The Funhouse

"Pay to get in. Pray to get out!"

1981 1h 35m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 437

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Pay to get in. Pray to get out!”

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Cast

Elizabeth Berridge
Amy Harper
Cooper Huckabee
Buzz Dawson
Kevin Conway
The Barker
Largo Woodruff
Liz Duncan
Miles Chapin
Richie Atterbury
Jeanne Austin
Mrs. Harper
Jack McDermott
Mr. Harper
Shawn Carson
Joey Harper

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tobe Hooper
Writers: Lawrence J. Block
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tobe Hooper, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Hofstra shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elizabeth Berridge and Cooper Huckabee and Kevin Conway carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Pay to get in. Pray to get out!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tobe Hooper directs. Andrew Laszlo behind the camera. John Beal scores. Jack Hofstra cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.
345 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Tobe Hooper, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jack Hofstra shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Elizabeth Berridge and Cooper Huckabee and Kevin Conway carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Pay to get in. Pray to get out!".
9IMDB entry: tt0082427 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.