FUNHOUSE (2019)

 

Funhouse Movie Review

Internet stars who find their fame fading agree to participate in a reality game show. Once there, however, they discover they have been trapped by a sadistic madman, and losing comes with deadly consequences. Not to be confused with Tobe Hooper's 1981 slasher The Funhouse, this movie is one of many game show/escape game themed horror flicks to come around the past several years. The idea with this one is the show is being streamed online, and viewers have the opportunity to vote on their favorite participant--the one with the fewest votes each round must play a game that all but guarantees they will die. Naturally, whoever is behind all this doesn't want the contestants to know who he is, so when he talks to them, he does so as a bear on a screen.

You were expecting something scary?

This is one of those movies that makes you hate the would-be victims right from the start--one or two may grow on you a small bit, but for the most part, you're really just waiting for the next death scene. Few of the characters have any depth whatsoever, which, if you think about it, probably accurately describes most "internet famous" people anyway. Throughout the movie, we also get shots of people from around the world watching, a guy who makes videos commenting on what's happening on the show, news stories reporting nobody can find where this is all happening, and, eventually, law enforcement trying to find and put an end to the game. There's one face you may recognize, but he's probably not who you think he is--this is actually Valter Skarsgård, brother of Bill, and son of Stellan. 

"I'm me, not just their relative"

There is plenty of blood and guts to keep you interested in this movie, and the mystery of what the next game will be is also fun. You likely won't care who lives and who dies, and the little twist ending is both nonsensical and fairly predictable. The movie was poorly shot, and looks quite amateurish, but that somehow adds a little to the appeal. Funhouse is not a good movie by any stretch, but one could qualify it as a guilty pleasure experience. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

Funhouse Movie Trailer