A recently discovered 52-minute film from horror master George Romero called The Amusement Park is being released on SHUDDER and here is why you need to pay attention. Made just five years after his genre-defining Night of the Living Dead, this found masterpiece shows Romero’s talent for allegory as well as his continued obsession with social justice and commentary as a dapper elderly gentleman (Lincoln Maazel) attempts to share in the joys and frivolity of a local amusement park only to be sidelined due to age and societal cost.

Echos of Romero’s Creepshow chapter “They’re Creeping up on You,” We open in a sterile white room as an elderly man sits, tattered, beaten and speechless. A younger, cleaner, less bloody version of said man enters the room and attempts conversation to no avail. The unfettered version of the man becomes flustered and then curious about the fun and wonders of the amusements outside. “Don’t go!” his older self begs. Yet filled with hope and optimism, the man, dressed head to toe in white, ventures out for the thrills of the amusement park.

I would like to remind you this is heavy on allegory, light on dialogue, and weighty in a way that creates true horror.

At first, the dapper man attempts to buy tickets to ride attractions. His worth is demeaned yet he still nabs a handful of tickets. Tackling the rollercoaster first he is confronted with warning signs that demand riders be okay with the unexpected. Ushering a fellow septuagenarian off of the rollicking ride, the man ventures forth to attempt more thrills, more relevance. Things only get worse from here as the message is repeated, with greater and greater emphasis.

Funded by the Lutheran Society, Romero’s The Amusement Park jumps into the surreal with both feet in an attempt to illustrate the marginalization of the elderly. As generations age into the passing fancy of fun and thrills, those who need a little more attention and respect are bullied, pushed aside, and ultimately ignored to waste away in their sterile tomb.

Romero’s The Amusement Park is next-level horror. There is little blood, no jump-scares, and certainly no flesh-eating zombies. Instead, we have the real horrors of injustice on a segment of society that is viewed as increasingly passé. Damn you George Romero for jabbing into the artery of fear and making us truly uncomfortable. Yes, this is the utility of the genre, but damn.

8 out of 10