Cabba's ReviewsFun, Fun, Funhouse!
July 4th 2009 09:01
Fun, Fun, Funhouse!
Now, before I go on, I must admit my bias. I am a huge Tobe Hooper fan. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my all time favourite films and Poltergeist, one of my favourite horror films. What Tobe does for horror is not rely on the gore factor of many modern horror films, but rather, on the chill factor. By chill factor, I mean the creation of horror without the essence of shock or gore. Too many films nowadays such as Saw and Hostel rely on torture as a shock tactic to scare an audience. Tobe with his films (Poltergeist being rated PG) all consist of minimal blood or gruesomeness and instead use orchestra, story, characterization, the human imagination and mise-en-scene to create the creepiness. Hence, that style of creepiness stays with me for a while whereas shock horror often is forgotten after a few days.
Now, The Funhouse was a film Hooper did after Texas Chainsaw and just before Poltergeist. He was originally approached by Steven Spielberg to direct E.T. but did not commit because he was filming The Funhouse during that time. I've always loved the idea of a horror story set in an amusement park, having first thought about it after a Goosebumps book back in the days. Hooper really utilises the atmosphere of the fairground quite well, establishing well grounded characters and at the same time preach about teenage rebellion and its consequences. The one criticism I have over the film has to do with the execution of the killings and the horror sequences near the end. I did not feel as I did when I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre and instead was left bored and slightly underwhelmed.
The Plot:
The film revolved around teenager Amy Harper. She is a constant victim of her little brother's practical jokes, with the first scene of the movie being a homage to the shower scene in Psycho. In retaliation, she tells him that she was not take him to the local fairground. That night, she goes on a double date with her best friend and the school hottie. They decide to spend the night at the fairground inside the ghost train. While inside, they witness a murder by one of the operators of the ride and freak out. What follows is a cat and mouse chase of sorts inside this haunting premise.
Overall, the film established their characters well, giving each person a translatable background, allowing teenagers to relate. The 'jock' in the film surprises me in the end, doing something an ordinary jock would not do. The film also plays around with punishment of sins. For example, greed, murder and even defiance of one's parents are dealt with in the film and all those guilty are punished accordingly.
As mentioned before, it was the execution of the final deaths which really bugged me. They weren't done in the same style as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I guess is a good thing so there are no repeats, but on the other hand, rather disappointing because it failed to achieve what Chainsaw did. The killings were roughly handled and weren't done with many camera angles that would've assisted the mood. Also in a way, because the characters were all so flawed, I didn't quite want the kids to get away, and instead took pleasure in their deaths. That somehow also took away from the horror. One aspect however which was really well done was the killer's mutilated face. Normally, I am always disappointed when a film reveals the distorted face of a killer no matter how grotesque, but in this film, whoever designed the face did a good job in creating the most foul and grotesque 'human' since Alien. In a way, the killer's character pays homage to The Elephant Man. Both characters were similar in that they are both gentle and caring creatures, except The Elephant Man didn't kill.
Overall, I give this film 3 STARS OUT OF 5. It is quite deserving of a viewing, but is definitely not up there in the horror genre.
Peace out.
Now, before I go on, I must admit my bias. I am a huge Tobe Hooper fan. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my all time favourite films and Poltergeist, one of my favourite horror films. What Tobe does for horror is not rely on the gore factor of many modern horror films, but rather, on the chill factor. By chill factor, I mean the creation of horror without the essence of shock or gore. Too many films nowadays such as Saw and Hostel rely on torture as a shock tactic to scare an audience. Tobe with his films (Poltergeist being rated PG) all consist of minimal blood or gruesomeness and instead use orchestra, story, characterization, the human imagination and mise-en-scene to create the creepiness. Hence, that style of creepiness stays with me for a while whereas shock horror often is forgotten after a few days.
Now, The Funhouse was a film Hooper did after Texas Chainsaw and just before Poltergeist. He was originally approached by Steven Spielberg to direct E.T. but did not commit because he was filming The Funhouse during that time. I've always loved the idea of a horror story set in an amusement park, having first thought about it after a Goosebumps book back in the days. Hooper really utilises the atmosphere of the fairground quite well, establishing well grounded characters and at the same time preach about teenage rebellion and its consequences. The one criticism I have over the film has to do with the execution of the killings and the horror sequences near the end. I did not feel as I did when I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre and instead was left bored and slightly underwhelmed.
The Plot:
The film revolved around teenager Amy Harper. She is a constant victim of her little brother's practical jokes, with the first scene of the movie being a homage to the shower scene in Psycho. In retaliation, she tells him that she was not take him to the local fairground. That night, she goes on a double date with her best friend and the school hottie. They decide to spend the night at the fairground inside the ghost train. While inside, they witness a murder by one of the operators of the ride and freak out. What follows is a cat and mouse chase of sorts inside this haunting premise.
Overall, the film established their characters well, giving each person a translatable background, allowing teenagers to relate. The 'jock' in the film surprises me in the end, doing something an ordinary jock would not do. The film also plays around with punishment of sins. For example, greed, murder and even defiance of one's parents are dealt with in the film and all those guilty are punished accordingly.
As mentioned before, it was the execution of the final deaths which really bugged me. They weren't done in the same style as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I guess is a good thing so there are no repeats, but on the other hand, rather disappointing because it failed to achieve what Chainsaw did. The killings were roughly handled and weren't done with many camera angles that would've assisted the mood. Also in a way, because the characters were all so flawed, I didn't quite want the kids to get away, and instead took pleasure in their deaths. That somehow also took away from the horror. One aspect however which was really well done was the killer's mutilated face. Normally, I am always disappointed when a film reveals the distorted face of a killer no matter how grotesque, but in this film, whoever designed the face did a good job in creating the most foul and grotesque 'human' since Alien. In a way, the killer's character pays homage to The Elephant Man. Both characters were similar in that they are both gentle and caring creatures, except The Elephant Man didn't kill.
Overall, I give this film 3 STARS OUT OF 5. It is quite deserving of a viewing, but is definitely not up there in the horror genre.
Peace out.
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