A few years ago, Shudder unearthed George A. Romero‘s long-lost The Amusement Park, a previously unseen nightmare that Romero made back in the early 1970s. The 60-minute film was actually a PSA on age discrimination that Romero was hired to make early in his career, filmed for TV but never actually released – until Shudder finally brought it to light.
Now, The Amusement Park has been turned into a graphic novel by Storm King Comics!
George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park becomes an original graphic novel this spring when Storm King Comics releases John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park, an all-new artistic interpretation of the unique film.
Long thought to be lost, and originally conceived as a public service announcement, The Amusement Park is a surreal, haunting commentary on ageism and society’s treatment of the elderly, wrapped in Romero’s signature horror style. The George A. Romero Foundation, which is dedicated to honoring the life and preserving Romero’s work, restored the film as one of its first projects, and discovered the result met with widespread critical acclaim.
As critics and audiences pored through the myriad of images and meanings found in The Amusement Park, the Foundation and its artist-in-residence, illustrator Ryan Carr, began working on adapting the film in a novel way—a graphic novel way. Along with writer Jeff Whitehead, a visually stunning interpretation of the film came to life on the page.
Seeking distribution for the project, the George A. Romero Foundation turned to another icon of cinematic horror: John Carpenter. Storm King Comics, founded by Sandy King, seemed the perfect publisher to help bring this version of The Amusement Park to readers
“George A. Romero’s films are legendary. They already were legendary when I was just a student, and The Amusement Park has a fascinating history. This is a project that’s so important to his legacy as a filmmaker, so I’m glad to lend my name to it,” said John Carpenter.
“John and George often talked about ways they might collaborate, and this project felt like a fantastic opportunity,” King explained. “We’re really happy to come together for this project, which represents George Romero’s vision through and through, filtered through the artistic lens of Ryan and Jeff.”
More than a simple adaptation, John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park is also a tribute to Romero’s enduring influence on horror, as Whitehead and Carr have reconsidered the nearly 50-year-old film in ways that will resonate with new generations.
“The Amusement Park holds a special place in George’s body of work because it tackles such a deeply human issue—ageism—through the lens of horror. Adapting it into a graphic novel allows us to bring his unique vision to a whole new audience. We are thrilled to collaborate with John Carpenter and Storm King Comics on this project, which honors George’s legacy in such a meaningful way,” said Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, founder and president of The GARF.
In John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park, an impatient businessman in his 20s meets an elderly man who spins a fantastic tale about a long-gone amusement park. As the conversation continues, the younger man is disturbed to learn the story of an elderly man eager to recapture the memories of youth.
Instead of pleasant memories, however, this trip to the amusement park becomes a surreal microcosm of aging and its inherent challenges as bodies and minds begin to break down. The old man finds himself abused, pushed into a horrifying series of attractions that mimic the later stages of life. Increasingly battered both mentally and physically, the man realizes he is trapped in a loop, force to relive the harrowing experience over and over. And the young man, William Lincoln, soon discovers that he and the old man have much more in common than they suspect.
John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park will make its debut online and in comic stores May 7, 2025, followed by availability through all booksellers May 20, 2025.
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