It was a pretty wild discovery in 2017 when a print of George A. Romero's long-lost film The Amusement Park was uncovered nearly 46 years after it was originally shown at the American Film Festival in New York in 1975 before being shelved. It's even more wild for it to be announced today, two years after a 4K version was made available on the streaming service Shudder, that the film will now be distributed on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital media. And it's not just a standard release either.
Written by Walton Cook and directed by Romero, The Amusement Park centers on an elderly man (Lincoln Maazel), who quickly becomes disoriented as he is beaten down, robbed, ignored, and humiliated in the titular park, realizing the mistreatment elders like him constantly endure as they just try to go about their lives. In addition to the film, the release will include a host of new special features totaling over 100 minutes. That's longer than the 54-minute film itself which was commissioned by the Lutheran Society as an educational film to shine a light on the horrors of growing old in the U.S.
These extensive features will explore the creation of the film from those who worked on the long-lost project, their family members, and veterans of the industry. This includes commentary from assistant cameraman Michael Gornick, the president and founder of the George A. Romero foundation Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, and Bonnie Hinzman, the wife of the late director of photography Greg Hinzman, among others. In addition, horror legend Greg Nicotero, IndieCollect President Sandra Schulberg, and author Daniel Krauss will also appear to further break down the film and discuss Romero's legacy. The full list of bonus features can be seen below:
Audio Commentary with Michael Gornick
Re-Opening The “Park” with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero
Bill & Bonnie’s Excellent Adventure with Bonnie Hinzman
For Your Amusement with Artist Ryan Carr
Panel Interview with Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, Sandra Schulberg, Greg Nicotero and Daniel Kraus moderated by Shudder’s Samuel Zimmerman
THE AMUSEMENT PARK Official Brochure
THE AMUSEMENT PARK Script
Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
The Amusement Park is set to be released on September 13th with the film now available for pre-order.