By Forris Day Jr.
“Scream Park” is promoted as an 80s style horror movie. I saw that and said, “Sure, here we go again”. Just about every slasher-horror filmmaker says they are making a “throwback to the 70s” or “throwback to the 80s” film. I’ve seen dozens of indie films that say they are the one who will finally pull it off. It has become almost a standard pitch with people making horror films, and very few ever pull it off. Much to my surprise, and pleasantly so, the filmmakers of “Scream Park” have come as close to pulling off the elusive “throwback to the 80s” film I have seen yet! Yes, they did it, in my book. Sure, there are a few minor technical problems with the movie, and maybe a couple of novice actors, but this movie is as close to the movies from the eighties as I’ve seen yet.
“Scream Park” focuses on the final night of operation for an old amusement park. After the crowds leave, the employees, mostly teenagers, decide to celebrate by having a party. It’s all fun and games until they start disappearing one by one, as teenager will in a scary movie. Lots of interesting and unusual kills in this one too. I don’t want to give them away, but I’ll tell you they are pretty wild and inventive. The kids do everything you would expect of them in a film like this. They have sex, steal the the food, drink booze and wise off to the boss. All great fun.
The amusement park was a perfect location. The film was shot at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake , Pennsylvania. It had everything you could want for an old horror film. An old wooden roller coaster, a fun house, a lake, and lots of greasy, heart stopping food for sale. This place is loaded with charm and really has a great feel to it. A couple old cars added in to the mix really topped off the movie’s vibe. I would recommend a trip to the park just to see the location after you watch the movie. That would be a blast.
Technically, as far as Indie films go, there are so many things they did right that are worth mentioning. First, the camera work was amazing. Nice dolly shots (moving slowly side to side) added to the anticipation in the tense moments. Some really nice establishing shots (shots of the outsides of buildings and rides) drew me into the movie. I can see these guys know what they are doing and I look forward to seeing their future work. Great lighting and attention to props kept it believable. The special effects were second to none. Well written and directed by Cary Hill, with lots of sarcastic one-liners, that made me laugh.
I highly recommend you see “Scream Park”.
Rating: 7.5/10
“A horrific roller coaster ride straight out of the 80s”