The concept of death can be confusing at any age. Even adults have a hard time processing this unavoidable part of life. For young people, though, death should be the last thing on their minds. And for a long time, the two main characters of Crazy Fun Park didn’t have to consider their mortality. Best friends Chester and Mapplethorpe were more concerned with finishing their graphic novel and making it to school on time each morning than the possibility of never seeing each other again. Yet in this Australian teen-drama series, death catches these boys completely off guard and puts their friendship to the test.
Death is typically the conclusion of relationships in other stories, but here it’s just the beginning for these two soulmates. Chester and Mapplethorp (neatly played by Henry Strand and Stacy Clausen) are the embodiment of the word “inseparable.” Drawing from real life, series creator Nicholas Verso (Boys in the Trees) communicates death in terms that everyone, regardless of age, can understand. The end result is what can be best described as gateway horror. And like so many other offerings of young ones becoming painfully aware of death, Crazy Fun Park harnesses the power of dark fantasy.
Talking about young people’s deaths is always a tricky matter in storytelling. Being too serious can be scary, whereas being too silly appears disrespectful. However, Crazy Fun Park settles on a healthy medium. Its discussion about life and death is both meaningful and entertaining. Obviously there is a dark sense of humor about how each character dies; the spirits of those who previously perished in the show’s namesake, an abandoned amusement park, all went out in some gruesome and/or sad manner. A few demises even play out like Jackass stunts minus the survival part. However, the aftermath tends to be emotional and thoughtful. Verso ensures most of the other spectral residents of Crazy Fun Park have wistful closure once it’s their time to be the focus in the overall story.
Philosophizing death for a younger audience — young-at-hearts can certainly still get something out of this story — tends to work well with a healthy dose of imagination. In addition to its natural state of offbeat humor, Crazy Fun Park delivers dramatic bursts filtered through a lens of metaphorical fantasy. For instance, the spirits in this world vanish altogether once they’re no longer remembered by the living. Fans of other life-after-death stories like Beetlejuice and Dead Like Me will surely be familiar with this patented method of using genre to make those affecting moments leave more of a mark.
Of all its impressive feats, one that stands out in Crazy Fun Park is an effortless ability to remove the barriers preventing many young people, especially boys, from expressing themselves and being vulnerable. Even before death pays them a visit, Chester and Mapplethorpe are a sensitive pair. They would rather say “friends for another day” than mere goodbyes, and they show affection without any hint of sarcasm. Their tender bond is refreshing and comforting. The time comes when that connection is challenged by a range of factors — namely misunderstandings and acts of selfishness — and as frustrating as that may feel in the moment, these scenes are handled with bracing honesty and insight.
While marked down as a comedy, Nicholas Verso’s series is really more of a Trojan horse for a grief-drama meticulously crafted for the younger crowd. It doesn’t talk down to its target demographic like other media these days, and it definitely doesn’t trauma-dump without explanation and relief. As a whole, this series is patient, compelling and profound. Children’s entertainment requires extra thought and effort when tackling heavy subject matter, and Crazy Fun Park excels on both fronts.
The award-winning Crazy Fun Park is now streaming on Hulu.
Image: ABC ME
The post ‘Crazy Fun Park’ Review – An Emotional Gateway Horror Series from the ‘Boys in the Trees’ Director appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.