Between ‘Night of the Living Dead’ in 1968 and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978), celebrated horror director and Zombie movie specialist George A Romero made ‘The Amusement Park’. The 54-minute 1973 picture, which premiered at the American Film Festival in 1975, disappeared without trace after that. It remained missing presumed lost until a 16mm print was recovered in 2017 – the year of Romero’s death. Since then it has been digitally restored so that it can finally enjoy a commercial release.
‘The Amusement Park’ offers Romero fans an amuse-bouche to accompany his celebrated Zombie films, though it is a disturbing psychological horror film in its own right and it contains many of Romero’s trademarks. In common with much of Romero’s canon, ‘The Amusement Park’ is layered with social commentary, but it is also much more obviously allegorical than some of his other work.
The film is introduced by an elderly man (Lincoln Maazel), who, against the backdrop of the shabby West View Park in Pennsylvania, counsels viewers to find ways to support the elderly. It cuts to Maazel in a white suit, sitting in a white room, bloodied and bandaged. An identical Maazel, in an immaculate white suit, appears and tries to make conversation with his doppelgänger, who is too traumatised to leave the room. Undeterred, the pristine Maazel opens the door and steps out – into the amusement park.
Once there, he at first approaches the dangers and risks of life with a sense of joy and adventure, riding the roller coaster with an experience of childish pleasure. Some of the other attractions hold less appeal. He is given basic food and forced to watch a much wealthier man receive more attention and finer dining, an allegory for inequality. The dodgem cars become an arena where the slightest bump is treated like a vehicular collision (look out for a cameo appearance by the director). In another attraction, the broken bodies of the elderly are manipulated by devilish physiotherapists. Maazel is appalled, but things go from bad to worse. A young man, having glimpsed through a fortune teller the tragedy of his future as an elderly man, attacks the nearest pensioner to hand, shoving Maazel to the ground. He is, after all, a reminder of his future and his mortality. In one of the final sequences, Maazel weeps uncontrollably as his attempts to read a story to a young girl are rebuffed.
Shot in only three days entirely on location (the fairground was already on its last legs, and would finally be demolished in 1980), and using mostly non-professional actors, ‘The Amusement Park’ is the definition of guerrilla filmmaking. In the hands of a lesser director, the end result would be a mess. A master storyteller like George A Romero, however, brings together a short film that is haunting, sinister and often uncomfortable yet compelling viewing. Bikers, who would cause so much damage to the zombie-free mall so hard-won by the heroes of ‘Dawn of the Dead’, feature here too. They rev their engines and taunt Maazel, pushing him to the ground. Perhaps the success of shooting that sequence gave Romero the idea for Tom Savini’s gang in his later masterpiece?
‘The Amusement Park’ has been substantially remastered for this Blu-ray release. However, expectations should be managed. Restoration from poor condition 16mm prints means that the picture quality isn’t as sharp as it would be if working from a 35mm print, and there are some scratch lines. The colours are satisfyingly rich. There are extra features on the disc that delve into its background, rediscovery and restoration. There is an audio commentary by Michael Gornick, who collaborated with Romero on numerous occasions. Romero’s widow Suzanne Desrocher-Romero explains her late husband’s reaction to the discovery of the film, and how she worked so hard to restore it and give it an audience after his death. Artist Ryan Carr talks about sketching Lincoln Maazel and others for a graphic novel version of the film. There is also a panel discussion with many of the talent involved in providing the film with a new lease of life.
‘The Amusement Park’ transcends its low budget and hurried production. The story and its pacing is coherent, and the allegory, though heavy-handed in parts, is effective. Most importantly, it is a psychologically troubling, challenging, thought-provoking film that haunts the imagination long afterwards. It will bear repeat viewing as the sort of tale that resonates in different ways, revealing its secrets slowly, each time it is experienced. Fans of his work can rest assured that ‘The Amusement Park’ bears the indelible stamp of George A Romero.
Cast: Lincoln Maazel, Harry Albacker, Phyllis Casterwiler, Pete Chovan, Sally Erwin, George A Romero Director: George A Romero Writer: Wally Cook Certificate: 12 Duration: 54 mins Released by: Acorn Media International Release date: 17th October 2022 Buy ‘The Amusement Park’
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