Closed for the Season (film)

Lore & Background

The film tells the story of Kristy, who wakes up trapped beneath a dilapidated wooden roller coaster inside an abandoned amusement park. She is terrorized by myths and urban legends from Chippewa Lake’s 130-year history. She meets James, whose parents are the park’s caretakers, and together they investigate. James discovers he too is trapped. They encounter a mysterious carny in clown makeup, who once operated the roller coaster but died many years earlier. He tells them their only escape is to relive and survive all the life-threatening tales from the park’s past and ride the now-operational rides one final time.

Reader's Guide

Closed for the Season premiered on March 12, 2010 at the Monster-Mania 14 convention, part of the Famous Monster Convention. It was produced by ShadowCast Pictures, with Jay Ellison and Jon Wagner as executive producers. Filming took place in Chippewa Lake, Ohio and Los Angeles, California, using the actual abandoned amusement park’s derelict attractions as backgrounds. The film draws directly from local folklore, making it a notable example of regional horror cinema that preserves and dramatizes community legends. Its significance lies in its use of a real, historically rich location to ground its supernatural narrative.

Did You Know?

• The film was shot on the site of the long-closed Chippewa Lake amusement park in Ohio.
• The mysterious carny in clown makeup died many years before the events of the film.
• The film premiered at Monster-Mania 14, part of the Famous Monster Convention.
• The plot involves reliving life-threatening tales from the park’s 130-year history.