After the passing of George A. Romero back in 2017, it was said that the idolized filmmaker, creator of the modern zombie movies thanks to his classic Night of the Living Dead (1968), left tons of unreleased material. One of the most intriguing pieces was an unreleased feature film entitled The Amusement Park. The George A. Romero Foundation, under the production of the filmmaker’s widow Suzanne Romero, was in charge of the 4K digital restoration of the film. Now, the final version of The Amusement Park (2019) is finished and ready for distribution.
The film was originally shot in 1973, and it centers on an elderly gentleman as he 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 instead.
The screenplay for the movie was written by Wally Cook and was starred by Lincoln Maazel, Harry Albacker, Phyllis Casterwiler, Pete Chovan, Marion Cook, Sally Erwin, and Michael Gornick.
Daniel Kraus, responsible for the restoration team, mentioned that The Amusement Park (2019) “with the exception of Night of the Living Dead (1968) is maybe Romero‘s most overtly horrifying film. Hugely upsetting in form & function“. He added, “it was never shown publicly. The people who funded it wouldn’t allow it. And no wonder. It’s hellish. In Romero‘s long career of criticizing American institutions, never was he so merciless”. It’s believed that the project was funded by a religious group, so I can only imagine what kind of shock it would have been if what is said about the film is true. Suzanne Romero said about the film “Though not in the horror genre it is George’s most terrifying film. It has Romero’s unique footprint all over it!”.
The Amusement Park (2019) premiered in October 2019, and now it is scheduled for a North American theatrical release. Horror-themed streaming platform Shudder owns the distribution rights and is expected to release it this summer. Watch the official trailer and see the theatrical release dates here.
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