The Horror Show
Scream Park
by Cary Hill
Juxtaposing the scary and horrific with things usually meant to be colorful and fun is a common horror tactic. Sometimes fun vibrant things are horrific in their own right. It's hard not to think of clowns as anything other than terrifying and that wasn't even their original intention. The idea of combining something playful like an amusement park with a horror film is nothing new. From Tod Browning's classic Freaks to the slasher flick Dark Ride, to the finale of Stephen King's Riding the Bullet, it's common ground that is usually a lot of fun.
Scream Park bridges the gap a bit by focusing on a horror-based theme park, which I really hope is a real thing in the world. In typical slasher style, it's run by mostly a bunch of high school students who look like they're already pushing thirty. It is made clear that the park is closing down soon, due to lack of profit, and so they decide to score some booze and party it up in the park before saying goodbye to it forever.
Before long, they begin to notice two masked figures skulking around the place. As you may have guessed, these characters go about carving up our cast one by one while the remaining victims try to survive and figure out a possible motive. Even though it's fairly normal territory, it never feels like the various clichés are done out of laziness. The film seems more homage to 80's slashers and sticks to the strict routine set forth. The killers are practically invincible for no real reason, the kids break down into basic archetypes: geeky boy, pure girl, goth chick, punk dude, square older guy, etc. But it's all done in fun and overall, that's what the film is.
I was quite impressed with the killer characters. They really take on a life of their own, the leader in particular. I had a lot of fun with them and it seems that the creators did as well. Even with the stereotypes, the other characters are a lot fun to watch too, and their almost cartoonishly stylized natures make them more interesting.
The kills in the film are nothing spectacular, but are never boring either. I've seen so many low-budget slasher films have the same kill over and over just to check off boxes and Scream Park never does this. The movie keeps moving and never stays in one place long enough to grow tiresome. There are enough fresh elements injected here and there to keep the story from growing stale.
The film's biggest claim to fame is that it briefly features Donald Bradley, who is best known for playing the lead Cenobite in the Hellraiser series. He only has a few minutes of screen time as the park's owner, Mr. Hyde, but he makes his moment in the film worth it, giving a memorable performance.
The film never takes enough chances to move into cult status, but it never becomes dull enough to be completely forgettable, either. While it could have used some jazzing up to make it more of a spectacle, it's a lot of fun and has some pretty interesting elements. The interaction between the characters is fun to watch and I didn't find myself particularly hating any of them. It's not a whodunit kind of film but it still keeps you guessing throughout and I give it credit for that.
Scream Park didn't utilize the rides and amusement features quite as much as I would have liked. I have a feeling that part of that was due to limitations with the budget and accessibility to the required locations. In both these respects, it kind of reminds me of Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan; it's a lot of fun and I like it quite a bit, but you know it would have been a level up if the filmmakers had what they really needed. Still, though, I vastly prefer Scream Park in this form, rather than some CGI-fest that more budget would have undoubtedly provided.
While Scream Park wasn't anything super original or eye-opening, it was refreshing. I've seen so many lifeless slasher flicks over the years and this one certainly wasn't one of them. It had a real spirit that I appreciated and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
If it's a fun, consistently entertaining slasher flick you're after, then I definitely recommend Scream Park. It has encouraged me to keep taking my chances with the ions of B-slashers out there, because sometimes you find one that's worth a watch. This is definitely one of them.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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