Many filmmakers dream of making a fraction of the impact that George Romero had on the film industry. Romero was a master of his craft for decades, but he grew into an iconic name in the horror genre and is often cited as a major influence on the direction of the zombie genre thanks to his work on Night of the Living Dead. Romero is responsible for numerous horror classics.
However, a fascinating development in recent years has led to the discovery of a lost film from the golden years of Romero’s career. The Amusement Park has remained a Holy Grail for fans of the horror genre and after multiple decades audiences will finally get a chance to experience its madness.
10 It Was Filmed Back In 1973
It’s not often that films from acclaimed directors completely disappear, but Romero’s The Amusement Park didn’t even have an incomplete IMDB entry until recent years. One of the most striking things about this project is that Romero shot it back in 1973, which was in the middle of an especially inspired period for the horror filmmaker.
This places The Amusement Park between Romero’s Season of the Witch and The Crazies. It’d still be a big deal if a lost film from the end of Romero’s career were recovered, but it’s especially exciting that it’s from the early 1970s.
9 It Was Commissioned As An Educational Film About Elder Abuse
The circumstances that spark the production behind movies are often fascinating and these opportunities can also be the very reasons that certain movies get shelved or don’t see release until years later. Curiously, it's the Lutheran Society that commissioned Romero to produce The Amusement Park, with its aim to enlighten audiences on the horrors of ageism and elder abuse.
Romero fulfills this aim, but his take on the material proved to be so provocative that the Lutheran Society were left disturbed and vowed to not release the collaboration.
8 A Print Was Recovered In 2018 By Author, Daniel Kraus
For decades it was assumed that Romero’s The Amusement Park would forever remain lost and something that the public would only experience through limited stills and veiled rumors. However, a major breakthrough happened in 2018 when author and regular Guillermo del Toro contributor, Daniel Kraus, acquired a rough print of Romero’s movie.
Kraus has worked incredibly hard to acquire the funds and help to pull this project together over the past few years and get The Amusement Park to a condition that’s presentable and worthy of Romero’s work.
7 It's Only 52 Minutes Long
Sometimes lost film projects don’t include the entire film or certain elements need to be experienced through dailies or other rough production elements. The unique nature of The Amusement Park’s production meant that it didn’t need to have a set length with a theatrical release in mind. As a result, The Amusement Park is only 52 minutes long and by far Romero’s shortest film, but it’s still a complete narrative and accomplishes a disturbing amount in that brief time.
If anything, The Amusement Park becomes even more interesting since it fits between both a short film and a full-length feature.
6 It Will Receive International Distribution Through Shudder
Streaming services have become a fantastic home for horror content, but it’s hard to top the horror-centric streaming service, Shudder. Shudder strives to curate an excellent library of eclectic horror content which now includes classic cinema, original productions, and new features that it’s acquired for distribution. Shudder has made some impressive plays to distribute popular horror titles, but their acquisition of Romero’s The Amusement Park is quite the blessing.
Shudder guarantees that a large audience will get to experience Romero’s lost classic and they’ll probably create a whole programming lineup that’s centered around Romero for the occasion.
5 It Was Filmed In The Now-Closed West View Park
Location can be crucial in a horror movie and there are some very creepy features that take advantage of the sinister nature of amusement parks. It’s very difficult to recreate this environment and energy and so it’s not surprising to learn that Romero filmed The Amusement Park at an actual theme park, West View, Pennsylvania's West View Park.
West View Park is now shut down, which makes it another relic of the past, much like this film, but those familiar with its Pennsylvanian roots will surely appreciate the movie on another level.
4 It's Also Edited By Romero
The Amusement Park has garnered so much attention because it's a lost film directed by George Romero, but it's also a movie that was edited by the master of horror. Romero didn't edit all of his movies, but it was prevalent during his films throughout the 1970s, like The Crazies, Martin, and Dawn of the Dead.
This just adds another layer to what level of insight The Amusement Park can provide regarding Romero as a filmmaker. The Amusement Park also stars Lincoln Maazel, who didn’t have many acting roles, but also plays Cuda in Romero’s Martin.
3 Its Screenplay Is By One-Time Screenwriter, Wally Cook
Another detail about The Amusement Park that has audiences so excited to see it is that it marks a collaboration between George Romero and screenwriter Wally Cook. Wally Cook does not have any other major credits, which leaves him as an untested voice that could turn out a script that’s especially unconventional and frightening when filtered through Romero.
Romero has penned his own movies and worked with some accomplished screenwriters, but working together with this fresh voice adds another unique layer to The Amusement Park.
2 A 4K Restoration Is On The Way
There’s never been a better time for fans of digital restoration and there’s been some amazing work done to old prints of beloved movies that now can be viewed through modern resolution and still look great. This conversion process can be quite difficult. This means that a lost film that might not have been properly preserved isn’t a guarantee for a laborious 4K resolution upgrade.
Thankfully, this conversion process has been a success, which means that fans get to see Romero’s missing movie, but that it also looks as gorgeous as possible and even better than when it was filmed.
1 It Wasn’t Publicly Seen Until 2019
Dedicated horror fans had heard rumors about Romero's alleged The Amusement Park movie, but they were unsure how much of it existed because the movie had never been viewed by an audience before and largely became distilled down to urban legends.
Audiences received a major surprise when the first public screening of The Amusement Park was held in Pittsburgh on October 12, 2019, through the help of The George A. Romero Foundation. It's the first time the movie has been screened and it's properly created even greater anticipation for its eventual distribution on Shudder.