Funny Games (1997) – Film Review

An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna (Susanne Lothar) is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe) comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation.

Michael Haneke‘s Funny Games is one of the most fascinating horror films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. I know it might sound a little bit weird, but the opening fifteen to twenty minutes of the film actually come across as rather comforting and heartwarming. The color palette on-screen is littered with greens, reds, and yellows, luring the audience into a false sense of comfort.

It’s such a small, easily unnoticeable detail but it’s one that must have been done on purpose because as soon as things start to go awry for the Schober family, these bright colors dissipate, giving way to more somber colors such as gray, black, and blue. But Funny Games obviously isn’t great simply because of its color palette and absolutely gorgeous cinematography by Jürgen Jürges – it’s a legitimately disturbing movie that will constantly make you feel like you’re being violated.

When watching the film, it’s almost impossible not to imagine yourself in the Schobers’ shoes because they are just like any other ordinary family. The husband and wife work normal jobs, they are raising a young boy, and are simply trying their best to succeed in the game of life. One day, Anna is relaxing at home when a young man and his friend come to the woman’s door asking if he could borrow some eggs which sounds like a simple request. It is until the man and his friend start to show their true intentions.

It’s at this point when Funny Games transitions from being a simple drama into a heart-stopping and unsettling movie that forces you to think about what you would do in this sort of situation. One thing that I love about this movie is how the Schober family is never once shown to be violent. Or, at least, they don’t want to be violent. Even when they know that they are going to be held hostage at any moment, they don’t really want to hurt their captors because they are human beings just like them.

Sure, it may sound silly but I’ve always hated how in some movies, whenever somebody is about to be hurt or held hostage, that person immediately turns into Rambo and does the most badass things imaginable to break free and kick the tormentor’s butt. That’s not always how it works in real life. Some people have different belief systems and ways of thinking. And even still, I’d imagine that it would be rather terrifying to try to fight off any sort of attacker. It’s not as easy as most movies make it out to be.

And speaking of their tormentors Paul and Peter, their respective actors deliver two of the most nuanced and creepy performances I have ever seen in a horror film. Together, Arno Frisch and Frank Giering work magic off one another. You can truly never tell what these two are going to do to this family next, mainly because their behavioral patterns are so all over the place. One minute, Peter will be trying to have a friendly conversation with Anna, and then the next, he threatens to kill her immediately if she does not follow his exact orders.

What makes these two characters even more frightening is just how calm they make these demands. In most movies, these two characters would be gloating. They’d shout and yell. But not Paul and Peter. These two make some seriously big demands and order around the Schober family a lot, but they always do this while using the most friendly voice possible. They never raise their voice, even when they find themselves getting frustrated.

It’s so chilling because the tone of voice and the words that are coming out of these two people’s mouths create such a stark contrast. The things that Paul and Peter do in Funny Games will be enough to send shivers down your spine in the best way possible.

This movie also contains one of the most “what in the world did I just watch?” endings that I have ever seen, and I love it. There is one fourth-wall break towards the end that is so mind-numbingly genius that I had to pause the film and then go back and watch the scene over and over again just to make sure I was seeing things right. Sure enough, I was. Michael Haneke’s script here is seriously phenomenal, just like the rest of his film.

Funny Games is one of the most disturbing and intricate horror films ever made, written and directed masterfully by Michael Haneke.