Well well well. It’s once again that time of year. My favorite time of year. No; not my birthday. Not Christmas. It’s the one-and-only Telluride Horror Show. There’s zero hyperbole when I say THS weekend is my absolute favorite weekend of the year, every year.
2022 marks the 13th year of this ever-growing festival (with 2020 being a virtual, online pandemic special). 13 wonderful years of some of the best movies in the horror, thriller, and sci fi genres. 13 gorgeous years in my favorite town in the country. Maybe this year has something lucky and extra special in store? Or perhaps cursed and unlucky.
This year’s lineup is out and zero surprises here; looks amazing. We’ve got quite the eclectic mix of films. This year’s fest includes a handful of foreign films (representing 15 different countries), some period pieces, numerous sub-genres, a couple anthologies, and the inescapable found footage (which is a great thing). We see return visits from Telluride alumni such as Joe Begos (The Mind’s Eye, VFW), Andy Mitton (The Witch in the Window), Rodrigo Gudiño (The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh), Oliver Park (short films Vicious and Still), Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (Spring, The Endless), and Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor).
Here are the feature films playing at this year’s Telluride Horror Show:
The Attachment Diaries directed by ValentÍn Javier Diment
The Breach directed by Rodrigo Gudiño
Christmas Blood Christmas directed by Joe Begos (cast & crew in attendance)
Enys Men directed by Mark Jenkin
The Harbinger directed by Andy Mitton (in attendance)
Huesera directed by Michelle Garza Cervera
Ice Cream Man directed by Norman Apstein (with Clint Howard in attendance)
Mad Heidi directed by Johannes Hartmann & Sandro Klopfstein
Matriarch directed by Ben Steiner
Megalomanic directed by Karim Ouelhaj
Mind Body Spirit directed by Alex Henes & Matthew Merenda (cast & crew in attendance)
The Offering directed by Oliver Park (in attendance)
Something in the Dirt directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
A Wounded Fawn directed by Travis Stevens
Along with a staggering number of feature length films, we also see the following short films being spread across 6 blocks:
#Valleyman, Catch Your Breath, Catching Spirits, Chaperone, CIMIM, The Coupon, The Cradle, Cruise, Eat, Everybody Goes to the Hospital, The Evil is Inside, From Where It Hides, FROM.BEYOND, Giving Up the Ghost, Gnomes, Good Boy, Gussy, Hairsucker, He Knows, Hell Gig, Her Release, Hysteric, In the Shadow of God, The Microscope, MILTOWN, Night Breakers, Nude, Other Bodies, Otherkin, Pretty Pickle, Prom Car ‘91, Samaritan, Skin & Bone, Sleep, Smiley Face, Sons of Lilith, Sucker, The Temple, They See You, Tistlebu, The Trunk, Under the Ice, We Forgot About the Zombies, We Wanted Children, WHO GOES THERE, and Yummy Mummy.
Also, for a little pre-festival action, two movies are being publicly screened Thursday night; Spirit Halloween: The Movie and Deadstream. But wait, there’s more! You didn’t think this festival was only movies did you? On top of a collection of films way too vast to be able to see everything, there are a handful of yearly traditions we see returning. The ice cream social kicks off the festival Friday afternoon, and is a wonderful way to mingle and chat amongst fellow horror enthusiasts while snacking on some ice cream. This year we have a guest scooper, none other than the Ice Cream Man himself, Clint Howard. The ice cream social is open to all 3-day pass holders.
Come Friday evening, around dusk, we see the Creepy Campfire Tales return. Guest authors Jeremy Robert Johnson, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and Paul Tremblay will all read excerpts from their writings, all while the sun sets, the temperatures fall, and the fire pit blazes. This is free to anyone and everyone who happens to find themselves in Telluride.
Cap off Friday night with the EVILSPEAKEASY. A social get-together to finish off the night with a drink or two (or three or four) at the Sheridan Opera House bar. Open to 3-day pass holders, and has limited capacity.
Saturday has a few more special events. One is the book signing with all the aforementioned authors involved in the Creepy Campfire Tales. Like what you heard during the readings? Well lucky for you, the authors will have copies of those books available. Stop in, buy a copy, get it signed, and chat with those who made them. This event is free and open to the public.
On top of the book signing, we have the famous Pig Roast. Hosted by the local BBQ joint, Oak, the pig roast is one of my favorites. I mean, who can turn down free food sitting at the base of the mountains? Mingle, eat, roam, take in the scenery. Open to the 3-day pass holders.
Sunday closes out the weekend with two more events; the Fright or Wrong Horror Trivia, and the Last Call at the Last Dollar. The horror trivia is located at Oak BBQ at the base of the gondola and is open to 3-day pass holders. Advance sign up is required and capacity is limited. The Last Call is pretty self explanatory. The movies have ended, the weekend is coming to a close, so what else is there to do? Well, meet up and drink of course. This takes place at the Last Dollar Saloon, starting at 10:00pm, and is open to 3-day pass holders.
On top of ALL of this, inside the Palm Theater’s lobby, Vinegar Syndrome will have a booth set up with their wonderful selection of physical media to purchase. Will be available both Saturday & Sunday.
So there you have it. If this doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will. A jam-packed weekend in a picturesque mountain town, during the best time of year. Do not wait a second longer! 3-Day passes are limited and really running low. Don’t care about all the included special events? There are individual tickets and 6-packs available to purchase as well.