The Amusement Park

Director - George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead)

Starring - Lincoln Maazel (Martin, NET Playhouse), Harry Albacker, and Phyllis Casterwiler 

Release Date - 1973, 2019

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "See you in the park, someday"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I give the late George A. Romero full credit for my love of the genre.  The first horror movie that I watched that stuck with me was Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead.  After I finished watching it with my grandmother she told me about the original version and I made it my mission to watch it.  As soon as I was able to watch it I was hooked and I've been a lifelong Romero fan ever since.  I've collected his work most of my life and when news broke that his "lost" film The Amusement Park was getting a release I couldn't have been any happier.  A few weeks ago I was sent the press release for the Shudder release of the film with a review solicit.  I couldnt' wait and requested a link to review it.  

     The film follows an elderly man who is enjoying a day at the amusement park.  What starts out innocently enough but as his day progresses he notices that the older patrons of the park are being mistreated while the younger customers are getting better service.  Before long he finds himself becoming physically assaulted and abused before he finally gives up and no longer wants to go out into the world.

     I tossed it up on my iPad and jumped in my chair with the biggest smile on my face when I hit play.  By the 20 minute mark I was wondering what the hell I was watching and when the final credits were rolling I was left with more questions than answers.  I didn't like it and it absolutely kills me that I didn't like it.  With that being said, this is not your typical Romero film.  The film was produced by an outside company that brought Romero on to direct.  Romero then shelved the film for what I can only assume is because he knew his fans would be expecting something else entirely.  The acting in this one is pretty rough but that is to be expecting considering.  The movie features performances from elderly locals who volunteered their time and energy for the project.  Most have no experience but were dedicated to the cause.  With that being said, a few of the scenes were a little awkward to watch while some missed their mark.  I found myself laughing during several of the more serious scenes which I am afraid to admit to now.  The story for this one is meant to be a PSA for younger generations to treat the elderly generations with respect while also alerting businesses to how they sometimes treat the elderly as an inconvenience.  With a run time of around 50 minutes I can only assume this was meant to be an hour long television special as well as a PSA but please don't go into this thinking you are about to see a lost film from Romero around the time he was making films like The Crazies, Dawn of the Dead, and Martin.  This is nothing like those films and I'm almost certain that he never wanted this released.  Finally, the film has a little blood and some minor make-up effects but nothing like you would expect from the mast of horror.  Overall, The Amusement Park is not what a lot of you are expecting.  It's not a lost horror film from the master but I am glad that we get to finally see it.  I love Romero and his films so it was a great experience to see something of his I had never seen before.  However, this was an extremely dull film to watch consisting of a cast for local retirement homes and the like.  Please don't go into this one expecting another Martin or The Crazies because you will be very disappointed.