Two young couples go on a double date, enthusiastically smoking marijuana. The date takes place at a travelling carnival, where one of the attractions is called The Funhouse. The couples decide to spend the night inside that very attraction. They hide themselves well, and the carnival closes down for the night. Through a crack in the floor, they witness the attraction’s resident freak buying sex from one of the carnival workers.
Things escalate quickly — before the freak even has his clothes off, the woman takes his money, which he doesn’t take kindly to. He ends up killing her. Now, the young couples must find a way out without being discovered — and without anyone realising they were witnesses to the murder.
Tobe Hooper became a legendary horror director when his debut film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released. He never quite managed to top or even match the classic status of that film — with the exception of Poltergeist, which was also a huge hit and came out the year after The Funhouse. But that doesn’t mean his later films are bad.
The Funhouse is a simple film in many ways. The story isn’t complicated. Both the direction and the characters follow a familiar formula, so there’s no need to strain your brain to enjoy it. In other words, it works well as light entertainment. The actors deliver solid performances, as do most others involved. A more imaginative plot could have elevated the film, as it does verge on becoming a little dull.
Still, it’s an entertaining movie — a good film that may not stand among Tobe Hooper’s best, but is certainly far from one of his worst.
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