A few years ago, we were gifted a film from the George A. Romero Foundation that found its way onto Shudder. The Amusement Park (our review) is an extremely uncomfortable look at aging in a world that keeps going. The film was meant to be an infomercial on respecting the elderly, and this is what became of it. The movie is a 70-minute ride into hell. The movie was the definition of a Shudder exclusive, one of the most-watched movies on the platform. Now, there is an entire comic coming, because we deserve it.
Synopsis
An elderly gentleman 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.
I have watched The Amusement Park multiple times, and when I found out there was going to be a comic, I jumped at the chance. George A. Romero’s films are very important to me. Everything has to be precise with his style, teetering constantly on a fencepost between tradition and originality, without either, your movie or book is screwed to be blunt. It takes a lot of effort to make him proud, and upon reading this comic, I reread it several times.
Let’s Get Uncomfortable
The best part is that just like I felt myself in the movie, I felt even more uncomfortable. Who knew that a public service announcement would turn into a project like this? I feel bad because the movie never really found its worth. It is probably the most overlooked movie of all time. Though there is a loyal fanbase, the ship sailed off years ago, leaving us behind. The comic does the movie justice as reaching the same level of importance to die-hard fans of Romero’s work. The illustrations are captivating, and you can tell love was put into them. It’s not a cash grab like so many others have done in the past.
The comic reminds me of all those old EC comics. There was such imagination and wonder at how they could portray a flop movie and give it justice. For me, I was pulled in right away, I could feel myself through the pages, witnessing every moment and those horrifying flashes of death himself. Waiting for the precise moment. To me, this movie wasn’t a flop at all. It was a candid look at filming and how far you can stretch a subject into something with such a powerful message.
In The End
I feel honored to have been able to see this work. I feel like this comic could not be any better of a homage to a forgotten era of George A. Romero’s other side. Not like we had seen with Martin or The Crazies. There was so much more in The Amusement Park. I can easily say that this film is my favorite work of his, aside from all those zombies I originally fell in love with. It takes a lot for me to say something is a great description of his work, played off perfectly, so you can feel yourself there.
I would recommend that anyone with just a few minutes to spare should enjoy this; if not, you are totally missing out.
