Who could fail to make a good horror movie out of a carnival? It has all the perfect ingredients: freaks, sleazy carnies, creepy fun houses...
The answer, unfortunately for viewers of The Funhouse, is Tobe Hooper.
The film, which follows a group of dim-witted teenagers trapped in a fun house, suffers from bad writing, poor character development, and general unbelievability. For starters, the film goes nowhere for the first forty-five to fifty minutes. If this time had been used for character development, it wouldn't be so bad, but instead it just follows the characters as they meander through the carnival.
Furthermore, when things finally get going, none of the characters are worth caring about. Their behavior is too stupid for the viewer to be invested in them, particularly when they just stand around when they should be running.
This issue is particularly striking in the case of the heroine. She does little if anything to protect herself. For the viewer to invest themselves in a protagonist, whether it be Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween or Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street, they have to make some effort to defend themselves, or at least act independently. Our heroine just stands around screaming.
The only thing saving this film from a one star rating is its at times inspired use of atmosphere. The carnival comes across as genuinely sleazy, with shifty carnies and the occasional mad person walking about. Furthermore, the ending is truly eerie. However, this is not enough to save a boring, badly made film.
The answer, unfortunately for viewers of The Funhouse, is Tobe Hooper.
The film, which follows a group of dim-witted teenagers trapped in a fun house, suffers from bad writing, poor character development, and general unbelievability. For starters, the film goes nowhere for the first forty-five to fifty minutes. If this time had been used for character development, it wouldn't be so bad, but instead it just follows the characters as they meander through the carnival.
Furthermore, when things finally get going, none of the characters are worth caring about. Their behavior is too stupid for the viewer to be invested in them, particularly when they just stand around when they should be running.
This issue is particularly striking in the case of the heroine. She does little if anything to protect herself. For the viewer to invest themselves in a protagonist, whether it be Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween or Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street, they have to make some effort to defend themselves, or at least act independently. Our heroine just stands around screaming.
The only thing saving this film from a one star rating is its at times inspired use of atmosphere. The carnival comes across as genuinely sleazy, with shifty carnies and the occasional mad person walking about. Furthermore, the ending is truly eerie. However, this is not enough to save a boring, badly made film.