‘How many likes for a life?’
Funhouse is a 2020 horror film about minor celebrities on an online reality show being killed when they are voted off.
Written and directed by Jason William Lee (The Evil in Us), the movie stars Valter Skarsgard (Lord of Chaos), Gigi Saul Guerrero, Khamisa Wilsher, Christopher Gerard and Karolina Benefield. Produced by Michael Gyori of Canada’s Sandcastle Pictures and Henrik Santesson of Sweden’s Ti Bonny Productions.
Plot:
Down-and-out backing singer and celebrity ex-husband Kasper Nordin (Valter Skarsgård) is invited to compete in the Funhouse, an online Big Brother-style reality TV show.
Kasper joins seven other C-list celebrities from around the globe to compete for a $5 million prize, only to see the budding friendships, love connections and brewing rivalries go awry one of the contestants is brutally murdered during the first challenge…
Release:
In the USA, Magnet Releasing is releasing Funhouse theatrically and On-Demand platforms on May 28th 2021.
Reviews:
“It’s not great, and it’s not terrible. It exists somewhere in the middle. Having said that – and perhaps this tips the scale slightly in one direction – the concept contains enough promise that I wish the movie was a little better and smarter than it is.” The Aisle Seat
“Granted, evil geniuses are supposed to be smart, but the protags should try to mount some kind of resistance, or the film in question just gets dull and depressing. In the case of Lee’s narrative, there are no emotional peaks-and-valleys, just a steady and increasingly steep decline. The execution is slick, but Funhouse still isn’t recommended…” J.B. Spins
“There’s some severe mixed messaging going on here; Funhouse wants us to ponder how the Internet scene has made gross voyeurs of us all, while at the same time staging each gory demise with maximum relish. Lee frequently intercuts glimpses of various ordinary folks watching and taking part in, the octet’s plight on their devices, but he doesn’t successfully conflate their inability to look away with ours.” Rue Morgue
“My main problem is that, at no point, did I ever have hope that any of these characters would survive […] the movie literally looks the audience in the eye at the end to judge us for watching their movie the same as the world was judging the people watching the show in the film. It’s a commentary tacked onto a so-so horror film that doesn’t offer much beyond gore.” Tim McClelland
“Some of the deaths, such as being lowered feet first into a vat of acid and an updated version of the rack, are nasty. Others though are stupid […] However much of that is counteracted by lots of whining, bitching and backstabbing. And, since with one exception we know almost nothing about any of these people it’s hard to sympathize. Or even care for that matter.” Voices from the Balcony
Cast and characters:
Valter Skarsgård … Kasper Nordin
Khamisa Wilsher … Lonni Byrne
Gigi Saul Guerrero … Ximena Torres
Christopher Gerard … James ‘Headstone’ Malone
Karolina Benefield … Ula La More
Amanda Howells … Cat Zim
Mathias Retamal … Dex ‘El Shocker’ Souza
Dayleigh Nelson … Nevin Evensmith
Jerome Velinsky … Nero Alexander
Kylee Bush … Darla Drake
Debs Howard … Gilda ‘The Mad’ Batter
Bradley Duffy … Pete Sake
Michael MacKinnon … Jode Nash
Dave Peniuk … Chuck Thorn
Ben Heidi … Botis
Scotty Mac … Vapula / MMA Fighter (as Scotty Schnurr Mac)
Aron Olaf Johnson … Orobas
Sean Scott … Sabnock
Behtash Fazlali … James Whitehat
Victoria Cruz … News Anchor I
Ben Dextraze … News Anchor II (as Ben Detraze)
Kimi Alexander … News Anchor III
Brian Johnson … News Anchor IV
Abby de Forest … Interview Host (as Abby DeForest)
Jeff Cooper … Wes Gray
Jason William Lee … Jack Burton
Gabriella Klein … Mira Fuentes
Norah Campbell … Norah
Technical details:
106 minutes
Notes:
Not to be confused with Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse (1981).
MOVIES & MANIA rating:
