Either they try to make their kill scenes more graphic, their sex scenes more explicit, their killer more menacing, or their film's local somewhere original.
This is to make each slasher movie stand out from the rest, at least in trailers and advertising if not anything else. The more people who see a new independent film the better. Such is the case with Wild Eye Releasing's Scream Park. What makes it different than other slasher films? Well, it is set at an old run down amusement park at night.
While we have seen other horror films take place in amusement parks (such as Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse) it is one local that is honestly underused in the horror genre. Old amusement parks, slapdash haunted attractions, and creepy carnival's are all great places to create the mood of horror--especially for a slasher film.
The Fright Land amusement park is closing for the evening and closing for good. The amusement park has gone bankrupt and is being forced to shut down. The small group of employees decide to have on last fling on the final night of the park's closing.
They bring in booze, weed, and cigarettes and prepare to have a closing party. What they don't know is that there is someone else in the park. Two murderous hillbillies have sneaked into the park. They are hiding among the rides, concession stands, and booths waiting to kill off the teenage employees one by one.
All of the actors do a fairly decent job in their roles in the film. We aren't expecting Oscar winning performances in a slasher movie. But the actors who played the two killers are what really made this film worthwhile. They are both wonderfully maniacal and crazed but not so over the top that it ruins the films verisimilitude. It is their performances that add a little punch to all the kill scenes.
Additionally, the leading lady and final girl--played by Wendy Wygant--does a good job of carrying the film on the side of the victims. She has all the qualities of a final girl and portrays them well on screen.
My one qualm with Scream Park was the lack of creativity with the kills. A few of the kill scenes are very satisfying and disturbing (such as the scene with the industrial deep fryer). However, I saw many missed opportunities in this film.
In one scene the killer has his victim tied in a rolled coaster cart. I'm thinking "He's going to turn on the ride, and somewhere along the way there is going to be a wire tied across that will decapitate the victim." But no. The killer ties him to the roller coaster cart and simply stabs him. A few kills like that could have made brought this slasher movie up a few notches.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 10
Language: 3
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 4