The Funhouse Massacre (2015)
"Well, Miss, there are people here that even God is
afraid of."
Story:
"Six of the world's scariest psychopaths escape from a
local Asylum and proceed to unleash terror on the unsuspecting crowd of a
Halloween Funhouse, whose themed mazes are inspired by their various reigns of
terror."
The film opens with a young woman, Miss Quinn, entering an
asylum so that she can interview the Warden. The Warden gives her a quick tour
of the facility and introduces to her to some of the inmates. Jeffrey Ramseys
(Animal the Cannibal), Bradford Young (Dr. Suave), Walter Harris (The Taxidermist),
Rocco the Clown, and Manual Dyer (Manny the Prophet) are all residents of the
Asylum, and are highly dangerous. The Warden takes Miss Quinn into his office
to "take a break from these awful men". While seducing the Warden,
Miss Quinn strangles him. She also kills two body guards and releases all of
the inmates. When Manuel Dyer leaves his cell, she greets him with a smile on
her face and calls him "Daddy."
After the title card, we are introduced to our main
characters who all work in a local diner together. We see on the news that a
Funhouse is opening that has attractions based on true crimes from the area.
This includes all of the local boogeymen that we have just met. Our group of
main characters decide to go, of course. It isn't long before the real killers
go to the Funhouse, take over, and play themselves in the haunt. Once the group
of friends get inside the haunt, they start to notice that everything is just a
little too real at this Funhouse.
Acting:
The acting isn't top notch by any means. It is super campy
and over the top. It's supposed to be. There are a few seasoned horror actors
sprinkled in, which is always a great surprise. Robert Englund, Clint Howard,
and Courtney Gains are always a joy to see on screen. Do not let the artwork on
this film fool you, though. They put Robert front and center on it, but he is
only in the film for about 10 minutes. He is great in his role, but it's not
worth front and center on the artwork. Some of the performances seem pretty
phony and cheesy, but it didn't bother me at all. It fits the tone of the film
perfectly.
Fear Factor:
This movie is classified as a horror comedy. So, no. I don't
find it scary. The tone of the film is super campy, cheesy, and over the top
with it's kills. It just works. I absolutely loved all of the practical gore.
Since there are wide variety of killers (cannibal, taxidermist, a killer
dentist, murdering wrestler, etc), there are many ways for victims to die. This
movie doesn't hold back from that.
Originality:
I will have to admit. I've never seen a movie quite like
this one. Like I mentioned above, I love the variety of kills. I loved that
they had several types of killers. The killers had plenty of victims, because
it was all set in a Funhouse. I really don't know how else they would have
gotten these different types of villains all in one place if it was set
anywhere else. I liked the lead characters quite a bit. This movie just stands
out to me, and is always a blast to watch.
Overall:
Do I recommend this movie? Hell yes. This is a super fun
watch during the Halloween season. It has a good story, great costume design,
fantastic killers, awesome sound design, and impressive practical effects. I
say you should all round up some friends, chow down on some junk food, and
enjoy this underrated little gem this Halloween season!
Next week, I'll be reviewing "Hell House LLC"
(2015). "Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of
15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour,
a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what
really happened." Please check this one out if you haven't already, and
come back here for my review of it!
Scores:
Overall:
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