Novelizations became popular at a time when home video was either unavailable or just too expensive to own. So these books were, in essence, cheap keepsakes after seeing and enjoying a film in theaters. In the case of 1981’s The Funhouse, however, the novelization came out first. This was on account of the film, directed by Tobe Hooper, taking longer to complete than originally anticipated. It seemed unwise to release the book first, considering the risk of spoilers. As it turned out, though, it was hard to spoil anything when the novel and film were as different as night and day.
Dean Koontz, who used multiple pseudonyms throughout the early years of his career, had yet to achieve any substantial success when he agreed to write the novelization for The Funhouse. On top of the financial incentive, the proposal of adapting Larry Block’s screenplay simply intrigued Koontz. After all,...
Dean Koontz, who used multiple pseudonyms throughout the early years of his career, had yet to achieve any substantial success when he agreed to write the novelization for The Funhouse. On top of the financial incentive, the proposal of adapting Larry Block’s screenplay simply intrigued Koontz. After all,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
It’s time for a new episode of The Manson Brothers Show, the video series hosted by the writers/stars of the horror comedy The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre – Chris Margetis (Stone Manson) and Mike Carey (Skull Manson)! In this one, the Boys take in a viewing of the 1981 slasher The Funhouse (watch it Here), which was directed by the legendary Tobe Hooper To find out what they had to say about the film, check out the video embedded above!
Scripted by Larry Block, The Funhouse has the following synopsis: Rebellious teen Amy defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz, and their friends Liz, and Richie. Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy “Funhouse” horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy...
Scripted by Larry Block, The Funhouse has the following synopsis: Rebellious teen Amy defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz, and their friends Liz, and Richie. Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy “Funhouse” horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy...
- 3/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
A new episode of the Real Slashers video series has just been released, and in this one we’re looking at one of the more underrated films on director Tobe Hooper‘s list of classics: the 1981 release The Funhouse (watch it Here). To find out all about The Funhouse, check out the video embedded above!
Scripted by Larry Block, The Funhouse has the following synopsis: Rebellious teen Amy defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz, and their friends Liz and Richie. Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy “Funhouse” horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy and her friends must evade the murderous carnival workers and escape before it leaves town the next day.
The film stars Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff,...
Scripted by Larry Block, The Funhouse has the following synopsis: Rebellious teen Amy defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz, and their friends Liz and Richie. Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy “Funhouse” horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy and her friends must evade the murderous carnival workers and escape before it leaves town the next day.
The film stars Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
I normally equate seaside towns with peace and tranquility, a place for rest, relaxation, and perhaps writing the Great Canadian Novel (it’s going to be a thinly veiled takedown of beloved children’s TV host Mr. Dressup, for the record). Clark’s Harbor however, the setting of Cry for the Strangers (1982), is a place where my laptop and I shall never set foot; there’s just too much damn tribalistic murder.
Originally broadcast by CBS on February 11th, Cry for the Strangers would have to contend with Barney Miller, Taxi, and 20/20 on ABC and Different Strokes, Gimme a Break! and Hill Street Blues on NBC, and it’s safe to say most eyes were peeping these network staples. But for those with a salty taste for the macabre, the Eye was the network to be. (For this occasion anyway; they can’t all be ABC Movie of the Week’s.
Originally broadcast by CBS on February 11th, Cry for the Strangers would have to contend with Barney Miller, Taxi, and 20/20 on ABC and Different Strokes, Gimme a Break! and Hill Street Blues on NBC, and it’s safe to say most eyes were peeping these network staples. But for those with a salty taste for the macabre, the Eye was the network to be. (For this occasion anyway; they can’t all be ABC Movie of the Week’s.
- 2/11/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Everyone needs an escape from time to time. A place apart from reality, where the strange whisper with the miraculous, and cheap trinkets are bartered with greasy denizens of the night. What better place to set a horror film than the carnival, where the potential for mystery awaits around every crimson tent and distorted mirror? If you’re so inclined, step right up and buy a ticket to The Funhouse (1981), the late Tobe Hooper’s wonderful tribute to the seedy shadowed world of carnies, caramel apples, and Universal monsters.
Released in March by Universal, The Funhouse underperformed at the box office, but critics (including Gene Siskel) admired it for focusing on suspense and thrills rather than gruesome mayhem. In a landscape littered with severed limbs and phallically inclined urban legends, Mr. Hooper used his genius to once again showcase the underbelly of the American psyche, this time with a major studio’s dollars.
Released in March by Universal, The Funhouse underperformed at the box office, but critics (including Gene Siskel) admired it for focusing on suspense and thrills rather than gruesome mayhem. In a landscape littered with severed limbs and phallically inclined urban legends, Mr. Hooper used his genius to once again showcase the underbelly of the American psyche, this time with a major studio’s dollars.
- 9/2/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Review by Chris Wright, MoreHorror.com
“The Funhouse” (1981)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Written By: Larry Block
Starring: Elizabeth Berridge (Amy Harper), Shawn Carson (Joe Harper), Jeanne Austin (Mrs. Harper), Jack McDermott (Mr. Harper), Cooper Huckabee (Buzz), Largo Woodruff (Liz), Miles Chapin (Richie),Sylvia Miles (Madame Zena), David Carson (Geek), Sonia Zomina (Big Lady), Kevin Conway (Carnival Barber), Herb Robins (Carnival Manager), Mona Agar (Strip Show Dancer), Wayne Doba (The Monster), William Finley (Marco the Magnificent)
With Tobe Hooper having many popular films in his directing filmography, The Funhouse falls by the way-side on being familiar in horror. I enjoyed this early Hooper movie a lot. It takes many of the various slasher elements and adds the right mix of camp and bloodshed for a delicate treat for viewers. Opening up at a limited scope of theaters, it had a respectable opening in 1981. It is available on all media formats; it...
“The Funhouse” (1981)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Written By: Larry Block
Starring: Elizabeth Berridge (Amy Harper), Shawn Carson (Joe Harper), Jeanne Austin (Mrs. Harper), Jack McDermott (Mr. Harper), Cooper Huckabee (Buzz), Largo Woodruff (Liz), Miles Chapin (Richie),Sylvia Miles (Madame Zena), David Carson (Geek), Sonia Zomina (Big Lady), Kevin Conway (Carnival Barber), Herb Robins (Carnival Manager), Mona Agar (Strip Show Dancer), Wayne Doba (The Monster), William Finley (Marco the Magnificent)
With Tobe Hooper having many popular films in his directing filmography, The Funhouse falls by the way-side on being familiar in horror. I enjoyed this early Hooper movie a lot. It takes many of the various slasher elements and adds the right mix of camp and bloodshed for a delicate treat for viewers. Opening up at a limited scope of theaters, it had a respectable opening in 1981. It is available on all media formats; it...
- 1/11/2013
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by Ray Bradbury
Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Pam Grier, Diane Ladd
Both before and after watching it, I’m stymied by Something Wicked This Way Comes. During our podcast with The Av Club’s Zack Handlen, Mike asked me why I chose this movie to discuss now as opposed to years down the line, and whether or not I felt like this was a “Disney” movie. I’ve talked in this column before about what that latter concept even means. What makes a Disney movie “Disney”? If there is some immutable formula, or a series of ingredients that need to appear, then you may have to look hard for how they show up in Something Wicked This Way Comes. I don’t know that the ingredients are totally absent, but if you look at the film’s plot synopsis by itself,...
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by Ray Bradbury
Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Pam Grier, Diane Ladd
Both before and after watching it, I’m stymied by Something Wicked This Way Comes. During our podcast with The Av Club’s Zack Handlen, Mike asked me why I chose this movie to discuss now as opposed to years down the line, and whether or not I felt like this was a “Disney” movie. I’ve talked in this column before about what that latter concept even means. What makes a Disney movie “Disney”? If there is some immutable formula, or a series of ingredients that need to appear, then you may have to look hard for how they show up in Something Wicked This Way Comes. I don’t know that the ingredients are totally absent, but if you look at the film’s plot synopsis by itself,...
- 10/27/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The Funhouse
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper has had a very diverse career, and I say that with nary a blurb of hyperbole. For every The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you get Crocodile. I love the majority of his films because they give me the feeling of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. But, with The Funhouse which came out at the height of the slasher craze, he was still shaping his now wild career. And the film is drastically different from some of his other films, yet it still retains some of Hooper’s erraticism. There are crazed characters and most of the carnival folk feel very, very real. Hell, the carnival feels real, it’s like it may have visited your hometown. It’s also a great slow burn film, you get to...
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper has had a very diverse career, and I say that with nary a blurb of hyperbole. For every The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you get Crocodile. I love the majority of his films because they give me the feeling of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. But, with The Funhouse which came out at the height of the slasher craze, he was still shaping his now wild career. And the film is drastically different from some of his other films, yet it still retains some of Hooper’s erraticism. There are crazed characters and most of the carnival folk feel very, very real. Hell, the carnival feels real, it’s like it may have visited your hometown. It’s also a great slow burn film, you get to...
- 10/16/2012
- by Nathan Smith
- Nerdly
Tobe Hooper is not what one would call a gifted and/or talented film-maker. He’s a genre legend due more to the idea of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre than to the reality of his film work. Seriously people, it’s not a good movie… effective at times yes, but good? No. His best film remains the television mini-series of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot (unless you believe he directed Poltergeist of course), but while he’s made some real stinkers the majority of his work falls into the generic middle ground between treasure and trash. Arrow Video in the UK has just released a new Blu-ray (the first) for one of Hooper’s better efforts, the 1981 horror thriller The Funhouse. The film is one of his most accessible horror efforts to date and a fun watch, and the disc is one of Arrow’s finest efforts as well. The...
- 8/10/2011
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The Funhouse
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin,Cooper Huckabee, David Carson | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
As a horror fan I always like going back to the older movies that I missed in that past. The Funhouse is one of these so now it’s been released on Blu-ray it’s the perfect opportunity for me to watch and review it.
I found The Funhouse to be quite a confusing movie in parts, to the point it seems to be confused as to what it’s trying to achieve. It starts like a Halloween clone but this proves to be a misdirection to confuse the watcher making the opening scenes more a homage to the famous Halloween opener. These scenes are important for later though as it builds up a rivalry between one of the teens that get stuck in the funhouse and her younger brother.
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin,Cooper Huckabee, David Carson | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
As a horror fan I always like going back to the older movies that I missed in that past. The Funhouse is one of these so now it’s been released on Blu-ray it’s the perfect opportunity for me to watch and review it.
I found The Funhouse to be quite a confusing movie in parts, to the point it seems to be confused as to what it’s trying to achieve. It starts like a Halloween clone but this proves to be a misdirection to confuse the watcher making the opening scenes more a homage to the famous Halloween opener. These scenes are important for later though as it builds up a rivalry between one of the teens that get stuck in the funhouse and her younger brother.
- 7/21/2011
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
For a long time Arrow Video has been treating UK fans to amazing Blu-ray releases of some of the genre's best films, putting quite a few Us releases to shame. Case in point: their recent release of Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse. There is some good news for those of us in the States, however. The Blu-ray Will play on Us players, and we have your shot to win a copy!
That's right, kids! Dread Central, in association with Arrow Video, is giving away four (4) copies of The Funhouse on Blu-ray (review here) - two (2) for the UK and two (2) for the Us! Just think! No more import price gouging! How cool is that?!
Please note this contest is open to United States and United Kingdom residents Only! Winning is simple ... To enter, just send us an E-mail Here including your Full Name, Country, And Mailing Address. We’ll take care of the rest.
That's right, kids! Dread Central, in association with Arrow Video, is giving away four (4) copies of The Funhouse on Blu-ray (review here) - two (2) for the UK and two (2) for the Us! Just think! No more import price gouging! How cool is that?!
Please note this contest is open to United States and United Kingdom residents Only! Winning is simple ... To enter, just send us an E-mail Here including your Full Name, Country, And Mailing Address. We’ll take care of the rest.
- 7/19/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Arrow Video have released details of their forthcoming DVD release of the highly regarded, but little seen (at least uncut) slasher starring Caroline Munro (Maniac), Slaughter High and Blu-ray release of the former video nasty directed by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Tobe Hooper, The Funhouse – both of which are released this month.
Slaughter High
DVD release date: 11th July 2011
A gory guilty pleasure from the golden age of the slasher movie genre, Slaughter High comes to DVD completely uncut for the first time in the UK and featuring a host of Special Features that includes audio commentaries by co-writer/co-director Mark Ezra and the film’s star, legendary Scream Queen, Caroline Munro. Co-directed by George Dugdale (Living Doll), Mark Ezra (House Swap; Savage Hearts) and Peter Litten (To Die For; Living Doll) and starring Munro (Maniac) alongside Emmerdale’s very own late Terry Woods, Billy Hartman (Highlander), the film...
Slaughter High
DVD release date: 11th July 2011
A gory guilty pleasure from the golden age of the slasher movie genre, Slaughter High comes to DVD completely uncut for the first time in the UK and featuring a host of Special Features that includes audio commentaries by co-writer/co-director Mark Ezra and the film’s star, legendary Scream Queen, Caroline Munro. Co-directed by George Dugdale (Living Doll), Mark Ezra (House Swap; Savage Hearts) and Peter Litten (To Die For; Living Doll) and starring Munro (Maniac) alongside Emmerdale’s very own late Terry Woods, Billy Hartman (Highlander), the film...
- 7/3/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
British distributors Arrow Films have revealed that they will release on Blu-ray Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse (1981), starring Elizabeth Berridge (Amadeus, Smooth Talk), Miles Chapin (Bless the Beasts & Children), and Shawn Carson (Something Wicked This Way Comes). The distributors have also revealed that this will be a Region-Free release. Street date is July 18th. Read on for the full specs... Technical specs and special features: * Brand new…...
- 4/29/2011
- Horrorbid
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