THE FUNHOUSE

US, 1981, 96 minutes, Colour.
Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Miles Chapin, Largo Woodruff, Shawn Carson,. Jeanne Austin, Jack Mc Dermott, Sylvia Miles, Kevin Conway, Wayne Doba.
Directed by Tobe Hooper.

The Funhouse is a horror thriller directed by Tobe Hooper who made the famous and banned The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He also directed the telemovie Salem's Lot.

This is a superior horror film of its kind. While it has some horrible and ghastly murders, the emphasis is on the atmosphere of terror and horror rather than on the exploitation. By using a funhouse at a carnival, with its grotesques and horror situations, the film partly parodies itself as well as plays on audience response to this kind of horror entertainment. By presenting an atypical American family in an emotional crisis, it comments on the repercussions of horror nightmares on families. As with all horror films which are successful, this film is a nightmare which enables the audience to bring to surface some of the lurking fears that are in the subconscious. There is excellent colour photography, an atmospheric score and an intelligent presentation of conventions of the genre.

1. The director and his reputation? His visualising of horror - in atmosphere as well as explicitly? His linking horror to ordinary American society? His visualising nightmares and getting his audience to confront them? Terror, fear. death, violence? The atmosphere of the carnival, of freaks and mutants? Freaks and mutants as a criterion for measuring 'normality'?

2. The impact of the horror: the quality of the shocks, scares? An atmosphere of realism? The unreality of the funhouse and the carnival within the realism? Nightmare for the central character as well as for the audience? Audiences repelled by the ugliness yet fascinated by it? What if ...?

3. The abundance of images of horror: the funhouse and the characters and situations during the credits? Horror icons? The range of visual imagery, sounds, associations of history as well as nursery rhymes and folklore? Death and the instruments of death? Blood? The echoes of so many horror films - the explicit use of The Bride of Frankenstein? The late 1970s emphasis on knife murder shockers? The background of responsibility, guilt, religion and punishment?

4. The structure of the film as taking place during the night? The eerie nightmare opening, the family, the night at the funhouse, the long journey into day through the night and its terrors? The touches of normality during the night but Amy's inability to contact her parents? The film's finishing with morning and normality? The judging of the effect of the film and its success as nightmare?

5. The impact of the credits and the introduction of all the icons, horror characters and situations? Their continued use throughout the film? The long prologue and its atmosphere of conventional horror films? The dashing of audience expectations to discover the fake and the game? The film's transition from deadly game to deadly reality? Playing on the horror expectations of the audience? The irony of Amy being free from Joey's menace but yet later trapped, chased? Surrounded my gore and murder?

6. Amy within her family? the ordinary American family at home? Watching the Bride of Frankenstein and the suggestion of response to horror film and their popularity? The standards of the home? Joey and his ability to menace his sister and their mutual animosity? The mother and her drinking? The lax father? Joey's leaving the house and following his sister? Joey and Amy menaced during the night? The careless parents called to account in finding Joey? Their inability to respond to Amy?

7. Amy as heroine? The opening with her seeming to be the victim, her animosity towards her brother? Discussion with her parents and questions of standards and time home? Her later lying, to her parents on the phone and staying out? Buzz and his reaction? Her keeping him at arm's length? The atmosphere of clash by the time of the arrival at the carnival? Amy being forbidden to go to the carnival? The relationship between Buzz and Amy? Her enjoying the carnival? the collage of entertainments? Discussions about sexuality, virginity? The growing relationship? Amy within the detail of the carnival and eventually trapped and involved in the climax?

8. Buzz as hero? Work, relationship, apology to Amy? The decision to stay in the funhouse? His judgment in the predicament? The various feats of heroism in saving Amy? The quiet irony of his death and being carried in dead?

9. The contrast with Richie? happy-go-lucky type, loudmouthed, frightening people? His greed and robbery? The macabre aspects of his death? And his reappearance? Liz and her relationship with Richie? Her urging Amy to stay out and lie? The night in the funhouse? Her being terrorised? The anguish of her death? (The 'morally bad' characters and poetic justice for them?)

10. The carnival and its atmosphere, night, the sideshows? The various freaks and the long sequences highlighting freaks in nature? the cattle, the foetus and the ugly irony of the truth about the foetus? The world of the carnival, momentary thrills? The encounter with Madame Zina and her fortunetelling? Their laughing? The irony of most of them dying before the night was out? The old lady wandering the carnival with her moralising words? The atmosphere of the funhouse and their staying the night?

11. The barker outside the tent shows? The same actor in the three roles? His relationship with his son and the hooded monster? The impact of the revelation of what he really looked like? The mutant? The comment on disruption of nature? Family relationships? The encounter with Madame Zina and the brutality of her death? His way of communication with his father? The stealing of the money? The discovery of the adolescents in the funhouse? The pursuit of them and the killing of them? The death of the barker? The pursuit by the mutant of Amy? Ultimate terror and his death?

12. The devices used to move towards the build-up and the climax? The parents coming to take Joey home, Joey and his terrifying experiences at the carnival? Amy alone and then wandering the normality of the morning after?

13. The horror themes of nightmares and terror, violence and death? Survival?