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
Anyone who has read any of my writing on Daily Dead or listened to me on the Corpse Club podcast probably already knows what a Tobe Hooper fan I am, and it’s his 1981 slasher The Funhouse that first started me down the path of reassessing his work and made me fall completely in love with him as a filmmaker. It’s rarely talked about as one of his greater efforts and is too often dismissed as a generic slasher, a characterization with which I could not disagree more. Not only is it a great horror film, but it’s also my favorite film from my favorite filmmaker.
Though he's something of a brand name and considered a "Master of Horror," Tobe Hooper has made only two movies that get much love and respect. The first, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is rightfully considered a classic, albeit one that appeals primarily to diehard horror fans.
Though he's something of a brand name and considered a "Master of Horror," Tobe Hooper has made only two movies that get much love and respect. The first, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is rightfully considered a classic, albeit one that appeals primarily to diehard horror fans.
- 8/23/2021
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Several atom-fear exposés bravely ‘told the truth’ about the madness of the nuclear standoff. They didn’t get more liberal-precious than this uncompromising, difficult-to-watch ordeal based on a true incident. When an Imminent Attack alarm sends a tiny elementary school into a panic, Frank and Eleanor Perry pull no punches, finding the worst possible outcome to twist one’s insides in helpless frustration. The notorious yet little-seen show stars stage actors then unfamiliar, a couple of whom would soon become much bigger names. For us Children of the Bomb it’s the traumatic connection between Duck and Cover and Miracle Mile — or “Romper Room of Fear.” Richard Harland Smith’s commentary gives this release the context it needs, answering most of the questions that have hovered over it for 57 years.
Ladybug Ladybug
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date December 15, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Adults: Nancy Marchand,...
Ladybug Ladybug
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date December 15, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Adults: Nancy Marchand,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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
The Blu-ray and DVD arrival of The Scream Factory's release of Tobe Hooper's slasher classic The Funhouse is on the horizon and we have an inside look at what to expect once it gets here! Alive! Alive! Alive!
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the...
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the...
- 10/2/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
After the successful launch of their Scream Factory line with Halloween II and III, Shout! Factory is set to release Terror Train and The Funhouse later this month. We’ve been given clips and trailers for both films to share with our readers, and have also included the previously released details and cover art.
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more!
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more!
- 10/1/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Since the announcement of the Scream Factory line of Blu-rays and DVDs we've been foaming at the mouth with anticipation. We've got an update on one of their more anticipated packages The Funhouse! Read on for the skinny on what to expect!
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who...
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who...
- 8/8/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Shout! Factory officially announced The Funhouse as part of their Scream Factor lineup in early July, but we have now the full list of bonus features:
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to own $29.93; The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has...
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to own $29.93; The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has...
- 8/8/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
If you listen carefully, you can actually hear horror -oving hearts around the world beating with joy! Check out all the info for The Scream Factory's release of Terror Train and The Funhouse right here along with some incredible artwork!
From the Press Release
Just in time for Halloween, we dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents the Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector...
From the Press Release
Just in time for Halloween, we dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents the Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector...
- 7/5/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
We’re excited about the upcoming slate of horror releases from Scream Factory. They have already announced Halloween II and III Blu-ray releases, and we now have details on Terror Train and The Funhouse:
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to...
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to...
- 7/5/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Beginning today, TCM.s 31 Days Of Oscar® and host, Robert Osborne are taking viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. Throughout the month, TCM will feature movies set in 47 worldwide locations such as Canada (Feb. 2), Germany (Feb. 7), Italy (Feb. 14), Africa (Feb. 15-16), Russia (Feb. 16), Southeast Asia (Feb. 23), the Middle East (Feb. 28), China (Feb. 29), Japan (March 1) and Hawaii (March 1). Sit back and enjoy the adventure!
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is packing its bags and hitting the road for a globe-trotting February packed with the very best in movie entertainment. With each night.s programming set in a different location, the 2012 edition of TCM.s ultra-popular 31 Days Of Oscar® is going to take viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. The extraordinary lineup features 25 Best Picture honorees and 30 movies appearing on TCM for the very first time.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is packing its bags and hitting the road for a globe-trotting February packed with the very best in movie entertainment. With each night.s programming set in a different location, the 2012 edition of TCM.s ultra-popular 31 Days Of Oscar® is going to take viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. The extraordinary lineup features 25 Best Picture honorees and 30 movies appearing on TCM for the very first time.
- 2/2/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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
"There was some sort of romance with cinema that was evident between me and making The Funhouse ," Tobe Hooper tells me on a week day afternoon. We've met at one of his "homes away from home," a quaint café in Sherman Oaks on Ventura Boulevard, to take a revealing trip into his past. Not to focus on his oft discussed searing experience on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , but to dissect his vivid, off the wall 1981 studio picture The Funhouse starring Elizabeth Berridge, Miles Chapin, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff and Kevin Conway. And, of course, there's the frizzy haired, slavering funhouse freak, realized with the help of makeup artist Rick Baker and actor Wayne Doba (who would later appear in Scarface as "Octavio the Clown"). To wait one...
- 6/22/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Schuyler Garrison Chapin passed away this past Saturday at age 86. He held positions as assistant general Manager of the Metropolitan Opera as well as the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for NYC. Chapin was a pilot during WWII and after his return he wed Elizabeth Steinway. Their son is actor Miles Chapin. A long-time friend of Leonard Bernstein, Chapin had a hand in producing the musicians albums.
- 3/9/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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