Which came first: an 80-year-old amusement park scheduled to be purposely demolished or a Hollywood studio making a TV movie about an amusement park that’s (spoiler alert) accidentally going to be destroyed? Let’s just call it kismet. Playboy Productions supposedly purchased the Ocean View Amusement Park in Norfolk, Virginia, just so they could make The Death of Ocean View Park (1979.)
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It's no documentary, though. Instead, it’s a mishmash of tropes, some from horror movies, some from disaster movies, and, for good measure, some from Jaws (1975.) With a little more effort, the various stories could have been better connected; however, as it is, the fact that Sheila Brady (Diana Canova) is having nightmares about the park exploding has absolutely nothing to do with the park actually exploding.
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The craziest thing about it is when Tom Flood (Martin Landau) takes a ride on the roller coaster by himself to prove to his business partner, Sam Jackson (Mike Connors), that it’s safe. You see, the big Independence Day celebration is happening in a couple days and if the park closes, they’ll lose the opportunity for investors to develop the surrounding land. You may ask, “Why wouldn’t the roller coaster be safe?”
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Well, a strange hurricane swept through the area, did something crazy to the coastline, and is causing unusual things to happen at the park: the power goes off and on, the bumper cars start by themselves, the popcorn machine breaks… So while Sheila is visiting the Edgar Cayce Foundation to see if she’s psychic, Sam is investigating events at the park. Again, there is no connection between the two stories.
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While the characters are doing that, we’re watching stock footage of a hurricane and repeated shots of a shirtless man in the front seat of the roller coaster with his arms up in the air. One of the characters mentions that it’s like they’re in the Bermuda Triangle; maybe that’s why this poor guy is forced to ride the roller coaster every… single… day… (Speaking of roller coaster, the theatrical film, Roller Coaster was filmed here two years earlier.
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I remember liking that one much better. This one is a hot mess, and I didn’t even mention the developing relationship on the beach with Billy Robbins (Perry Lang), the mentally challenged young man, and Jenny Flowers (Mare Winningham), the homely cotton candy spinner, which, you guessed it, has nothing to do with the park exploding. My one joy came from seeing two Soap alums: Canova (“Corinne, Corinne, Corinne”) and Caroline McWilliams (Sally.)
Visit the TV Terror Guide: 70's TV Movies playlist at ClassicHorrors.Club TV on YouTube to watch The Death of Ocean View Park as well as all the great movies from this series.
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