My Review[]
Tobe Hooper never fails to deliver his own brand of creepiness. Between the offputting farm animals and the terryfing truck driver, Hooper manages to build suspense in a way that defines his own brand. Many shots are simply disturbing and he manages to successfully utilize the laugh as a way to set horror within the viewer's heart. The film's opening sequence was an ode to Psycho and brilliantly done. Posters of iconic monsters are found on the walls of Amy's room, including The Wolfman, and Frankenstein. Amy's parents remind me of the parents in The Last House on the Left. The scenes at the carnival itself lend themselves to the somtimes true creepyness of carnivals today. The kids smoking pot and the relationships between the teens are typical of modern horror archetypes. The characters inspire fear on Hoopers level, especially the fortune teller, the truck driver, the carnival attraction announcers, and numerous other characters. The titular "Funhouse" is the apex of horror. It's a buch of creepy animitronics, put together haphazardly. It's lovely 1980's practical effects! The monster (Gunther) and the monster's handler (Conrad Straker) remind me very much of Leatherface and Drayton Sawer from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). I'm detecting a trend, Hooper manages this brilliantly.
The camera shots in Hooper films are always brilliant, notably one from inside the truck, looking out of Amy's brother, both character's faces are visible in one shot. Also, the one with Conrad talking to Gunther where the light source is close to the camera and the characters are in the background. Another good shot is the descretion shot struggle between Gunther and Liz. It leaves all the gore to the imagination. Right after this we see the monster writhing in madness in response to his kill. This is echoed again in the TCSM at the end when Leatherface swings his chainsaw wildly in frustration. It displays the true madness in the characters.
Hooper's use of the human eyeball is again notable in this film. Between the monster's red eyes, and the staring eye in the Funhouse Hooper's motif is visible. One might recall his attention on the human eye in the dinner scene of TCSM in a closeup. Some how, he manages to take something so human and make you fear it; It's movie genius. Never before have I seen a monster die in a more dramatic way that in this film. In the end, he embraces the final girl trope. One I think was necessary for a film that tried so hard to develop her.
In One Word[]
Insanity
Monster[]
The Monster
A classic display of 1980's practical effects. The monster draws a lot of similarites to Leatherface. It is a mad, possibly, once human character, shunned by its peers. The monster raves madly after one of his kills, reminiscent of Leatherface at the end of the first TCSM.