumours of the BBFC getting the certification wrong by choosing the wrong Funhouse to ban. In 1977 there was a film released called The Last House On Dead End Street, which was nasty enough to make the list, though didn't, and had previously been released in 1972 as The Fun House - see my review here.
You have a deformed man who is unable to find love due to his looks and personality buying sexual favours from the carnival's fortune teller. Unfortunately, for her, he finishes prematurely and when she demands money for services rendered he gets upset... and she gets dead. This interlude is viewed by four teenagers who thought it would be fun to hide out in the ghost train. Of course, one of them makes a noise and draws the attention of the deformed killer who must dispatch them to keep his secret safe.
Though the concept is good its development onto film is strained. As most of the action takes place in a limited area Tobe Hooper should have tried to develop a tension of claustrophobia as our witnesses find it increasingly difficult to escape the funhouse. However, the carny ride appears massive and unending - could it be a Gallifreyan Time Machine(?) For me, there wasn't enough tension or excitement and at times I found my attention drifting.
The actors are above average and cope well with building their characters and making them realistic, though none of them stands out above the others. It would have been nice to have been introduced to some of the major characters back stories and more personal insights so the viewers could relate to them a little more. This would make their murders more emotionally stronger and bring the viewer into the story more.
There is one brilliant thing about this film and the writer, Lawrence Block, and the director should have tried to work it into the story more as it would have added more depth, mystery, and paranormal atmospheres if done correctly. At each of the carnival's rides and shows, there's a barker shouting the attractions merits to entice the people in. Though the barkers are constantly at their positions and could not be the same person, each one is played by Kevin Conway. This is a subtle thing that when spotted adds a mysterious element to the story, which is then completely ignored. It's like somebody had an idea but couldn't come up with a suitable resolution to it.
This is not a bad film, by any means, it's just average; one of those films you'd watch if you'd not seen it before and there was nothing else on. Worth watching at least once. Not Tobe Hoopers best film and not his worst.
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