Scream Park (2012) User Reviews

It's biggest crime is offering absolutely nothing new

[andyunderhill72 · 4/10 · 23 June 2013]

But for me, I already own this movie 15 times. Being in an amusement park doesn't set it aside enough to make me care about the characters or plot. The plot is weak and most of the characters are paper thin. The one thing all indie films should EXCEL at is a great script. This film does not deliver.

Almost every character is so bland that I couldn't find myself invested in any of them.

That's not to take anything away from some of the actors. The two leads (Wendy Wygant and Steve Rudzinski) both excel at the roles they're supposed to play. Wendy is a very capable lead, making me believe in being frail but badass while Steve is perfect as a really nice weasel. Doug Bradley does great in his five minute cameo, as should be expected from one of the greats. Nivek Ogre also certainly brought his character to life in a great way, I hope he keeps doing more films as he was a perfect maniacal killer.

The rest of the acting is an extreme range though. On the GREAT end you have Alicia Marie Marcucci and Kyle Riordan, both were a joy on screen. On the HORRIBLE end you have Kailey Marie Harris and Tyler Kale, who seemed to have gotten their parts based on their looks alone and never went through an actual audition. To round out the kids we have both Nicole Beattie and Dean Jacobs, neither of whom are bad but are seen so little that they never get a chance to show off who the characters are.

"So that's all well and good Andy, but what about the rest of the movie?" Well since the biggest issue I have is with plot and characters I'll keep everything else to a minimum.

The movie is a combination of great looking and poorly shot. There aren't many "bad" shots, just that often times there's a chance for great establishing shots in a terrific park that we never get, too much of the camera is right up in character's faces. This is purely subjective, but the best shots in the movie were things like the wide establishing shot of a killer on the other end of a body of water or a victim on a carousel. Great mood setters that were too few between.

Pacing in general is fine except for a painful Act 1. Never before have I wanted to kill a character we never meet more than Blake, as he is the entire focus point of all of Act 1. Which is even worse given that the pay off is really a let down. Otherwise Act 2 and 3 move along nice and brisk. I appreciated that the killing is also sprinkled throughout a good chunk of the film, as opposed to being all in the end (some indie slashers suffer from this).

The kills as a whole are okay. Some look great, some look bland. The best was by far the one with the axe you don't see coming until it's too late. Body count is a grand total of 9. For most people this will be plenty, for me I felt like I wanted more.

The music in the movie is great. It was wonderfully creepy and well done.

Editing is also for the most part really good. There are definitely times when there's some poor shot usage or off scenes, but I've seen enough movies to know that there's only so much an editor can do sometimes with what he has. Although in the copy I had, there were full blown unfinished effects in a surveillance room. Marking tape was clearly visible where footage was supposed to be, footage that would appear randomly. I really hope this is a case of it being an early copy and not what will end up being released.

The killers are good, but I can't help but feel I'm giving them a pass due to Ogre's amazing performance. I think it's more than possible that anyone less great than Ogre would have made the killers really bland. BUT, since Ogre is in fact in the movie and his performance is in fact amazing, I do like the killers in the movie. Both are just different enough and the outfits are pretty interesting.

So would I recommend this? No. To be fair, this isn't a BAD movie. Objectively it's pretty average, I should score it a 5/10. But personally, I just didn't like it. Especially since it really seems like they had a lot of money to make this (the actors and location), yet I've seen plenty of movies made for under $5000 that were better. That shouldn't happen, Scream Park should have been better. That alone, for me, is enough to knock off that extra star for it to be a 4/10.

For the average slasher fan you may very well enjoy the movie. It has a great location, a few great kills, and a few great actors. But personally, I just didn't like this.

There's certainly potential and I do look forward to what comes next from the writer/director. Hopefully Cary Hill can learn from the mistakes he made and the next film he makes will be even better!

Scream Park: Should have been better

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 9 September 2018]

Scream Park claims to pay homage to 80's slasher flicks and it really does do that, sadly it's not very good though.

It tells the story of a group of amusement park staff who after closing up come under attack from a pair of masked psychopaths. One with a plague doctor mask and the other a potato sack they get picked off one by one in the traditional genre style.

I liked the setting, but it wasn't really taken advantage of. The kills would have been okay, but they were all cutaway. And the cast, well actually I can't complain about that as they were well above par. Even Pinhead himself is present (Briefly) and demonstrates that he doesn't need to be that iconic character to deliver a fantastic performance.

As the movie goes on and things start getting explained things get a bit silly, ultimately the true concept and motivation is more than a little eyebrow raising and did the movie absolutely no favours.

A sequel is coming, it has no release year and a budget of about 10% of this so I'll keep my expectations low however will certainly give it a chance.

Scream Park does pay homage to the slasher originals, but some bad cinematography and some questionable writing ruin it.

The Good:

Doug Bradley

The Bad:

Cutaway deaths

That ones girls teeth

Enough with the Night of the Living Dead footage already

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Having an interesting setting but not exploring it makes perfect sense

Metal fences can only be climbed once per movie

Guys in their 30's (And look it) need ID for booze

Thanks Kickstarter!

[ArcherAdam · 3/10 · 3 July 2019]

It's a final girl slasher movie. There. I saved you 85 minutes.

A cheap mess

[getconedproductions09 · 1/10 · 11 February 2019]

Scream Park: Written and directed by Cary Hill

Oh Scream Park. I feel a little bad for you. It's clear from this viewing experience that you tried. You wanted to have an old school slasher movie that had all the necessary elements and worked. You wanted it so badly right from the pit of your very core. It was a mission statement that you simply could not reach.

This was a rough sit. It lacked some filmmaking 101 bits. The color kept changing scene to scene. It was distracting. The light outside kept changing. One minute it was dead of night, the next it was early morning and then it was day for night. This happened during several of the same scenes. Was no one paying attention on set or during the editing process? I found it very difficult to pay attention to the story.

I also had a hard time figuring out what time period this is in. They have a punk rocker character in the film straight out of the early 80s who has a muscle car and a tape playing boom box. No one has cell phones and everything looks so old. I think they were trying to go for an 80s vibe but it was fuddled in the execution.

Now they're building to a shocking twist. The problem with this twist is it is spoiled in the description for the movie. The amusement park owner hires these sick yokels to murder his employees. The movie is clearly trying to have this be shocking and blind siding you. It doesn't because you already knew about this before the movie even started. Who's job was it and how quick should they be fired?

This was just a cheap and lame hack job of a slasher flick. I know some people like to grade super low budget movies on a curve but I can't do that. I don't view this film on a different plane just because it lacked money. There are a ton of great films that were made with little money that weren't this blatant in their ability to be lame. There are also a ton of awful movies with serious cash behind them. So forget about this one. I give it an F.

Squandering $40,000

[iphoneuser · 1/10 · 29 September 2013]

If you can believe it. This movie was filmed on a budget of $40,000 raised through kickstarter. Donations were mostly made by friends and family members in the same way you buy a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies from your friend's daughter. With kickstarter, this sense of "social guilt" was somehow thick enough to raise quite a bite of money--too bad it was all squandered.

This movie isn't worth reviewing. The other IMDb review, although overwhelmingly negative, was much too long and almost gives the film legitimacy. It makes the mistake of giving this hastily put together "film school thing" credit as a film.

It's not a movie; it barely has a plot, the acting is terrible, it's not scary, it's not gory, the special effects are almost nonexistent, the sound and lighting are not even intentionally managed, and there is no cinematography. Most of all, and to summarize, there's simply no point. Cary wasted 40,000 dollars on...something? I can't tell where it went.

Not amusement park

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 22 August 2017]

This movie pays homage to horror movies from the past. Though it's not entirely sure which decade it really is looking up to (70s or 80s, which is something the trailer also mixes up when it compares it to some of the films back then). But being slithery to a point one can not pin you down to something specific, does not mean it's something bad. But if you copy something from the past, try to distill the best from it.

Budget wasn't that high I reckon (I saw 40.000 as a number somewhere, not sure if that's true), but the movie has a lot of issues. The location isn't one of them. The framing and the cinematography on the other hand combined with the lack (or absence) of acting ... That's something you feel. The effects are decent ... by 70s standards. Same tricks from back then are being used, maybe even the 60s. Not a selling point either. And the ending is rather predictable ... or if you're nice, is being pointed out throughout the whole film. And how many times can one mask be used for jump scares? Way more than one too many in this one ...

This would never happen at Idlewild

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 19 October 2020]

Sure, Kennywood gets all the press, but Western Pennsylvania has had plenty of theme parks. Scream Park is shot at Conneaut Lake Park, which is north of the Steel City, closer to Erie. I went there often as a kid and while small, it has a certain charm of its own and plenty of history, as this was its 128th year of being open.

In this film, it stands in for Fright Land, a park that's about to sadly close down. And that's where the story begins.

Realizing that he can no longer make money from the theme park, owner Mr. Hyde (Doug Bradley, who is an adopted Pittsburgher that you can often see show up at horror events in town) decides to kill all of his employees as they celebrate the last night of the park being open. He hopes that their deaths will bring the lucrative murder tourists in to attend the newly re-opened park.

Steve Rudzinski, who made CarousHELL, appears in this movie, as does Skinny Puppy's Kevin "ohGr" Ogilvie, who was Pavi Largo in Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Director Cary Hill has announced a follow-up, Return to Scream Park, which I'm totally down for whenever it gets made. This may not break much new ground, but it's a competent slasher that has some moments that are really fun.

starsHOUSE OF FEAR

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 31 May 2019]

The film starts with the opening credits. No prologue as most slasher films have to hint at the identity of the killer. Fright Land is going to shut down due to lack of funds. The film centers on Jennifer ( Wendy Wygant) our token virgin. Blake, her boyfriend of three dates, who hasn't made it to second base is missing. We don't know if he is the killer or victim until 10 minutes from the end.

The kids decide to throw a party, locked inside the park, although they can climb the fence. One by one the folks disappear by guys in masks. Doug Bradly makes a cameo appearance one hour into the film to supply a motive.

The film lacked the horror build up. The killings were okay and at times bloody, but just didn't have that 80's slasher feel it was attempting to achieve. Will do fine as a Redbox rental. The DVD cover claims 96 minutes. The film is 84 minutes. Blooper reel 6 minutes.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Kailey Marie Harris)

Familiar but fun with a nice story twist

[ms-omen73 · 7/10 · 25 August 2014]

Scream Park

Directed by Cary Hill Written by Cary Hill Starring Doug Bradley, Wendy Wygant, Steve Rudzinski, and Nivek Ogre Distributed by WildEye Releasing Running time 85 minutes

Fright Land is closing, seems no one wants to spend their time, let alone their money at the aging amusement park anymore. The staff of the beleaguered park have agreed to send off the place with a bang, planning on partying the night away on the closing eve. As soon as the gates lock, the bodies begin piling up.

Right from the get go with this one I was thinking "Fun House", classic 80s cult carnival slasher film, but the film showed itself to be more than I expected. It features an interesting cast of characters with Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Nivek Ogre (band Skinny Puppy, Repo: The Genetic Opera) along side relative new comer Wendy Wygant (Jennifer) and slightly more seasoned actor Steve Rudzinski. Nivek and Bradley obviously help pull an audience to this one right away, just the two of them are worth the price of admission (or DVD purchase) alone. Bradley, and Nivek both turn in strong performances that you would expect, but the rest of the players do admirably also. Granted its filled mainly with lesser known's they put up a decent show, albeit a little flat on occasion.

One thing I was particularly pleased with in the film was that they were able to offer a nice twist in what felt like a very familiar story line, that really made the Scream Park itself feel more tangible. It added an unexpected level of interest and believably to a genre that can sometimes feel a bit lack luster in storytelling. It was one of several really smart choices that help this film stand out in the crowd.

Scream Park will have a strong appeal with many fans. It offers a nice body count, some fun slasher moments, and a nice visual homage to the films many of us watched in the day that grew the genre into what it is now . Add that to a cast that would make any first time director the envy of any set and you have a film that delivers just what you expect going in... A bit of of the yummy goodness we love in slashers, blood, boobs,tension and just an all around good time! Its another example of why Wild Eye Releasing is developing a nice following of fans. They distribute films we enjoy watching, not just once but time and time again! *HeatherOmen* TheHorrorNation.net

Conneaut Lake Park horror movie!!

[laurathroop · 5/10 · 12 June 2022]

As a low budget movie, I rate the movie as a 5. As for being filmed at Conneaut Lake Park and the theme of the movie tying in so well, I rate the movie a 10.

Sadly, Conneaut Lake Park has finally permanently closed this year (2022). This movie is all I have left to remember Conneaut Lake Park. Scream Park has now become my favorite movie!

Enjoyable retro 80's style slasher opus

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 24 March 2014]

Unscrupulous amusement park owner Mr. Hyde (a brief, but excellent and energetic performance by Doug Bradley; Pinhead in the "Hellraiser" films) concocts a devious and dangerous plan to prevent his floundering business from going under: He hires a couple of vicious backwoods psychopaths to break into the park after it closes and bump off the various employees under the assumption that the resultant media coverage of the tragic event will spark a resurgence of public interest in the place.

This nifty throwback to simple and straightforward 80's body count horror cinema works really well thanks to its likable sincerity and refreshing dearth of any annoyingly hip and affected post-modern self-awareness: Writer/director Cary Hill takes time to flesh out the characters a bit before they start to get slaughtered, makes neat use of the rundown central location (an actual amusement park in Pennsylvania), affectionately captures the engaging earnest sensibility of 80's knifekill fare, generates a good deal of tension and spooky atmosphere, and stages the murder set pieces with flair. Moreover, Hill delivers a satisfying smattering of gore as well as one yummy pair of big bare boobs. The decent acting by the competent no-name cast rates as another major asset: Wendy Wygant as the sweet and appealing Jennifer, Steve Rudzinski as uptight nerd manager Marty, Nicole Beattie as snippy and sarcastic Goth bitch Missi, Dean Jacobs as the amiable Tony, Kailey Marie Harris as the enticing Carlee, Tyler Kale as awkward dweeb Rhodie, and Alicia Marie Marcucci as the perky Allison. Moreover, the two guys who play the bloodthirsty wackos kick this picture's quality up a few extra notches: Ian Lemmon cuts a fearsome figure with his hulking physique as the burly Ogre while Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre brings a winning surplus of delightfully bonkers go-for-broke gusto and a wickedly funny sense of pitch-black gallows humor to his juicy role as merry wisecracking lunatic Iggy. Nathan W. Fullerton's crisp cinematography provides a pleasing sharp look. The spirited shivery score hits the shuddery ooga-booga spot. Fans of old school slice'n'dice flicks should get a huge kick out of this baby.

Wow great value for 40 grand 👍

[mlhare · 6/10 · 19 August 2021]

I think the film was good. Could it have been better, heck ya! Acting was subpar. They wont be getting any awards lol. For the people that think $40,000 was wasted thats your opinion. I personally cant believe how far they stretched it. Anyone having to just replace those windows would get it. Yikes! I would totally watch the 2nd one. Thankfully there will be different actors. For that price i wouldnt expect oscar worthy acting but you could tell he got his friends to help him 🤣

No teens were harmed in the filming of this motion picture.

[parry_na · 5/10 · 25 August 2018]

This is a low budget horror. It briefly features Doug Bradley as park owner Mr Hyde (Bradley worked for only one day on the film). 'Fright Land' is closing down, going bankrupt, and there is an eccentric plan to attract more customers.

There are some nice directorial moments here - the best being the dead body of a young blond girl tied to a functioning night-time merry-go-round. There's a definite tension in the climactic scenes and a nicely ludicrous twist to make you groan.

I would never suggest you need to be familiar with the production background to appreciate any finished project, but there is no point criticising this for not have a multi-million dollar budget; it is what it is. Director/writer Cary Hill has financed this through the Kickstarter project, and results are occasionally dull, often interesting. Aside from the impressive Bradley, the cast turn in fair performances. My problem is, this tries to be a kind of horror film I have little enthusiasm for. A teen slasher flick often leads me to side with the villain - not so much the case here, although the characters do not always go out of their way to be likeable.

Pleasingly, there is no compunction to take things too seriously, and that is 'Scream Park's biggest asset. As the credits tell us, 'No teens were harmed during the filming of this motion picture'.

Pinhead and an amusement park. What a delightful thought!

[TonyB2594 · 7/10 · 4 October 2022]

I can't even imagine how entertaining a movie named Hellraiser: Carnival would be, starring Doug Bradley as Pinhead, the operator of the wildest funhouse ever.

We don't get that here. Instead, we get Doug Bradley as Mr. Hyde, the owner of Fright Land. He tells his park manager, Marty (Steve Rudzinski), that unless something outrageous happens to get more people interested in the struggling theme park, he'd have to shut it down.

I think that's the only time we see Doug Bradley. I would have liked more, but oh, well.

When Marty tells his crew at the park that the park would be closing very soon, they aren't exactly bummed out. But they do ask if they can stay after work one night and have a farewell party.

Marty reluctantly goes along with it, giving us an opportunity to learn about a cast of characters that you might expect in a movie like this.

Wendy Wygant stars as "nice girl" Jennifer, who is level-headed and smart and just can't seem to find her boyfriend Blake, who went missing during his shift.

Then there is the moody, smart-aleck girl, the sassy girl, the horny girl, the horny guy, the "nice" guy, the weird, nerdy guy, the stoner guy and... did I miss anyone? Maybe. But you get my drift. Typical bunch of would-be victims.

The party has just begun when two menacing-looking strangers wearing coverings on their heads appear on the scene. One of the strangers, Iggy, is played by Nivek Ogre, the lead vocalist for Skinny Puppy.

Needless to say, the soon-to-be-unemployed crew won't have to look for new jobs. For them, it's last call at the makeshift bar as the two killers hunt them down one by one.

I found nothing special here, really, except that I absolutely love watching horror movies set in an amusement park. This one was shot at an actual park in Pennsylvania, and it really looks cool.

The ne'er-do-well characters were appropriately disturbing. Nivek Ogre as Iggy was actually scarier without his face covering than with it.

Wendy Wygant was pleasant as lead girl Jennifer. As far as the rest of the cast, the worst were only about a 6 out of 10 on the irritating scale, which is pretty good.

If you like carny horror, I think it's worth a Halloween-month look.

Fun B movie

[mlnordinmn · 8/10 · 13 January 2015]

I picked up this movie at Best Buy on a lark...

It was obviously made by non-Hollywood types who really love 80s horror movies.

I think they nailed just about every trope of the 80s slasher spot-on (prepare your checklist). They even had an awesome cameo by Doug Bradley in there! (how did they score that?!?!)

The production values are definitely not top notch and the acting ran from non-existent to totally over-the-top. But that's what made this movie fun!

Have some beers, bring your film-school friends and have fun imagining that it was you and your friends making a movie in really scary-looking run-down amusement park. I enjoyed the occasional glimmers of awesome amid the not-great sound (but great sound track!) and the sometimes slow pacing gave me time to make wise cracks.

Just don't sit down and seriously expect that this $9 DVD (made for $40K total according to IMDb) is the next Citizen Kane. It's just fun. :-)

Bonus fun: Do a shot every time someone asks about Blake. :-) You won't be disappointed!

Spare-change slasher at a rundown amusement park featuring the singer of Skinny Puppy

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 6 June 2021]

An old amusement park in western Pennsylvania is shutting down soon, so several of the employees decide to have an after-hours party. Unfortunately they start getting slain one by one, but who's doing it and why? Will anyone survive to see the morrow?

"Scream Park" is a micro-budget slasher that debuted for a special screening on Halloween, 2012, in Meadville, Pennsylvania, with a 'world release' in Pittsburgh on January 6, 2013. The singer of Skinny Puppy, Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Graham Ogilvie), has a pretty significant role while Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead in nine "Hellraiser" films, has a minor part.

It was the debut work of writer/director Cary Hill who got his training from the University of Pennsylvania, which is where the Doug Bradley cameo was shot. The movie was otherwise filmed at the old Conneaut Lake Park in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Despite the low-budget vibe with some questionable sound here and there, the movie honors slasher traditions established in the early 80's craze, starting with "Friday the 13th" (1980). The no-name actors do a fine job and the story pulled me in. The score and soundtrack are also decent.

Wendy Wygant is likable as the main protagonist and Steve Rudzinski does well as the young, somewhat nerdy manager of the doomed park. Winsome petite blonde Alicia Marie Marcucci stands out as Allison on the feminine front and the director doesn't fail to tastefully highlight her beauty. Nicole Beattie is also notable as the glum Goth chick, Missi. Another actress has a top nude scene, but I found her more scary than alluring, although I'm sure she's a wonderful person and I give her credit for her chutzpah (just a heads up).

The film runs 1 hour, 24 minutes.

GRADE: B-/C+

More well-done than low-budget inexperience would portend

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 14 October 2022]

There's something charming about committing to making a movie without any prior experience, and on a shoestring budget. However it turns out, whatever one's opinion, one has to admire the gumption. There's no mistaking that 'Scream park' looks and feels like the small-time production that it is, including pacing that could perhaps generously be described as "difficult," and the inexperience of those involved does shine through. Earnestness goes a long way, however: the effort is there, and while far below the standards of major studio fare, I don't think anything here is done poorly. So long as one is open to the level this is operating, I think it's pretty good!

Though restricted by low production values and a consequent struggle with authenticity, this is classic slasher fare, including the narrative, scene writing, characters, and dialogue. The blood and gore looks fairly decent, and any violence generally, though again at a lower level. I find no especial fault with the cast's performances beyond the noted limitations, with Wendy Wygant standing out in what is effectively the lead role. Filmmaker Cary Hill's direction strikes me as no less capable than his writing, and even Nathan W. Fullerton's cinematography seems unexpectedly adept. From top to bottom the nature of the feature is "as plain as day," as the saying goes, but so is the love and care that went into it.

The difference between 'Scream park' and a home video made among friends isn't all that great; the flow of the film from A to B is less than perfectly fluid. Yet everyone involved puts in the work, with palpable heart and sincerity, and the result is frankly better than it has any right to be. There are no real surprises here, and like most slashers this is built for grisly entertainment more than any major thrills, but that's just part and parcel of the horror genre. Of course I had mixed expectations when I sat to watch; however, I've seen plenty of movies from first-time filmmakers, or that had emphatically minimal resources, but still came out astonishingly well. And so it is again: what 'Scream Park' lacks in polish, it makes up for with passion and honesty. It's up to each individual viewer to decide if that's enough for them, but I for one really like this!