Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Amusement Park Blu-ray Movie Review

He's fallen, and he can't get up.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 16, 2022

George A. Romero's "lost" film The Amusement Park has quite an interesting history: shot in 1973 at the soon-to-be-closed West View Park near Pittsburgh (naturally), filming was completed in just three days on a budget of ~$37,000. It finally premiered at New York's American Film Festival in 1975 and earned another few festival screenings, but was eventually forgotten about until a 16mm print and DVD transfer copy were sent to the director before his 2017 death. Romero dismissed it as a one-time work-for-hire project but his wife thought otherwise, overseeing a 4K restoration built on that weathered 16mm print (as well as a second copy in almost equally rough condition) by New York-based film preservation company IndieCollect through the George A. Romero Foundation. The Amusement Park's restoration finally premiered in October 2019 with Shudder eventually scooping up distribution rights, and now we have an official Blu-ray package for a film that, until just a few short years ago, only a fraction of Romero fans had seen.

But first, a warning: The Amusement Park is not your usual film... and though it leans into horror territory, it doesn't serve up the same kind of fear generated by Night of the Living Dead or his other most popular works. Commissioned by the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania, it's actually more of a PSA-style piece about the reality of elder abuse and ageism as seen through the eyes of an unnamed senior citizen played by actor Lincoln Maizel. (71 at the time of filming, he would somewhat ironically live for another 35 years.) During the film's 54-minute lifespan, he wanders through an emptying amusement park where trouble awaits: long lines, unhelpful employees, rude patrons, and even an assortment of situations where his fellow elders are gradually stripped of their privileges and swindled by shady salesman. Death himself follows the man, routinely lurking in the backgrounds while occasionally edging closer. He's even attacked and bloodied by a rogue gang and, by the end of the day, is a worn-out shell of his former self, a man who walked into the park full of life before being physically and emotionally beaten into submission.

It's a tough and sobering experience indeed, and one that's curiously wrapped by two different pairs of bookending scenes: the first is that PSA-style introduction and conclusion by Maizel (as himself) which primarily serves as a call to action, while the second features a split screen of his character in an all-white room where his initially optimistic self interacts with the broken man we know by the film's end. This second set is an especially clever touch, adding more than just a circular gimmick to the proceedings while doubling down on the harsh reality of his situation.

Its micro-budget clearly reveals seams in the fabric (mostly in the form of several less-than-convincing background characters and dodgy audio mixing), and some of the film's most darkly dramatic moments are incredibly manipulative in the way that most PSA-style films are. But The Amusement Park is still a surprisingly effective film at times: it truly is an emotional roller coaster that's supported strongly by Romero's trademark visual sensibilities, which makes it as instantly recognizable as the director's more mainstream work. But more than anything else, viewing The Amusement Park almost five full decades after its production reminds us that elder abuse and ageism, while obviously still an issue in the United States, can be overcome or at least minimized with a little bit of kindness and empathy.

RLJ Entertainment's new Blu-ray is something of a prestige release for the studio, carrying a nice selection of extras that complement the film's scruffy but serviceable visuals at a very fair price. You'll burn through everything in less than three hours, but this is such a fascinating detour through Romero-land that it'll be hard for fans to resist.

The Amusement Park Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Amusement Park's best-available source material was a pair of weathered 16mm prints (which, according to the director's wife and the supervisor of its new 4K restoration, Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, was absolutely riddled with damage) so, even with the words "4K restoration" attached, fans shouldn't set their hopes too high. As evidenced by the included screenshots, this 1080p transfer is still in fairly rough shape with limited image detail, occasional frozen grain, stubborn dirt and debris including vertical lines, and a color palette that's extremely washed out. (Skin tones are sometimes so devoid of color that they resemble gray zombie makeup, which is confusing yet strangely appropriate). One would like to assume that the preservation company IndieCollect did what they could with this material, but compared to the state of Romero's more well-known films it can't help but fall far behind. Still, the restoration as a whole must be awarded reasonably high ratings because it's a solid presentation under the circumstances, even without the benefit of "before" pictures showing the real extent of the damage. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray surpasses all available streaming versions with a well-authored disc that contains no flagrant problems such as compression artifacts or banding, though it's often tough to distinguish possible disc problems with those stemming from its original source.

The Amusement Park Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix performs under similarly limited conditions, wringing what modest sonic detail it can get out of the weathered source material and occasionally reaching modest heights. Dialogue is, for the most part, clear and reasonably well-balanced with background effects, which occasionally overpowers everything for stylistic effect. Several line readings were obviously a victim of bad ADR, including crowd noise during a roller coaster ride that obviously sounds like it was recorded in a small room. But likewise, under the circumstances this is a decent presentation with no obvious problems outside of those clearly baked in to the source material.

Optional English (SDH) and Spanish subtitles are included during the main feature only.

The Amusement Park Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with bonkers cover artwork, a matching embossed slipcover, and a promotional insert. The well-rounded bonus features add plenty of value to the package.

• Audio Commentary - Actor Michael Gornick, who served as assistant cameraman (among other duties) and appeared in The Amusement Park as well several other Romero films from that era -- including most notably Dawn of the Dead -- contributes a warm and casual commentary full of insight about the original production, its history, contributions to other Romero films, and memories of the director. It's moderated by Michael Felsher, owner and operator of Red Shirt Pictures, who produced most of these included extras.

• Re-Opening The "Park" (12:02) - Perhaps the best extra of the bunch, this recent interview with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero (wife of the late director, and the supervisor of its new 4K restoration) features her speaking candidly about her husband's career, receiving the 16mm print and DVD transfer copy of The Amusement Park in 2017, the difficult task of restoring its almost fatally damaged source materials, and much more.

• Bill & Bonnie's Excellent Adventure (10:00) - This recent interview with script girl Bonnie Hinzman (who also makes a brief appearance in one scene) includes her memories of George Romero, stories from the set, and the work of her late husband, Romero's long-time cinematographer S. William Hinzman.

• For Your Amusement (11:05, screenshot #20) - Resident George A. Romero Foundation artist Ryan Carr speaks about his love of horror films and frequent collaborations with the company including posters, other promo materials, and an upcoming four-part graphic novel adaptation of The Amusement Park.

• Panel Interview (23:12) - This virtual roundtable interview was recorded in June 2021 and features Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, restoration producer Sandra Schulberg, long-time Romero collaborator Greg Nicotero, and author Daniel Kraus (The Living Dead), with moderation by by Shudder's Samuel Zimmerman.

• The Amusement Park Official Brochure - A kinda small but interesting gallery featuring high-resolution scanned images from a vintage black-and-white brochure promoting the film.

• The Amusement Park Script - Similarly, a few dozen scanned images of the unsurprisingly short script.

• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery - 26 black-and-white stills in great condition.

The Amusement Park Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

George A. Romero's "lost" film The Amusement Park is certainly an odd detour in the late director's filmography, as this PSA-style work-for-hire project was perhaps never meant to sit alongside even his lesser-known works. But its premise is strong and the lead performance by Lincoln Maizel carries a lot of emotional weight, making this one you won't soon forget even if you only watch it once. Although newcomers should stream it on Shudder first, RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray adds a lot of value with its superior A/V presentation (considering the source material's poor condition, of course) and a nice pile of interesting extras. Certainly worth a purchase at the current sale price, The Amusement Park is a fine companion to other Romero films from the era like those on Arrow's 2017 set Between Night and Dawn.