Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1981
Running Times: 90 mins (Sweden)     96 mins
Format: colour     35mm     Panavision
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Mace Neufeld Productions / Universal Pictures
Executive Producers: Mace Neufeld, Mark L. Lester
Producers: Derek Power, Steven Bernhardt
Associate Producer: Brad Neufeld
Production Coordinators: Dee Dee Winner, Cynthia Streit
Unit Manager: Norman Cohen

SCRIPT
Script: Larry Block
Novel: Dean R. Koontz

DIRECTION
Directors: Tobe Hooper, Gregory Goodell (uncredited), Andrew Laszlo (uncredited)
1st Assistant Director: Norman Cohen
2nd Assistant Director: Adrienne Bourbeau

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Andrew Laszlo
Additional Photographer: Daniel Pearl (uncredited)
Camera Operator: James Pergola
B / 2nd Unit Camera Operator: Oscar Barber (uncredited)
1st Assistant Camera Operator: John Winner
Gaffer: Rusty Engles, Walter Morris Jr
Key Grip: Eddie Knott Jr
Best Boy: Eddie Kammerer

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Jack Hofstra
Location Editor: Angelo Ross
Assistant Editor: Robert Leader
Post-Production Supervisor: John Orland
Post-Production Assistant: Vicki Hiatt

MUSIC
Music: John Beal
Music Supervisor: Tom Catalano
Music Editors: Ben Johnson
Orchestra Contractor: John Rosenberg

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Jack Dalton
Re-Recording Mixers: Robert Hoyt, Earl Madery, John Stephens
Sound Editors: Sound FX Inc, Dale Johnson, David Whittaker

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Mariana May
Hair: Donisia McGowan
Wardrobe: Linda Benedict, Andre Lavery, Harold Richter

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Design: Rick Baker
Special Make Up: Craig Reardon

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: J.B. Jones

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Mort Rabinowitz
Art Director: Jose Duarte
Set Decorator: Tom Coll
Props: Nick Romanac
Construction Coordinator: Harold Collins

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Susana Preston
Production Assistant: Arnold Leibovit
Assistant To Director: Jonathan Lane
Assistant To Mace Neufeld: Kathy Day
Carnival Rides Provided By: Megerle Shows

LOCATIONS
Studio: Norin Studios, North Miami, Florida, USA

CASTING
Casting: Pamela Basker, Fern Champion
Miami Casting: Jonathan Lane
Casting Assistant: Jonathan Lane

CAST
Elizabeth Berridge (Amy Harper)
Cooper Huckabee (Buzz)
Largo Woodruff (Liz)
Miles Chapin (Richie)
Sylvia Miles (Madame Zena)
William Finley (Marco the Magnificent)
Wayne Doba (the monster)
Kevin Conway (Funhouse / Freakshow / Stripshow Barkers)
Shawn Carson (Joey Harper)
Jeanne Austin (Mrs Harper)
Jack McDermott (Mr Harper)
David Carson (geek)
Sonia Zomina (bag lady)
Ralph Morino (truck driver)
Herb Robins (carnival manager)
Mona Agar (strip show dancer)
Susie Malnik (Carmella)
Sid Raymond (stripshow MC)
Larry Ross (girly show heckler)
Frank Grimes (peepshow voyeur)
Frank Schuller (poker player 1)
Peter Conrad (midget with lady)
Mildred Hughes (tall lady)
Glen Lawrence (spectator)
Shawn McAllister, Sandy Mielke (garbage collectors)
Mike Montalvo (spectator)

PLOT SUMMARY

Four teenagers set off for a night at a travelling carnival despite warnings from their parents, suspicious that there have been reported murders wherever the carnival pitches tent. They decide to spend the night in the funhouse but find themselves trapped with a horribly mutated murderer.

CAPSULE REVIEW

Hooper made this superior slasher just before he started on his downward spiral. Drawing from the same inspirational well as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), it’s an atmospheric and often quite creepy film hat manages to transcend many of its patently silly ideas. There’s little that’s original in The Funhouse, but Hooper makes it an enjoyably scary ride and also, in retrospect, a sad one as we watched his career slowly deteriorate afterwards.

AVAILABILITY

Sweden
Theatrical Distributors: Succéfilm AB

UK
Video Distributors: CIC

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Universal Pictures
Video Distributors: MCA / Universal Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA / Universal Home Video (40385)
DVD Distributor: GoodTimes Home Video (05-81043)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: 18

Australia
Rating: R

Finland
Rating: banned

France
Rating: -16

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X; banned; 18
It has been suggested on a number of occassions that The Funhouse wound up on
the notorious "video nasties" list because bootleg copies of Last House on Dead End Street (1977) - a much more obvious target - were being circulated under the title The Fun House.

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 18

TIMELINE

1981
March
20: USA – theatrical release

May
10: UK - theatrical release

June
24: France – theatrical release

1983
September
16: Sweden – theatrical release

1992
February
6: USA - laserdisc release (MCA / Universal Home Video (40385))

1999
October
19: USA - DVD release (GoodTimes Home Video (05-81043))

POSTER TAGS

Pay to get in. PRAY to get out.

Something is alive in the funhouse!

From The Director Who Brought You The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Carnaval del terror - Argentinian title
Carnival of Terror
La casa de los horrores - Spanish title
Dean Koontz's The Funhouse - alternative title
Das Kabinett des Schreckens - West German title
Kummitusjuna - Finnish title
Massacres dans le train fantôme - French title
Il tunnel dell'orrore - Italian title

LINKS

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Terror in the Aisles (1984)

SEE ALSO
Dracula (1931)
Halloween (1978)
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Phenomena (1985)
Psycho (1960)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Halls of Horror no.27 p.22 (UK)
note

Video Watchdog no.11 pp.19-20 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Film Review 1981-1982 p.153
credits, synopsis, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.147
credits, review

The Seduction of the Gullible by John Martin pp.93-95
credits, synopsis, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

axes, axe murders, book into film, carnivals, children, disfigurement, fortune tellers, freaks, freak shows, funfairs, funhouses, hangings, impalings, magicians, masks, mutants, prostitutes, showers, splatter, strangulation, teenagers, trapdoors

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008