The Amusement Park (1973) is likely not the first film that comes to mind when one thinks of the collective works of horror master George A. Romero. Nonetheless, like most of Romero’s films, it’s a brutal and unflinching piece of social commentary. This time the director tackles the subject of ageism and elder abuse via a nightmare-filled and dystopian amusement park. Originally commissioned by the Pennsylvania Lutheran Society as an educational film, Romero approached the project with his usual flair for the macabre and all things nightmarish. The finished product wound up being way more horrific and frightening than the Lutheran Society was expecting. As a result, the film had a roller coaster journey before it was finally released commercially.
Filmed in three days in 1973 with a microscopic budget of approximately $37,000, The Amusement Park was put on the shelf as it was deemed too dark for educational purposes. In 1975, the film did screen at several film festivals. After that, Romero’s latest endeavor was seemingly lost forever. Cut to over three decades later when in 2017 the film was rediscovered and shown, again, and several film festivals in 2018. The film was finally released to a wide audience in 2021 when Shudder made it available to stream. Now, almost fifty years later, Romero’s “lost” film has been restored in 4K by IndieCollect in New York City and is getting a Blu-Ray release for the masses.
A beaten and bruised Lincoln Maazel in a scene from “The Amusement Park” (1973)
Synopsis
The Amusement Park begins with an unnamed older man (Lincoln Maazel) breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the viewers. He states emphatically about how the elderly are passed over and ignored by a growingly “youth-obsessed” American society. Maazel states that old age is “the saddest cause of denial and rejection.” Mazel then switches over from narrator to actor, appearing in a white room, bruised and bloodied and wearing a filthy white suit. Another man, who is also played by Maazel, enters the room, looking fresh and clean.
Seemingly happy the unsullied version of the older man states that he is going into the park. This is despite the pleas from the beaten-up older man stating that “there is nothing out there.” The second and cleaner version of the older man walks through the door and is immediately in an amusement park. He walks about happily examining everything around him.
Things soon begin to spiral out of control when the older man gets on a rollercoaster. Another older passenger on the ride dies and is subsequently ignored. All throughout the park, there are strange signs that are like something out of a doctor’s office visit. The older man soon starts to see people in monster masks on the rides with the rest of the passengers. However, it appears that only he can see them.
There are numerous encounters with staff and other patrons of the amusement park that offer metaphors and a hyper-stylized reflection of how the elderly are brushed aside and often seen as inferior to the rest of society. However, it’s in the third act of The Amusement Park where things truly get brutal. Among other things, bikers show up to torture and rob the older man. Trying to seek medical treatment, he sees the grim reaper wandering around the park. Soon the rest of the park’s patrons begin to chase the older man, with murder in their eyes.
Lincoln Maazel speaking directly as the narrator in a scene from “The Amusement Park” (1973)
Analysis
The one thing that can be said of George Romero is that he had a cynical view of the world. Look no further than The Amusement Park for proof of that view. Originally intended as an “educational film” showing how difficult it can be for senior citizens in a changing world, Romero’s film is brutal and cruel. It also seems that nearly fifty years later, not much has changed and Romero’s prophecy has come true. The director had already been at the forefront of social commentary filmmaking after the release of his classic Night of the Living Dead (1968). However, this film takes it to another level.
Still, the film at times feels rushed and incomplete. That may be because it was as The Amusement Park was shot in three days on a shoestring budget. Also, at times Romero’s film juggles back and forth between Public Service Announcement and visceral horror film. It can be a little much for the at-home viewer to take in. One can only imagine what the Lutheran Society thought when they first viewed the finished product. One might also wonder why they hired Romero in the first place.
The Amusement Park is shot on grainy 16mm stock which is just perfect for what Romero is trying to convey to the viewer. His film, with its fish-eye visuals, becomes dramatically disorienting by the end of the first act. There’s also a correlation between what the older man endures and what Ben and Barbara go through in Night of the Living Dead. In both films, our heroes take both a mental and physical beatdown. Also, it takes a certain kind of director to be paid to make an educational feature about ageism, only to have the film go so dark and twisted that the people who paid him, refuse to release it.
Sally Irwin and Lincoln Maazel in a scene from George Romero’s “The Amusement Park” (1973)
The Blu-Ray
It’s pretty evident that a lot of time and effort went into this latest 4K Blu-Ray/DVD release of The Amusement Park. There are over one-hundred minutes of bonus features available on the Blu-Ray and DVD editions. You also won’t find this kind of extra content on Blu-Rays of major Hollywood productions, so this is pretty special. The highlights are:
Audio Commentary with Michael Gornick
Re-Opening The “Park” with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero
Bill & Bonnie’s Excellent Adventure with Bonnie Hinzman
For Your Amusement with Artist Ryan Carr
Panel Interview with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, Sandra Schulberg, Greg Nicotero, and Daniel Kraus moderated by Shudder’s Samuel Zimmerman
THE AMUSEMENT PARK Official Brochure
THE AMUSEMENT PARK Script
Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
The audio commentary with assistant cameraman Michael Gornick is particularly insightful as it fills the viewer in with regards to what it took to restore Romero’s “lost” film almost fifty years after its completion. Another highlight is the panel interview with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, Sandra Schulberg, Greg Nicotero, and Daniel Kraus. Listening to special make-up effects legend Nicotero talk about his four-decade friendship and working relationship with Romero is pure gold.
Conclusion
The Amusement Park is a short film, clocking in at only fifty-four minutes. However, it really doesn’t need to be longer. Romero’s points and themes are hammered home over and over again throughout the film’s brief running time. Although the budget is microscopic, Romero once again manages to succeed in working with the resources he had available to him. If anyone has followed Romero’s career, it may be that the director worked better with a smaller budget. There is no finer example of this than Night of the Living Dead (1968).
For a low-budget film, The Amusement Park is truly a haunting and borderline psychedelic experience. It’s no wonder that the Lutheran Society nixed the entire project. Still, what was bad for them turned out to be pretty good for Romero fans. The director’s social commentary and scathing criticism of populism are at their peak here. It should also be noted that this is the same year that Romero made The Crazies (1973), another masterpiece in social commentary. The Amusement Park is a “found” Romero gem that is well worth an hour of your time.
Shudder and RLJE Films will be releasing The Amusement Park on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital on September 13th, 2022. The film was “rediscovered” and restored in 2017.
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