Do you have plans to visit a theme park during your vacation this summer? Maybe ride some thrill rides? You can prepare by watching some movies set in theme parks -if you want to scare yourself out of having fun! The danger is real in these parks, although, thank goodness, the theme parks themselves are fictional -even when they are based on real parks.
The story behind Escape From Tomorrow is full of fascinating anecdotes, but perhaps the most surprising thing about the film is that Disney chose to ignore it. After its debut at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, many critics assumed that Disney would never allow a movie depicting Disney World as evil to be released. But Disney, perhaps realizing that blocking its release would just be free publicity for the filmmakers, let Escape From Tomorrow come out in theaters unobstructed. Shot surreptitiously at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, the film posits that the cheerful facade of smiling princesses and costumed characters Disney presents to the world is just that—a facade. The surrealistic filmmaking ensures that the exact details of how this sinister underbelly operates remain vague, but cyborgs, sex trafficking, hypnotic amulets, alternate identities, an evil corporation, and a mysterious flu that makes unsuspecting visitors cough up bloody hair balls are all wrapped up in the conspiracy.
The odds are rather small that something horrible will happen to you at a real-life theme park -unless you consider endless lines and price gouging as horrible. Read about a dozen movies where theme parks are the danger at the AV Club. See how many films you can guess before you read it.