The Funhouse (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] by Shout! Factory

Actors

• Elizabeth Berridge
• Shawn Carson
• Jeanne Austin
• Jack McDermott
• Cooper Huckabee

Format

• Anamorphic
• NTSC
• Widescreen

Editorial Review

Though by no means a classic on par with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse (1981) is an atmospheric thriller that offers a frequently effective mix of suspense and shock that bucks the body-count aesthetic of the then-current slasher trend. Hooper puts his cards on the table early in the picture by offering a tongue-in-cheek homage to both Psycho and Halloween, which serve as the boundary markers for the territory in which the picture operates. That translates into a more relaxed pace in the film's first third, which follows a quartet of teens at a rural carnival, as well as attention to detail which heightens the inherent creepiness of the location, which is rife with seedy figures (including character actor Kevin Conway as three different but equally louche barkers) and unsettling animatronic attractions. Hooper also draws from both pictures for his main antagonist, a disfigured man named Gunther (Wayne Doba) in a Frankenstein mask who stalks the quartet after they are locked into the funhouse after closing time. It's to the director's credit that Gunther comes across as both implacable and pitiable at the same time, an agreeable wrinkle on the standard slasher archetype that further helps to set The Funhouse apart from the '80s-era horror crowd. Differences such as these also keep the film feeling fresh and inventive in a way that many psycho-thrillers from the same period fail to retain; the end result is a horror effort worth revisiting for veteran genre fans and a recommended visit for first-time viewers. Shout Factory's Blu-ray presentation, which is part of its '80s horror retrospective Scream Factory imprint, looks gorgeous and vastly improves the film's often-muddy visuals. Extras include a new commentary track with Hooper moderated by director Tim (2001 Maniacs) Sullivan which touches on production history and numerous creative decisions, as well as interviews with Conway, executive producer Mark L. Lester, composer John Beal, and the late, much admired character actor William Finley, who plays carnival magician Marco the Magnificent, and is featured in an audio interview from 2005. Six scenes that were deleted from the theatrical release and later added to the broadcast television version are also included, as are the original trailer, four TV spots, and a quarter of radio ads. –Paul Gaita