Imagine lifeguards writing the acronym CFS (“Can’t F**king Swim”) on the wristbands of waterpark guests who nearly drown, and then send them on their way to further tempt fate and seek more thrills. This is just one of the many mind-blowing scenes in Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III’s HBO Max documentary Class Action Park about a Vernon, New Jersey amusement park that was a parent’s nightmare from 1978 to 1996. The mastermind of this unregulated bedlam was a businessman and real estate developer named Gene Mulvihill. According to Andy Mulvihill, his father’s entrepreneurial vision of patrons having control gave rise to the popularity of Action Park. However, it becomes quite clear throughout the documentary that only the laws of physics controlled one’s destiny at Action Park.

While the release of Class Action Park might appear as spontaneous and off the rails as the rides themselves, this re-evaluation of Disney World’s evil twin has been in the works for a while. The roots of this latest documentary lie in The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever (2013). Similar to the original 14-minute documentary short created by producer Seth Porges and director Matt Robertson, Class Action Park retells infamous Action Park guests’ stories, including slice of life tales from the employees who worked there, along with legal and financial perspectives. Now, Porges and Scott III build upon their documentary short by expanding on critical commentaries park and providing an in-depth picture of what a day in the life of Action Park was truly like.

Porges and Scott feature a wide net of talking heads and vintage park footage. Amidst a plethora of detailed recollections of former staff and guests, key vignettes include Porges himself as a journalist; Ed Youmans, former Operations Manager; Joe Hession, Gene Mulvihill’s favorite park employee; Jessi Paladini, Vernon News editor; and Esther Larsson, the grieving mother of a fatally injured teenage park patron. Serving as the calm level-headed narrator is John Hodgman (The Daily Show, Venture Bros.). Most enjoyable, however, is the commentary of none other than comedian and NYC variety talk show personality Chris Gethard, as he playfully recalls seemingly unbelievable yet true stories of legendary mischievous fun at Action Park. Upon leaving his house to join a neighborhood family for his first trip to the park, Gethard remembers hearing parental warnings to be smart and careful, and to use his best judgment. None of those attributes reigned supreme at Action Park. They were typically not in the minds of daring guests, and were definitely not prioritized by the park creator, Mulvihill.

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Among the diabolical features of Action Park, Gethard describes the infamous and mythical Cannonball Loop as the creation of a lunatic who clearly didn’t have an engineering background. This narrative is aptly accompanied by Porges and Daron Fitch describing bribed Action Park employees, who, second in line after test dummies, accepted $100 cash from Mulvihill to be human test pilots, propelling their bodies through the pitch black twilight zone loop of doom. Lacerations and dental accidents were common souvenirs of Cannonball Loop as riders’ teeth stuck in the padding of the loop slide. According to Operations Manager Ed Youmans, there were only two ways for a human to experience nine Gs. One was the back seat of an F-14, and the other was Cannonball Loop. Former Action Park security guard Mark Johnson describes how people would look at this attraction and think that it was Acme Corporation’s death trap out of a Bugs Bunny or Road Runner cartoon. Yet, like the fiercely persistent Road Runner, ride patrons kept coming back for more. 

To break up the monotony of interviews and vintage footage, Porges and Scott cleverly interject animation graphics, enhancing the visual imagery throughout the documentary. On the Class Action Park website, one of the animators mentions intentionally trying to capture the spirit of late 70s Peanuts, Schoolhouse Rock and Pink Panther cartoons, while cutting back on the shading and illustrations to give the animation a rough, DIY touch. The animation is similar to that which is found on NewGrounds.com, including The-Super-Flash-Bros and The Decline of Video Gaming series. The best of these low key cartoon moments occurs during the Motor World segment. Former life guard Faith Anderson explains how riders regularly tempted fate by treating these Miami Vice grade speedboats like bumper boats. Animation captures Anderson’s recollection of a gentleman riding up toward the dock, flying forward up and over the dock and on top of another boat, almost decapitating the other driver. The cartoon rammer has a hypnotic grin, with Laura whaling her rod at the rammer so the other driver can free his hair from the propeller engine. The pièce de résistance comes moments later with the reveal of the Battle Action Tanks. Animation depicts workers’ recollection of how reverse engineering of the tanks allowed riders to propel tennis balls doused in gasoline.

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Another Class Action Park clip shows a young Donald Trump touring the grounds and concluding that Action Park was too wild and reckless for him to be financially involved. Yet tempering the raucous remembrances is the sober revelation that eight deaths occurred at Action Park. George Larsson was the first casualty in 1980 at age 19 when he flew off the Alpine Slide concrete course and hit a rock. His mother, Esther, and brother, Brian, share their painful experiences, and their agony and hatred for Mulvihill reminds viewers not to revel in the bawdy tales of teenage daredevil adventures. News editor Jessi Paladini also reveals how Mulvihill ruined her career. 

Shortly before the premiere of Class Action Park, Mulivihill’s son, Andy, released Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story, which he co-wrote with Jake Rossen. In the book, Andy shares that his father was truly shaken up by what happened to George Larsson, which contrast with Class Action Park’s one-sided depiction of Mulvihill as a heartless, money-mongering crook who created his own sham insurance company in the Cayman Islands and laundered funds. Andy Mulvihill has captured the interest of Hulu, as the streaming service plans to create a comedy series based on the zany tales from Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story.

The appeal and popularity of the Action Park documentary and book, along with eager anticipation for the upcoming TV series, evidences a shared human proclivity to embellish one’s “street cred.” It’s common to revel in wild and crazy tales of stupid youth, but the sad stories of injuries and deaths at Action Park remind us of the multitude of risks that many people take — whether at amusement parks, sporting events, bars or college dorms — in the name of fun and entertainment. Mulvihill was right about one thing — we all desire to be in control.

Peter Bell (@PeterGBell25) is a 2016 Master of Arts – Film Studies graduate of Columbia University School of Arts in New York City. His interests include film history, film theory and film criticism. Ever since watching TCM as a child, Peter has had a passion for film, always trying to add greater context to film for others. His favorite films include Chinatown, Blade Runner, Lawrence of Arabia, A Shot in the Dark and Inception. Peter believes movie theaters are still the optimal forum for film viewing, discussion and discovering fresh perspectives on culture.