Class Action Park: America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park (2020)
My third review for must-see documentaries chronicles how a New Jersey amusement park that operated with almost no concern for safety gained a cult-like following during the 80's + 90's.
Class Action Park features grainy footage of hazardous rides and the unbelievable stories told by past employees and parkgoers. Opening in 1978, the nostalgia for summers spent at Action Park is palpable throughout the film. Known for its reputation of hiring young, reckless teenagers, many interviewed still beam while describing the shocking events that took place while they worked there. This seedy park featured few of the standard rides you're used to - relying mainly on its waterpark, concrete bobsled track, open-air motorcars, and beer tent to draw in customers (and teenagers alike).
The owner of Action Park, a charismatic Wall Street broker named Eugene Mulvihill, purchased the Great Gorge ski resorts in order to create his own version of Disneyland. Described as a Trump-like character, he started a fake insurance company to back the water park, altered ride plans to enhance their risk, and offered $100 to teenage employees brave enough to test one of the most dangerous attractions, the Cannonball Loop.
You'll quickly learn during the second part of the film that these dangerous attractions lead to numerous injuries and even fatalities. You'll hear interviews with the families whose lives were turned upside down thanks to Mulvihill's corruptly run playground. Action Park became known as a place where "death was tolerated". Numerous violations led to the park's closure in 1995. Three years later, a new developer jumped in, built safer rides, and rebranded the park, "Mountain Creek". In 2010, two years before his death, Mulvihill bought back the park. After he died, his family tried to reinstate the Action Park name, but the association with injuries and lawsuits was too much. It wasn't until 2016, that the name was finally retired for good.
This documentary is endlessly entertaining, shocking, and captures what happens when rules are thrown out the window for the sake of a thrill.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
If you missed parts one + two of my retro-themed documentaries, check them out below!
Part 1: The Last Blockbuster (2020)
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