Sorry to burst your bubble Michael Myers, but you’re not the only required viewing on Halloween night. Granted, I’ll be watching my fair share of the Halloween franchise leading up to and on October 31st, but it’s not the only game in town that sets the mood for All Hallows’ Eve. Isn’t that right Tobe Hooper’s 1981 underrated slasher, The Funhouse?
Easily one of my favorite guilty horror pleasures ever, this movie screams Halloween night viewing. It even has an opening scene that pays homage to the 1978 John Carpenter classic! And it’s just as incestuous as well. But incest aside, The Funhouse is definitely fun. Sorry for my lazy writing, but it’s Monday so give me a break. I myself love the old school dark rides that you’d find at amusement parks and creepy small town carnivals, so I was immediately in just based off of that alone.
The Funhouse is definitely a slow burn horror movie, but while it’s burning you get rewarding things like: actor Kevin Conway taking on three separate roles, a big giant fat laughing lady that sits atop the funhouse attraction, a creepy Frankenstein mask wearing creature that has equally creepy make-up effects underneath that mask courtesy of legendary artist Rick Baker, and four stupid teens who think it’ll be ok to spend the night in a carnival ride.
At the end of the day, The Funhouse doesn’t reinvent anything when it comes to the horror genre, but in it’s own special way it separates itself from the slasher herd. The money shot doesn’t disappoint when The Monster reveals himself before strangling the big breasted fortune teller to death – and from there on out it really becomes a nifty little ‘cat and mouse’ game. A horror movie is usually only as good as it’s villain, and in The Funhouse the combo of The Monster and Funhouse Barker take on that role and satisfy those who watch in the process. So do yourself a favor this Halloween and give this ‘little slasher movie that could’ a shot. You could do a lot worse. Right, Halloween: Resurrection?
