The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Shout! Factory has released a UHD for the 1981 Tobe Hooper Horror film 'The Funhouse.' New specifications include 2160p/HDR video as well as a new 1080p Blu-ray presentation sourced from the same 4K master. The studio has imply ported over the existing 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtracks from its own 2012 Blu-ray release. In addition to all of the legacy bonus features, several new interviews have been added.

The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the remastered 1080p Blu-ray disc included in this set.

What a fabulous image. Shout! Factory's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation brings The Funhouse to life like never before. The picture is perfectly filmic. It holds to a handsome and naturally grain structure which captures a pure cinematic image without fault or flaw. Grain is even and consistent in density and authenticity. There are no visibly evident signs of tinkering to reduce or dismiss grain. No this is a healthy image if ever there was one. The result is a superbly crisp and high-yield image for detail and textural adeptness. Skin complexities cannot be beaten. Creature effects are every bit as nasty as the original prosthetics allow. The carnival environment captures all of the wear and detail on tents and booths and even the dirt terrain. While there are a few softer and smudgy shots and corners, such are inherent to the original photography. The elements could not be more impressive. There are no source flaws beyond the tiniest evidence of pops and speckles. No encode issues are apparent. The movie looks practically brand new.

There is some wonderful color output as the opening tiles turn various bright carnival colors. The cast credits finally settle on yellow, but what a bold and brilliant yellow it is. There are some amazingly bright and bold colors around the carnival exterior, and inside various tents there are some marvelous one-off tones to be found, like a jar housing a dead baby that is bathed in a pinkish-purple light. Less brilliant or punchy clothing colors hold to lifelike tonal appearances. Skin tones are healthy and true. Whites are brilliant and black level depth is out of this world; blacks are vital to the film's setting and tone and Shout's Dolby Vision grading absolutely nails them in every shot. This is a reference UHD, especially within the catalogue and smaller budget Horror realms.

The remastered Blu-ray is terrific in its own right, holding to the same essential qualities and characteristics as the UHD for filmic preservation and essential color output, but it cannot match the UHD's majesty and mastery of these categories.

The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of The Funhouse includes no new audio tracks; the studio has simply ported over the existing 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless presentations. For full coverage, please click here.

The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In addition to all of the legacy bonus content, Shout! Factory has included a few new interviews. All of the bonus features are included on the bundled, remastered Blu-ray; extras which also appear on the UHD disc are notated as such below. See below for the full list of bonus content and brief coverage of the new material. Please click here for coverage of the legacy material. No digital copy code is included with purchase, but Shout! Factory has included a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Tobe Hooper and Moderator/Filmmaker Tim Sullivan.
• Trailers & Radio Spots (1080p upscaled, 5:57): Note that this combines two separate supplemental selections from the previous disc.
• The Barker Speaks!
• Something Wicked This Way Comes
• Carnival Music
• Audio Interview with William Finley
• Audio Interview with Actor William Finley
• NEW! Book Advertisement (480i, 0:29): A Funhouse-themed ad for the ($2.75!) novelization.
• NEW! Carnival of Blood: Largo Woodruff on The Funhouse (1080p, 9:08): The actress discusses her early career, landing the part in The Funhouse, Tobe Hooper's direction, working in the Horror genre, her co-stars, shooting locations, her death scene, watching the film in the theater, and more.
• NEW! Let's Spend the Night: Miles Chapin on The Funhouse (1080p, 11:16): The actor talks about his early acting career, landing the part, plot dynamics, characters, sets, relationship with Tobe Hooper, how the shooting schedule impacted the film, Kevin Conway's work, "monster snot," fellow cast members, his death scene, the film's legacy, and more.
• NEW! Dance in the Dark Ride: Wayne Doba on The Funhouse (1080p, 15:23): The actor who plays the monster in the film discusses his work prior to the film, Tobe Hooper's direction, prosthetics, shooting locations, shooting key scenes, working with his co-stars, and more.
• NEW! Alive, Alive, Alive: Craig Reardon on The Funhouse (1080p, 18:46): The film's Makeup artist covers his career and work on this film in detail. He also covers working with the cast and Tobe Hooper, the film's tone, and more.

The Funhouse 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Funhouse isn't a traditional 1980s Slasher. It combines the teenage victim angle of that style, however, and mixes it with a moody, wonderfully atmospheric classic Monster flick. It's a winning combination that impresses through just about every second of its lean runtime. It's a little dated and rather tame in hindsight, but The Funhouse holds up as a movie working wonderfully on the back of a great atmosphere and a director who understands what the movie requires to work. Shout! Factory's new UHD looks terrific. The studio has upped the ante to incentivize purchase with new extras and a remastered Blu-ray. Recommended.