Review by James Lindorf
As highly regarded as George A. Romero may now be, the ten years between Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead was far from a career highpoint. In 1973 right in the middle of that humdrum decade, Romero was approached by the Lutheran Services, a Pittsburgh-based organization who wanted the local icon to make a film about the numerous ways society discriminates against the elderly. Romero presented to them with “The Amusement Park,” a series of disturbing surreal vignettes that clocked in at a little under 1hr. Shocked or disappointed with the creation, the Lutherans refused to release the film even though it was completed. Now 46 years later, thanks to New York based IndieCollect, the George A. Romero Foundation, and producer Suzanne Desrocher-Romero the original 16mm film has been restored. While technically a feature film with such a scant runtime, “The Amusement Park” would struggle to find a place in the theater where they prefer movies to be at least 70 minutes long. Luckily “The Amusement Park” found a home on Shudder where it will open its doors to the public on June 8th, 2021.
On paper, with its theme and 4+ minute intro, “The Amusement Park” is more PSA or after-school special than a work of fiction you would attribute to a legend of filmmaking. Once you get into the project, however, things become distinctly more Romero. It has plenty of his trademark verbal and stylistic message-hammer metaphors. The vignettes cover a range of topics but are not overly unique in their setup. From the moment our lead, Lincoln Maazel, enters the park, you notice things are off. The man selling the tickets you need for rides and games also swindles elderly patrons out of prized possessions. Then there are signs for rides that go beyond you must be this tall to reading like complex insurance forms. An incident on the bumper cars leads to cries of keeping older people off the roads, and even the food court isn’t safe. Every inch of the park blends beauty and excitement to mask all the potential pitfalls.
Most of the film is populated by volunteers who care about its message. While that is noble and keeps the costs extremely low, the quality of the acting is reflected in that decision. When you add elements like Halloween masks and unnecessary bikers, Romero’s aesthetics and trademarks begin to overwhelm the message. In the hands of a different director, we could have gotten something with more consistent and biting social commentary. However, it could make for a less memorable and emotional film. If you put yourself in Maazel’s place and see the world through his eyes, you realize that they are no different than your own. The horror comes from realizing that it is how the world sees you that has changed and that you are powerless to change it. While it never approaches being scary, “The Amusement Park” will fill its viewers with a sense of dread and trepidation at the inevitable. That if we are lucky, we will live long to see ourselves becomes abused, discarded, and forgotten
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Director: George A. Romero
Writer: Wally Cook
Release Date (Streaming): June 8th, 2021
Runtime: 52m
Production Co: Laurel Tape & Film, Lutheran Film Division
