Horror streaming service Shudder has announced that George A. Romero’s lost film The Amusement Park has received a full 4k restoration, and will be debuting as part of their Summer of Chills exclusive lineup of films. In a statement, Shudder’s General Manager Criaig Engler said, “Shudder’s Summer of Chills offers something for everyone with a fantastic line-up of new premieres every week, on top of the best library of curated streaming horror films anywhere. We’re especially excited to have the premiere of legendary director George A. Romero’s lost film The Amusement Park, a must-see piece of cinema history, exclusively on Shudder.”
Shudder’s official synopsis of the film is below:
Recently discovered and restored 46 years after its completion by the George A. Romero Foundation and produced by Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, The Amusement Park stars Martin’s Lincoln Maazel as an elderly man who finds himself disoriented and increasingly isolated as the pains, tragedies and humiliations of aging in America are manifested through roller coasters and chaotic crowds. Commissioned by the Lutheran Society, the film is perhaps Romero’s wildest and most imaginative movie, an allegory about the nightmarish realities of growing older and is an alluring snapshot of the filmmaker’s early artistic capacity and style that would go on to inform his ensuing filmography.
George A. Romero is best known for the creation of the Zombie genre with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, as well as solidifying his legend status with its followup films Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. Between Night and Dawn Romero experimented with other types of films such as There’s Always Vanilla, Season of the Witch, The Crazies, and Martin.
During this in between ‘dead’ era of Romero’s career, he was hired by the Lutheran Society to create a film that addresses elder neglect and ageism. The film was completed and screened for the investors who deemed it too intense for them. The completed film, titled The Amusement Park, was shelved and had never seen the light of day.
Following Romero’s death in July of 2017, frequent Guillermo del Toro collaborator Daniel Kraus discovered the completed film in 2018. After screening an early cut, Kraus called the project a “revelation” and “Romero’s most overtly horrifying film.”
Romero’s widow, Suzanne Desrocher and the George A. Romero foundation have gone through the process of creating a 4K ultra high definition remaster of the film for it’s streaming debut. Romero’s widow and foundation are also working to complete his final zombie film Twilight of the Dead, which has only been written.
The Amusement Park is set to premiere on June 8, exclusively on Shudder.
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