Rating: 4/5 Stars

“In the sheeting rain that was now laced with tendrils of fog, the dark Ferris wheel thrust up like a prehistoric skeleton, weird, mysterious, its familiar lines obscured and distorted and made fantastic by the night and the mist.”

The Funhouse weaves the terrifying and, at times, gruesome into the joyful bright lights and thrilling rides of a carnival. Elena could no longer stand the strict rules that her mother gave her. She decides to run away with the carnival and the man she loves. But when she gives birth months later to an evil child, she murders the beast. Years later, Elena has escaped the carnival and started a family with healthy, normal children. But the carnival is back in town and Conrad is desperately seeking revenge.

Koontz sucked me into the story within the first few pages. His attention to visual imagery captured the eeriness and horror of the story. The opening scene and the subsequent frightening scenes that took place at the carnival were vivid. It’s difficult to describe the events without spoiling anything, but it was fast-paced and so much fun to read. I loved the intensity of this book.

Although this satisfied my desire for something fast-paced and scary, it definitely is not for everyone. There were a few gruesome scenes and some religious references. This didn’t bother me, but it’s not for everyone. I was disappointed with the lack of character development. The characters didn’t have a lot of depth. The female characters were often sexualized and ditsy, and the male characters were horn-dogs or violent. I wasn’t a fan of the drastic stereotypes, but I still enjoyed the book.

The Funhouse was both gripping and horrific, and I absolutely loved it.