The Funhouse

The Funhouse is a horror movie from 1981 directed by Tobe Hooper, known for his work on other iconic horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The film follows a group of four teenagers who decide to spend the night inside a carnival funhouse, only to find themselves trapped and hunted down by a deformed carnival worker.

The story begins with Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) and her boyfriend Buzz (Cooper Huckabee) convincing two of their friends, Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin), to join them for a night of exploring the funhouse attraction at a local carnival. The four teens sneak into the funhouse after hours and soon realize that they have made a grave mistake when they witness a murder committed by the carnival barker's creepy son named Gunther (Wayne Doba), who wears a Frankenstein-like mask.

After witnessing the murder, the teens realize that they are trapped inside the funhouse, which is actually a maze of horror attractions. Things quickly spiral out of control as Gunther begins to hunt them down one by one, with the help of his father, who is in on the killings. As the night progresses, the teens experience all sorts of horrors, from being trapped in a room filled with disorienting mirrors to dodging a giant spinning tunnel of death.

As they struggle to survive, the teens begin to unravel the secrets of the funhouse and its twisted inhabitants. It turns out that the carnival owner (William Finley) and his son are part of a family of inbred freaks, and Gunther himself is severely deformed due to generations of inbreeding. The teens also discover that Gunther is not the only monster in the funhouse, as they encounter a grotesque creature in a cage and a horde of rats.

Throughout the film, Hooper creates a palpable sense of dread and claustrophobia, as the teens are trapped inside the maze-like funhouse with no way out. The sets are elaborate and creepy, with the atmosphere being enhanced by eerie lighting and a haunting score by John Beal. The performances are also noteworthy, with Berridge delivering a solid and sympathetic lead performance, and Doba creating a truly creepy and unsettling villain.

Overall, The Funhouse is a solid horror movie that delivers plenty of thrills and chills, along with some surprisingly nuanced character development. While it may not be as iconic as some of Hooper's other work, such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Poltergeist, it is still a fun and frightening little gem that deserves to be rediscovered by horror fans.