Buzzy festival favorites, indie darlings, and some highly-anticipated releases from Blumhouse, Hulu, and Netflix (Sweetheart, Wounds, and Eli), now that the full scope of this years Telluride Horror Show programming have been unveiled, I can safely say this is one festival you can’t miss.
Really…you’ll regret it.
In a special Scares that Care fundraiser, Thursday (October 10th) screenings will also be presented at the Nugget Theatre. In honor of Sid Haig, the 1967 film Spider Baby will kick off the evening, followed by a restored Gore-Cut version of Tammy and the T-Rex, courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome. Tickets are $15 for each screening and will be available by cash only at the door (3-Day Passes or 6-Packs do not provide admission to this event). Proceeds will benefit Scares That Care, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to assisting families facing medical hardships.
Special events, including Creepy Campfire Tales, Ice Scream Social (so much fun), Pig Roast, Horror Trivia (sponsored by the Who Goes There Podcast), Killer Karaoke, Author Conversation, and art & book signings will round out the weekend.
3-Day Passes, 6-Packs, and Limited Festival Lodging Specials are available on the festival site.
Check out the second wave below, and I’ll see you in the mountains.
Daniel Isn’t Real (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Troubled college freshman Luke (Miles Robbins) suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) to help him cope. Charismatic and full of manic energy, Daniel helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him to the very edge of sanity and into a desperate struggle for control of his mind — and his soul.
Eli (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Ciarán Foy
After checking into a clean house to treat his auto-immune disorder, eleven-year-old Eli begins to believe that the house is haunted. Unable to leave, Eli soon suspects that the house, and the doctor who runs it, are more sinister than they appear. A Netflix horror film starring Charlie Shotwell (All the Money in the World), Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), Lili Taylor (The Conjuring), and Kelly Reilly (True Detective). Directed by Ciarán Foy (Sinister 2, Citadel).
Extra Ordinary (Colorado Premiere)
Ireland
Directors: Mike Ahern & Enda Loughman
Rose, a sweet, lonely driving instructor in rural Ireland, is gifted with supernatural abilities. Rose has a love/hate relationship with her ‘talents’ & tries to ignore the constant spirit related requests from locals – to exorcise possessed rubbish bins or haunted gravel. But! Christian Winter (Will Forte), a washed up, one-hit-wonder rock star, has made a pact with the devil for a return to greatness! He puts a spell on a local teenager – making her levitate. Her terrified father, Martin Martin, asks Rose to help save his daughter. Rose has to overcome the fear of her supernatural gift & work with Martin to save the girl, get the guy and be home in time for a light snack…maybe a yogurt or something…
Girl with No Mouth (U.S. Premiere)
Turkey
Director: Can Evrenol
Set in a post-apocalyptic Turkey, Girl with No Mouth follows Perihan, a young girl born without a mouth due to a nuclear disaster, as she runs from hunters and joins a gang of children also born with parts of their faces missing. A dark fairy tale from festival alum Can Evrenol (Baskin, Housewife).
Porno (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Keola Racela
When five teen employees at the local movie theater in a small Christian town discover a mysterious old film hidden in its basement, they unleash an alluring succubus who gives them a sex education…written in blood.
The Golden Glove (Colorado Premiere)
Germany
Director: Fatih Akin
From acclaimed filmmaker Fatih Akin (Head-On, The Edge of Heaven, In The Fade) comes a gruesome tale of notorious German serial killer Fritz Honka who haunted Hamburg’s red light district in the 1970s. Based on the novel of the same name, THE GOLDEN GLOVE follows Honka as he frequents his favorite bar, the “Golden Glove,” where schmaltzy German songs move the boozy bar hounds to tears and drinking is a reflex against pain and longing. There, Honka, a pitiful loser chasing after lonely women, keeps more than just secrets in the attic.
Scare Package (U.S. Premiere)
United States
Directors: Aaron B. Koontz, Emily Hagins, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan, Courtney & Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Baron Vaughn
7 Directors. 7 Hilarious Tales of Terror. 0 Working Cell Phones. A meta horror-comedy anthology where each segment subverts a different set of genre tropes. In 2018, Telluride Horror Show attendees were treated to a sneak peek of a hilarious segment from Scare Package. Now complete, the anthology will have its U.S. premiere in Telluride, featuring segments from fest alumni Aaron B. Koontz (Honor Student), Chris McInroy (Bad Guy #2, Death Metal, We Summoned a Demon), and Anthony Cousins (When Susurrus Stirs). Cast & Crew in person.
Sweetheart (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: J.D. Dillard
Jenn finds herself completely alone on a small tropical island after her boat goes down. By day, every ounce of her strength, cunning, and courage is strained simply to find food, outlast the elements, and survive. But as the sun sets, Jenn’s waking nightmare inexorably grows into terror, when a malevolent force comes to stalk the jungle for prey. From Blumhouse, producers of Get Out and The Purge franchise, comes a thrilling twist on the castaway genre.
The Deeper You Dig (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Directors: John Adams, Toby Poser, & Zelda Adams
Ivy, once a talented psychic, and her goth teen daughter Echo are unusually close. When reclusive Kurt moves down the road, an accident leads to Echo’s murder, and suddenly three lives collide in mysterious and wicked ways. Kurt assumes he can hide his secret under the ground. But Echo burrows into his head until he can feel her in his bones. As she haunts his every move, trying to reach her mother from beyond, Ivy must dig deep to see the signs and prove that love won’t stay buried. John & Zelda Adams will attend.
Wounds (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Babak Anvari
Will (Armie Hammer) is a bartender in New Orleans. He has a great job, great friends, and a girlfriend, Carrie (Dakota Johnson), who loves him. He skates across life’s surface, ignoring complications and concentrating on enjoying the moment. One night at the bar, a violent brawl breaks out, which injures one of his regular customers and causes some college kids to leave behind a cell phone in their haste. Will begins receiving disturbing texts and calls from the stranger’s phone. While Will hopes to not get involved, Carrie gets lost down a rabbit hole investigating this strange malevolence. They’ve discovered something unspeakable, and it’s crawling slowly into the light. Written for the screen and directed by Babak Anvari, the award-winning director of Under the Shadow.
SHORT FILMS / Second Wave
Bakemono (World Premiere)
United States
Directors: Sumire Takamatsu, Jorge Lucas
Today is February 3rd, known in Japan as Setsubun. Families celebrate by casting out evil spirits from their homes. But this family’s young daughter has other plans…
Bump in the Night (World Premiere)
Canada
Director: Octavian Kaul
While home alone, young Samantha becomes the victim of a merciless demon. Octavian Kaul will be in attendance.
Check.
United States
Director: Justin Nelson
Karen invites Max home but has a number of rules he must follow, the most paramount being he check under her bed for monsters. He has to check every time he stays the night. What could possibly happen if he didn’t check…
chromoPHOBIA (World Premiere)
United States
Director: Keith Adams
Clinical psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Haver becomes obsessed with her mysterious new patient’s artwork and realizes he possesses a dark gift. After learning of the patient’s fear of color, Dr. Haver’s fascination turns to obsession, and she is forced to confront her own darkness. Based on a story by renowned dark fiction writer Brian Evenson.
Deady Freddy
Canada
Director: Alicia Eisen
After a life well lived, Freddy is afforded a chilling encore – he must live his life backwards through the eyes of every bug he has ever killed.
Diversion (North American Premiere)
France
Director: Mathieu Mégemont
Joël, a small town journalist, goes to cover a case in the French countryside. When he stops after running over a dog on the road, he finds himself trapped in the stories he usually writes.
Dog Skin (North American Premiere)
United Kingdom
Director: Tiago Teixeira
A man is haunted by visions of a dog that transforms into a mysterious woman every night. As he loses his grip with reality, his obsession takes a dark turn. Based on a fable from the Indian Folklore.
Farce (North American Premiere)
Norway
Director: Robin Jensen
A Sami man ends up in greedy and decadent claws as he tries to save both his reindeer herd and the woman he desires. An awful fable about fatal passion.
Frost Bite (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Andrew Hunt
A young girl lures a mysterious figure across a frozen wasteland for reasons unexplained.
Grief (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Directors: Brock Bodell & Daniel Perry
A grieving couple navigates the mysterious death of their son and a stranger visits in the middle of the night to bring their worst fears to a violent, and psychedelic climax.
NOM
Spain
Director: Ángel Hernández
A dream trip to the entrails of immortality from the perspective of an old cyclist who starts a disturbing and cathartic odyssey.
Pathosis (World Premiere)
United States
Director: Austin Bonang
Sam, a young woman plagued by a mental disorder, struggles between fighting her disease and the troublesome side effects of her medication.
Place (Colorado Premiere)
United States
Director: Jason Gudasz
Lauren moves into a house with her daughter and boyfriend wanting a fresh start, but the spirits of the house have plans to turn them all against each other in very bizarre ways.
Plainsong (Colorado Premiere)
Canada
Director: Alexis Fortier Gauthier
Three friends on vacation by the sea are spellbound by a supernatural force.
Sailor (Colorado Premiere)
Canada
Director: Jacob Wiebe
A wayward sailor put to trial for a brutal murder in a small 18th century village recounts a tale of vengeance and sorcery that challenges the beliefs of the town’s Magistrate and forces him to face the ghost of his past.
The Wandering Witch (Colorado Premiere)
Mexico
Director: Sofia Carrillo
A day before her son’s wedding, Agustina tries to have the ceremony called off, only to discover that Emilia, the orphan girl betrothed to her son, still has someone ready to come to her defense.
Trapped (World Premiere)
United States
Director: Billy Chizmar
When her weekend hike goes horribly wrong, Katie must use every ounce of strength to survive – but is it enough?