We all know the late George A. Romero as the pioneer of the zombie in horror cinema – a cinematic monster which has sustained appropriate levels of longevity in modern culture. But there was far more to his career than that and he found far more ways to critique the society he lived in than just through zombie horror. One of his lesser-known titles is The Amusement Park (1975), a suitably sad and surreal exploration of ageing.
In the film, an elderly man (Lincoln Maazel – Martin) goes for what he assumes will be an ordinary day at the amusement park, only to find himself in the middle of a hellish nightmare. Amid the rollercoasters and chaotic crowds, he becomes increasingly disoriented and isolated; as the pain, tragedies and humiliations of ageing in America are played out before him…
Of all Romero’s films, The Amusement Park is one of the least well-known, by even his most ardent fans. However, via the Shudder Exclusive roster and Acorn Media International, it’s now up for release on 17th October 2022. If you missed its short stint on cinema release in 2019, or even if you made it, you can now purchase this special Blu-ray with a wealth of extra features including: a Michael Gornick audio commentary, a special feature – ‘Re-opening the Park’ – with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, panel interviews, a special brochure and the film’s script. Better still, Warped Perspective has a Blu-ray to give away.
UK readers: if you would like to be in with a chance of winning, please email the site (keri[at]warped-perspective.com) with The Amusement Park as your email title. Include your name and postal address. The competition will be drawn on Friday 14th October at 18:00 GMT. (All personal information will be stored securely until the competition is over and then deleted.)
Thank you and good luck!