Step Right Up

IN KEEPING WITH ROMERO'S PRAGMATIC NONFICTION ROOTS, The Amusement Park is shot matter-of-factly but with touches of efficient flair by frequent collaborator Bill Hinzman (Night of the Living Deads iconic cemetery zombie): POV shots from a roller-coaster car, tight medium shots that reduce carefree young parkgoers to jostling limbs and headless torsos, a glimpse of a man in a monster mask tucked in the background of a ride. Much of the film is shot outdoors in what looks like natural light; only the portal door that connects the white room to the amusement park and a scene involving a fortune-teller appear to use special effects. [...]seeing them at all is an issue: the crowd of young people with balloons and snacks ebbs and flows around the older people, with no one noticing Maazel, the white woman with a cane, or the senior in a wheelchair. Sleep on that, and hope for sweet dreams. * Maitland McDonagh is the author of four books, including Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento.