Telluride Horror Show 2018: First Wave Brings Musicals, Klowns, and Metal
Jonathan Barkan
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In mid-October, the small, sleepy burg of Telluride, Colorado is imbued with the power of Halloween as the Telluride Horror Show takes over the town! Having been there for the past two years, I can safely tell you that it’s one of the most gorgeous locations for a festival and also my favorite event of the year. So when news comes out regarding this year’s event, you better believe I’m going to be all over it! That’s why I’m extremely excited to share the fest’s first wave of films!
On top of revealing several feature-length titles (full list below), there will be dozens of short films played during the festival, so make sure to keep those in mind when you attend as I guarantee you’ll see some wickedly entertaining material!
Festival Director Ted Wilson states, “Okay, we’re coming up for air to share films & guests! We know you’ve been anxiously awaiting news and we appreciate your patience. We’ve been dug in deep this year, working harder than ever to bring you an exciting and diverse line-up. In this first wave of announcements, there’s plenty to unpack, with the return of our guest author program, a very eclectic mix of anticipated features (a true cult classic, black metal mayhem, zombie Christmas musical, thrillers, comedies, ghost stories, dark suspenseful horrors), and the bulk of the incredible short films, featuring known alumni and plenty of newcomers. We could go on and on about this first wave but we invite you to explore it all. We’ve got to go back under – there’s still more to come and no sleep for us until the Horror Show rolls into Telluride!”
The festival will feature several guests, including Stephen Chiodo, director of Killer Klowns From Outer Space, award-winning author Paul Tremblay, author Jeremy Robert Johnson, and guest host Meredith Borders of Fangoria!
Passes are available right here.
Anna and the Apocalypse
Scotland/UK | 2018 | 92 min | Director: John McPhail
COLORADO PREMIERE
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other…
Wear your ugly Christmas sweater to this one!
CAM
USA | 2018 | 94 min | Director: Daniel Goldhaber
COLORADO PREMIERE
CAM is a technology-driven psychological thriller set in the world of webcam porn. It follows Alice, an ambitious camgirl, who wakes up one day to discover she’s been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself. As this copy begins to push the boundaries of Alice’s internet identity, the control that Alice has over her life, and the men in it, vanishes. While she struggles to regain what she’s lost, she slowly finds herself drawn back to her show and to the mysterious person who has taken her place. CAM is the rare film about sex work openly written by a sex worker, and is an authentic, immersive dive into the world of internet performance.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
USA | 1988 | 88 min | Director: Stephen Chiodo
30TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION WITH DIRECTOR STEPHEN CHIODO
Teenagers Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) investigate a comet crash and discover a deranged species of aliens who look like circus clowns. While they attempt to warn the local authorities, the klowns terrorize the unsuspecting town with a series of deadly carnival “candy coated” kills and devour most of the town. Join us for a special 30th-anniversary presentation of this true cult classic, followed by a Q&A with director Stephen Chiodo!
Lords of Chaos
USA | 2018 | 113 min | Director: Jonas Åkerlund
A teenager’s quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the early 1990s results in a very violent outcome. This 2018 horror-thriller film directed by Jonas Åkerlund is based on the 1998 non-fiction book of the same name by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind, which follows a series of crimes that occurred in Oslo, Norway in the early 1990s surrounding the black metal bands Mayhem and Burzum. Starring Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, and Sky Ferreira.
Mega Time Squad
New Zealand | 2018 | 81 min | Director: Tim van Dammen
U.S. PREMIERE
A low-level criminal from the small town of Thames in New Zealand steals an ancient Chinese time-travel device that helps him pull off a heist and start a new life. But he may not survive the demonic consequences of tampering with time. From the FX creator of Deathgasm.
OPEN 24 HOURS
USA | 2018 | 100 min | Director: Padraig Reynolds
COLORADO PREMIERE
A young woman who had previously set her serial killer boyfriend on fire is now seeking normalcy by getting a job working the overnight shift at a 24-hour convenience store, where things are most definitely not going to be normal. Previous horror films by Padraig Reynolds include Rites of Spring and The Devil’s Dolls.
Possum
UK | 2018 | 87 min | Director: Matthew Holness
COLORADO PREMIERE
A disgraced children’s puppeteer must confront his sinister stepfather and a hideous puppet he keeps hidden in a brown leather bag in order to escape the dark horrors of his past. The latest film from Matthew Holness, best known for his role as fictional writer and actor Garth Marenghi in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Possum stars acclaimed actors Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) and Alun Armstrong (Braveheart).
The Cleaning Lady
USA | 2018 | 90 min | Director: Jon Knautz
U.S. PREMIERE
Followed by Q&A with director Jon Knautz and lead actor Alexis Kendra.
As a means to distract herself from an affair, a love-addicted woman befriends a cleaning lady, badly scarred by burns. She soon learns, these scars run much deeper than the surface. Previous horror films by Jon Knautz include Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and The Shrine.
The Dark
Austria | 2018 | 95 min | Director: Justin P. Lange
COLORADO PREMIERE
On the outskirts of a small town lies Devil’s Den, a mysterious tract of woods where many have entered but no one has ever left. The local rumor is that the spirit of a young girl who was horrifically murdered there haunts and hunts in this dense forest, brutally slaying anyone who dares to step into her terrain. When a man with a dark past crosses her path, a series of events are set in motion that may lead to a peculiar kind of redemption for two tragically tortured souls. Part gothic fairytale and part chilling horror, director Justin P. Lange’s debut feature balances rich imagery with a brutal and bloody story of unlikely kindred spirits who must defend themselves against the villainous powers of the ‘normal’ world.
The Dead Center
USA | 2018 | 93 min | Director: Billy Senese
COLORADO PREMIERE
Followed by Q&A with director Billy Senese.
A doctor in an emergency psychiatric ward begins to question his own sanity when a mysterious John Doe shows up in the hospital convinced that he has died and brought something back with him from the other side. From director Billy Senese (Closer to God, 2014 Telluride Horror Show Official Selection) comes a new supernatural thriller starring Shane Carruth (Primer, Upstream Color), Poorna Jagannathan (The Night Of, Gypsy) and Jeremy Childs (AMC’s Preacher).
The Guilty
Denmark | 2018 | 85 min | Director: Gustav Möller
When police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is demoted to desk work, he expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. That all changes when he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Asger, confined to the police station, is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear. The search to find the missing woman and her assailant will take every bit of his intuition and skill, as a ticking clock and his own personal demons conspire against him. This innovative and unrelenting Danish thriller uses a single location to great effect, ratcheting up the tension as twists pile up and secrets are revealed.
The Witch in the Window
USA | 2018 | 77 min | Director: Andy Mitton
COLORADO PREMIERE
Followed by Q&A with director Andy Mitton.
When Simon brings his twelve-year-old son, Finn, to rural Vermont to help flip an old farmhouse, they encounter the malicious spirit of Lydia, a previous owner. And now with every repair they make – she’s getting stronger. Previous horror films by Andy Mitton include YellowBrickRoad and We Go On.
You Might Be the Killer
USA | 2018 | 92 min | Director: Brett Simmons
COLORADO PREMIERE
Followed by Q&A with director Brett Simmons.
Counselors are being killed off at summer camp, and Sam (Fran Kranz, The Cabin in the Woods) is stuck in the middle of it. Instead of contacting the cops, he calls his friend and slasher-film expert (Alyson Hannigan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to discuss his options.
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