Closed for the Season (2010)

Incoherent happenings at a rundown amusement park in the heart of Ohio

A young woman and a man (Aimee Brooks and Damian Maffei) find themselves stuck at Chippewa Lake Park that’s been closed for decades, but terrorizes them with haunting memories.

"Closed for the Season" (2010) was written, scored and directed by Jay Woelfel at the cost of only $250,000. I saw his previous full-length movie, “Ghost Lake,” from six years earlier, which cost way less, $110,000, and I wanted to see what he could do with over twice the budget. Well, this is noticeably better on a technical level, and is impressive from that angle, but he omitted the most important part, a compelling story.

I was interested in seeing it because you can’t beat the carnival atmosphere. And the dilapidated location makes it all the better, sort of like “Scream Park” that came out two years later and was shot in northwest Pennsylvania’s Conneaut Lake Park. That flick is worth seeing since it has a coherent story that holds your interest. Not so here, unhappily.

Yet if you have a penchant for artsy indies or are interested in what Chippewa Lake Park looks like after being closed for 31 years, when shooting was done in 2009, you’ll find something to appreciate. It was a happening place in the Roaring 20s.

The film’s overlong at 1 hour, 54 minutes, and was shot at Chippewa Lake Park, which is located 27 miles west of Akron and 5 miles northwest of Seville.

GRADE: C-/D+