Shudder is currently celebrating the halfway mark to Halloween with a curated selection of horror movies that fans can enjoy on the streaming service throughout April. Shudder’s Halfway To Halloween Month will bring us brand new movies and specials, but it is also shedding light on some rare gems from the past.
One such gem is director Tobe Hooper’s 1981 slasher flick, The Funhouse. Genre fans surely need no introduction to Hooper, the filmmaker behind The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one of the most influential horror films in history. But the man had a long career, and this offers viewers the chance to explore one of his lesser-discussed films. Just so we’re all on the same page before digging in too deep, here is a synopsis for the film:
“On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the freakish exhibits to butcher them one by one.”
So with the movie now available on Shudder, here are just a few of the reasons this movie deserves a bit more love.
Tobe Hooper Does His ’80s Slasher
While it was John Carpenter’s Halloween that helped kick off the slasher craze, the whole thing truly took off in the ’80s, in part thanks to Friday the 13th. A great many slashers followed, and not all of them spawned franchises that are still going to this day. Lucky for us, Tobe Hooper got in on the craze early and offered us his very distinctive take on the subgenre. This is by no means just some carbon copy of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. This is a very different kind of slasher film, with a unique setting, a carnival to be exact, and an overall strangeness that simply sets it apart from other slasher imitators of this era.
Rick Baker’s Only Slasher Movie
Rick Baker is a name that has influenced countless moviegoers over the years with his work. Even if you don’t know him by name, you’ve certainly seen his craftsmanship, with the man providing some of the best makeup and practical effects ever seen on screen in projects such as An American Werewolf In London (also released in 1981), Men In Black, The Ring, The Wolfman, and many, many more. Despite working in the business for decades and winning an Oscar for his work, The Funhouse remains the only real slasher to his name. Now, we can get technical and argue to what degree the 1998 shot-for-shot remake of Psycho is a slasher, but it would be hard to classify it as a pure entry in the genre, that much is certain. For that reason, this movie is worth watching as Baker does some damn fine work here, and it’s certainly some of his lesser-discussed great work.
Carnival Horror Goodness
Carnival horror is not often discussed as a full-on subgenre, but it most certainly is, and quite a few great films over the years belong to this camp. The classic Freaks, as well as Carnival of Souls, arguably Final Destination 3, and even recent gems like Hell Fest, are in this little corner of horror. But The Funhouse is absolutely one of the purest examples of this subset within the genre space, and Hooper makes outstanding use of the setting, making it a real character in the movie, rather than simply saying, “wouldn’t it be creepy if people got killed while eating cotton candy and trying to win a stuffed animal at a rigged game.” Even the chilling opening theme music and credits sequence make full use of the creepy delights a carnival can provide right up top. The film also makes great use of the tropes and various oddities one might find at your standard carnival, such as creepy things in jars and yes, a funhouse.
It’s now easily accessible and looks great.
One frustrating thing that many genre fans have to contend with on a regular basis is that semi-obscure movies within horror are simply not readily available. Streaming has certainly aided that in many cases, but certain titles still remain elusive. Granted, physical releases from boutique distributors help out a great deal. I mean, we live in a world where we can watch Alligator on 4K now, amazingly enough. But not everyone wants to shell out $20 to purchase a Blu-ray of a movie they’ve never seen and are maybe taking a chance on.
Luckily, Shudder has made The Funhouse readily accessible and, what’s more, the version they have available on the service looks absolutely fantastic. Streaming has its limitations, but those looking to explore this one for the first time will not be disappointed in the quality of the current copy available at the click of a button (okay, maybe a few clicks). The argument can easily be made that this movie deserves more love at this very moment because it is easy to watch, and that counts for a lot in the modern age.
Hooper did a lot beyond The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Another important reason this film deserves a bit more attention is in looking at Tobe Hooper’s career as a whole. There is no question that the man’s greatest contribution to cinema is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but that’s most certainly not all he did. Even Poltergeist, his other gigantic hit, always has that “wait, did Steven Spielberg actually direct it?” question mark hanging over it. The Funhouse, meanwhile, remains a genuinely fun example of what made Hooper great as a filmmaker outside of what a great many people are familiar with. It’s a shame that he is no longer with us, but why not pay tribute to a legend by watching this under-appreciated gem in an effort to elevate its cult status a little bit?
The Funhouse is now streaming on Shudder, take a look below for a deep dive into the archives with our original Volume 1, Issue #11 cover story from February, 1981!
*Sponsored by Shudder.
