From his stellar zombie movies and beyond, George A. Romero was a true horror master – someone who delivered killer satires, brain-munching gore, and playful anthologies across an iconic moviemaking career. But even now, nearly four years after he passed away, Romero isn’t done yet – there’s a brand new (old) George A. Romero film coming our way this summer, a ‘70s horror flick lost to time that’s been restored and revived, ready to be viewed en masse for the first time, well, ever. It’s called The Amusement Park, and it’s finally seeing the light of day 48 years after it was made.
Romero shot the film in 1973, around the time he made Season Of The Witch and The Crazies, and a few years before he directed Dawn Of The Dead. The Amusement Park is said to be, in true Romero style, a film with ample social commentary, this time about the terror of growing old and the spectre ageism in society, and it’s been restored in 4K under the eye of producer Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, the founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation. “We at the G.A.R.F are thrilled that after this long journey, this Lutheran’s society’s industrial with its poignant message will finally get its light! The first and only work-for-hire in Romero’s career sheds a new perspective on an ongoing issue of ageism and Romero’s uncanny sense of reflection on society, and the Romero ‘footprint’ is ever present and bodes well for the future of his impact on American cinema,” she says.
Check out the newly-commissioned poster for the film, created by artist Aleksander Wasilewski.
The Amusement Park is getting a release in the UK and Ireland – as well as North America, Australia and New Zealand – on horror streaming service Shudder, at an unspecified date this summer. “The moment we heard The Amusement Park had been rediscovered and was being restored, we knew we had to bring this unseen George A. Romero masterpiece to Shudder members,” says Shudder general manager Craig Engler.
By the sounds of it, there’s plenty more in the Romero vault still to be unearthed, too – with reports of there being around 40-50 unmade scripts by the filmmaker that may see the light of day in the future. All these years on, even after his death, Romero isn’t done with being a major force in the horror genre yet.