THE FUNHOUSE (1981)

After hearing about this flick for years, decided to check it out. The appeal is obvious right away; group of youngsters spend the night where they shouldn’t and are subsequently hunted down (isn’t this the cliché of almost every 80s slasher?). Though in this one, THE FUNHOUSE, a group of teens decide to willingly stay the night after going through said funhouse at a carnival attraction. It is here that they witness a murder due from one of the carnival folk: a fellow wearing a Frankenstein mask that actually suits him (it?) better than the real face underneath. What follows is the teens trying to get out of the midnight slumber party while being hunted by the ‘creature’ and its owner. While being somewhat of a cult classic, I do think more could have been done given the environment. Being in a carnival funhouse, we do get a couple scenes of how the various attractions can cause disorientation from being lost in a maze, but I think more could’ve been done with it. Other than a trap door, the slaughter was pretty mild. Based on the box art alone, you would almost expect a bit more gonzo-craziness involving some of the actual attractions itself. Granted, there are only 4 in the group, so not much room for throwaway kills, but we could’ve had some more funhouse rooms shown while being chased. As it is though, we get some glimpses of the scenario but the greed feeling is there in wanting more. Add in a side plot with a younger brother that ultimately goes nowhere, with some genuinely good jump scares, and you have a pretty decent mixed bag overall. Check it out for some 80s nostalgia; you might be less harsh than me.

SLASH SCENE: The first kill

SLASH SCORE: 3.5/5