As a fan of “Big Brother” type reality shows, FUNHOUSE was fun… sick, twisted, gory fun.. but fun nonetheless! It arrives On Demand and DVD on August 24 from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet Label.
Synopsis: Down and out backup singer and celebrity ex-husband Kasper is invited to compete in the Funhouse, an online ‘Big Brother’ style reality show. In an attempt to rebrand his image due to a tarnished reputation, Kasper reluctantly accepts the offer. Alongside seven other C-list celebrities from around the globe, he will compete for a 5 million dollar prize. At first, the Funhouse is just as the name suggests, full of wild times, budding friendships, love connections and brewing rivalries. But, to everyone’s surprise, the fun quickly turns into misery when the first challenge leaves one of the contestants brutally murdered.
There is very little about FUNHOUSE that is original. It borrows a lot from other films of the genre as well as current reality shows. The characters are cliche and predictable. Yet the film does a grand job of keeping the viewer entertained and the blood flowing.
Social media has changed the mindset of the world. How we view things, what we believe, and what we are willing to sacrifice to be entertained. Then there is the ability for someone to be a celebrity simply because they are on a reality show. So many people are well known just for being well known. Combine those two elements and you can understand what the creators of this film are gunning for.
In the film Nero Alexander (Jerome Velinsky) has created a Saw-like experience for a group of washed up celebs who think they are coming on the show to win 5-million dollars. They soon find out they are trapped in this house and the only way out is to play the game. With everything they do being streamed live to the world via Nero’s app their lives are literally in the hands of social media crazed followers. Let the games begin.
What Nero has the contestants do is pretty gross and gory. Fans of these slaughter type films will appreciate the amount of red corn syrup and elastic entrails. It is intense and not for those with easy gag reflexes.
From director Jason William Lee (The Evil in Us), the horror-thriller also stars Gigi Saul Guerrero (“Into the Dark”), Khamisa Wilsher (“The Hollow”), Christopher Gerard (“Arrow”) and newcomer Karolina Benefield.
About The Author
