Massacres dans le train fantôme

Four hormone-driven teens sneak into a funhouse at a traveling carnival, and plan to stay the night. Little do they know, it harbours a deformed sex-crazed maniac. Now, they've seen too much, and must find a way out, before the monster and his father find them...to dole out their own brand of carny justice.

The way the whole sub-plot with the little brother plays out is really weak. It's only included to offer a possible out that never comes to fruition...and it plays out as awkwardly as does that last molestey scene with the little kid in it.

Petty criticisms aside, however, it's an entertaining film. The funhouse robots are pretty rad, and the monster is badass. The kills could have been a little more gory...but the one where they accidentally axe their friend is great! There's a nice amount of tension in that final scene too.

While not a masterpiece of horror or anything, this Tobe Hooper film is certainly worth a watch. But it's not particularly scary.

6 out of 10.

Certainly not in the list of greatest Tobe Hooper films, but must say it is an old slasher you would need to see if you are a fan of that genre. We are introduced to Amy Harper (Elizabeth Berridge) in a scene that is Alfred Hitchcock's PYSCHO meets John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN. It surprisingly does work well and works better than most films that have been influenced by those pair of classics. I think you can thank Hooper for that. Amy is off to the carnival with her new boyfriend Buzz (Cooper Huckabee) and two other friends Liz (Largo Woodruff) and Richie (Miles Chapin). After some good scenes that well set up the carnival atmosphere they decide to spend the night at the funhouse.

Hooper really does create some very good tension in the film. To go along with good and intense music by John Beal. Along the way though we do see a major influence to this film and that is FRANKENSTEIN. What with one of the workers of the funhouse hidden behind a Frankenstein's monster mask and the secrets that are revealed about that character. Personally, I feel the second half of the film doesn't work as well as the first. Not to say that the second part is bad. Far from it, but to me the build up just seemed to work better than when you are getting into the meat of the story.

Rick Baker did some good makeup effects and also starring Kevin Conway who nicely portrays three different barkers at the carnival and William Finley as Marco the Magnificent.

Fun-loving teenagers break into a carnival funhouse for an overnight spree and discover that there's a bloodthirsty and deformed murderer inside waiting to pick them off one by one.

The Funhouse can't help but be unfavorably compared to director Tobe Hooper's triumph, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It doesn't quite hold a candle to that film and it's intensity, but all the candy colors of the funhouse corridors aren't a terrible place to lounge around for 90 minutes and the makeup effects for the main bad guy are impressive.

A much glossier and classier film than most of Tobe Hooper's films that came before it. You can tell this was the first time he was playing with big studio money and the film looks beautiful, but it does lack some of the grit and intensity of his early work. The special makeup effects for the lead monster are terrific.

Every time I'd see this film pop up on a streaming service I'd skip it because it has a low rating. I've seen some reviews say the first half is boring and has no direction, but I think that's what makes this movie great.

The first half of the film does a great job at making you feel the atmosphere of the carnival. You get to see how a night out with these characters is like, it felt very natural almost as if you're there hanging out with them. As the night goes on things begin to take a sinister turn and things just keep escalating from there on.

If you appreciate 80s horror I would highly recommend you watch this film and be your own judge. Sometimes the directors want to put you in the front seat with the characters and I think they did an awesome job. Just sit back and enjoy the night out at The Funhouse.