Action Park, a combination theme park/water park located in Vernon, New Jersey, on the rolling site of the Vernon Valley, was infamous for the extreme dangerousness of its attractions and the unbelievable number of guests who were hurt or killed while visiting the park (at least six died and countless were injured). Thankfully, the wonderfully weird story will be coming to HBO Max soon in the form of upcoming documentary Class Action Park, named after one of the park’s nicknames (also used: Traction Park). We now have a trailer and a release date for the doc – and you won’t have to wait long to luxuriate in all of Action Park’s bone-shattering splendor.

Described as “the legend of the world’s most dangerous theme park,” this documentary promises to be the definitive account of the theme/water park, which seduced and terrorized many brave thrill seekers during its brief opening between 1978 and 1996. (If you grew up in New England it was something of a legend; like Camp Crystal Lake with water slides.) It has inspired countless YouTube videos, a recent nonfiction book and one very lousy Johnny Knoxville movie, but this is the first feature-length investigation of the park’s insanity. The official press release states that “For the first time, fans new and old will be able to experience firsthand the insanity of this dangerous water park via real-life footage and testimonials.” When describing the structure and format of the documentary, the official press release states: “Shirking the trappings of nostalgia, the film uses investigative journalism, newly unearthed and never-before-seen documents and recordings, original animations, and interviews with the people who lived it to reveal the true story for the first time.” We cannot wait.

Class Action Park, directed by Chris Charles Scott and Seth Porges, will premiere on Thursday, August 27 (so, so soon!) See the brand-new poster below.

class-action-park-poster
Image via HBO Max