Le bouffon de l'horreur

I didn't know what to expect from this film when I watched it, but I was vastly amused. If you like the Monty Python variety of British comedy, and the Nightmare on Elm Street type of horror, you should check this movie out. It doesn't really make sense or have any sort of real plot, but hey, what the hell does? Overall, an amusing horror film, made me laugh more than a few times.

I was suprised to see how low this film has rated. I guess it's been watched by a lot of people that either don't like horror at all or are too caught up in a particular genre to get this.

It's very tounge in cheek, which many simple people won't get. However it has the distinction of being one of the few horror comedies around that is both funny and eerie/disturbing.

The Thelma (from scoobie doo) character was hilarious, especially when she died, and I couldn't help but think of that when that awful Scoobie doo film came out. They should have hired the woman from funny man.

The relation between Christopher Lee's character and the fates of those in the house reminded me a lot of Hammer Horror. But then you can probably drop Chris Lee into any cheap horror and immediately raise the standard. His minor involvement worked for me. Tim James was brilliant as the killer. His Yorkshire accent along with some of his lines had me convinved it was Shawn Bean right up until the end credits. He is the kind of movie bad guy that you could see spawning endless sequels, and while he may not be on the level of a Fred Krueger he's way above the level of a Chucky.

The effects, the set and the sound track are all quite cheap, but you don't need a big budget to make a good movie and this demonstrates that.

Disregard the many negative reviews of this film below. It is actually an odd little hidden gem. The story is about a man who wins a card game against Christopher Lee, who then gives him his large old house. The man moves into the house with his family, and they soon discover a sinister jester who resides there, the Funnyman.

This pesky little guy kills people in different ways; some of them are outrageously gory and over the top, and a little bit like Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead. The joker also speaks in a variety of British accents, and takes on different personas, such as a club owner, a footballer, and a few other weird guises.

The film is low budget and very English, and may not appeal to overseas audiences; but it's a worthy effort considering its budget. If you want a horror film with comical gory scenes, dark humour, sprinkles of English silliness, and something different, check out the Funnyman. You might like it.

This movie is both hilarious and quite nasty. Some of the deaths in the movie are shocking; they are both gruesome and very original. It will more likely be liked better by the brits than the americans just because of the sense of humour but believe me if you can see this then do cause it is very funny:D

In the mid-nineties, Christopher Lee faced a serious financial crisis. His pension funds failed, his country house encountered plumbing problems, and some dues were to be paid. He had no other solution but playing in a stupid film that left him ashamed for all the rest of his life. Ten years after, Mr. Lee still has nightmares about that film, and restlessly fights for all copies being destroyed. Alas, some perverse folks recently released it in DVD format. Well, time to be serious. "Funny Man" is one of the worst films I have ever seen. There's nothing redeeming about it. Screenplay is non-existent, without any kind of narrative logic. Also, and some puzzling for a film with such a title, "Funny Man" actually has nothing funny, unless you are quirky enough for laughing at people having atrocious deaths for no valid reasons. The Funny Man himself is annoying and I often thought he was the one in the film really deserving to die. So please support Mr. Lee. Don't buy, don't rent, don't watch "Funny Man". Don't tell your friends about it. Just forget it. I did already.