Imagine a Six Flags-style theme park from your childhood, and all the good times you had there as a child. Now imagine that very same theme park without security protocols in place. Everything was dangerous. That was the case with Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey. From 1978 to 1996, the amusement park was famous for unsafe rides, minors and underprivileged staff, alcohol consumption on premises – and deaths. Six deaths of park guests in fact. This earned action park the dubious nickname “Class Action Park.”
Now, the long-gone theme park gets a documentary that gets the infamous death trap on HBO Max, aptly named Class Action Park. You can watch the trailer below:
Action park divided into three areas -Alpine Center, Motorworld, and Waterworld. In fact, Waterworld (not related to the Kevin Costner movie) was one of the first modern American water parks. But it carries most of the baggage; there were three dead by drowning in the tide pool. Another guest was electrocuted while riding the Kayak Experience. And one man even had a heart attack when he hit the icy cold waters under the Tarzan Swing. For some reason, this park was allowed to remain open for nearly two decades. And for Gen-X kids in the New Jersey area, Action Park survival became a rite of passage.
HBO Max
Over the years, many famous Action Park alumni have shared their experiences, inspiring feature films such as Johnny Knoxville’s Action point. Most recently a tell-all book written by the son of the genius madman who founded the park. May Class Action Park, fans new and old will be able to experience the madness of this dangerous water park by hand through realistic footage and testimonials.
Class Action Park, produced and directed by Chris Charles Scott and Seth Porges, premiered on HBO Max on Thursday, August 27th.
Featured Image: HBO Max
