Telluride Horror Show 2016 Announces First Wave Films
John Squires
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From October 14th through 16th, the three-day horror film festival Telluride Horror Show takes over Telluride, Colorado, and the first wave of programming is so loaded with horror goodies that we can’t even believe it’s only, well, the first wave. Read on for info and images of the premiering films!
From the Press Release:
The 2016 Telluride Horror Show’s first batch represents the eccentric mix of genre films you can expect to find at the Telluride Horror Show each year, films that delve into all the nooks and crannies of horror, from the supernatural to the super weird, from funny to frightening, art house to outrageous. The movies thus far couldn’t be more unique: SPRING BREAK ZOMBIE MASSACRE, a hilarious horror comedy that also embodies a dream come true for two young guys who gathered the support of a community to make their movie, RATS, the new doc from Morgan Spurlock with footage that’ll disturb even the most hardened horror fan, THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, a dark, horrifying debut feature from a director who will someday be a household name, TERRIFIER, the long-awaited feature length version of the short film that took the 2011 Telluride Horror Show by storm, true indie gems like MAN UNDERGROUND, ANOTHER EVIL, and the Val Lewton inspired THE GIRL WITH TWO FACES, the haunting A DARK SONG from Ireland, HERE ALONE, a powerful and refreshing take on the zombie genre, the incredibly dark comedy TRASH FIRE from fest alum Richard Bates, Jr. (Excision and Suburban Gothic), and WE ARE THE FLESH, a film that comes with a not-to-be-ignored “Extreme Content” label. More features to be announced!
As always, the Telluride Horror Show is all about the short films. So far we have a record 49 shorts, with more on the way! In keeping with tradition the majority of these shorts will be featured in themed blocks, with expected sold-out crowds. Our sincere thanks to all the short filmmakers around the world who independently contribute to the horror genre with incredible filmmaking and storytelling skills.
And, for the first time, the festival gives a nod to the literary side of horror as we welcome acclaimed author Joe R. Lansdale to Telluride. Lansdale’s work needs no introduction and we’re excited to have a guest author with us for the horror show. Mr. Lansdale will graciously participate in a public reading, conversation, and book signing over the weekend (more details to come). For any of you who haven’t read Joe R. Lansdale yet (shame), we’ll give you some homework…we recommend starting with a couple of his short story collections, BY BIZARRE HANDS and WRITER OF THE PURPLE RAGE (where you’ll find the story “Bubba Ho-Tep”, adapted into the cult classic movie of the same name). Pick up these books, get to reading, and you’ll quickly discover why we’re such big fans.
The 7th Telluride Horror Show is taking shape and there’s plenty more to come! Please read on for more information!
First Wave Films and Guests:
GUEST
JOE R. LANSDALE
GUEST AUTHOR
Joe R. Lansdale, a native of East Texas, is the acclaimed author of over forty novels, three hundred short pieces of fiction and non-fiction, plays, poetry, screenplays, and graphic novels. Film adaptations of Lansdale’s work include the cult classic Bubba Ho-tep (directed by Don Coscarelli with Bruce Campbell), Cold In July, Christmas With The Dead, as well as Incident On And Off A Mountain Road for Showtime’s Masters of Horror. His popular series of crime novels, Hap and Leonard, is currently the basis for the hit Sundance TV series of the same name. He has written scripts for Batman The Animated Series, Superman the Animated Series, adapted the animated Son of Batman to film, as well as others. Lansdale has received countless awards for his work, including The Edgar from The Mystery Writers of America, The Spur From Western Writers of America, nine Bram Stokers from The Horror Writers Association, The Grinzani Cavour Prize, and many others. He has been awarded Grandmaster of Horror and Lifetime Achievement from the Horror Writer’s Association. On top of all that, he’s been inducted into The International Martial Arts Hall of Fame and The United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
FEATURES
A DARK SONG
Ireland/UK | 2016 | 99 min | Director: Liam Gavin
COLORADO PREMIERE
A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
ANOTHER EVIL
USA | 2016 | 90 min| Director: Carson Mell
COLORADO PREMIERE
After encountering a ghost in their vacation home, Dan (Steve Zissis) and his wife Mary (Jennifer Irwin) consult an exorcist. Unsatisfied with the verdict, Dan goes behind his wife’s back to seek a second opinion, and secretly hires Os (Mark Proksch) who promises to get rid of the beings. Os and Dan spend a week together in the vacation home exorcising the “EFD” (Evil Fully Determined) beings, but Dan soon realizes that ridding the home of evil won’t be as simple as it seems.
HERE ALONE
USA | 2016 | 97 min | Director: Rod Blackhurst
COLORADO PREMIERE
Ann, a young woman in her late 20s, struggles to survive alone in the woods after a mysterious epidemic decimates society. Bleak, gritty, and teeming with fear, “Here Alone” tells a story of survival and emotional redemption set in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
INCIDENT ON AND OFF A MOUNTAIN ROAD
USA | 2005 | 51 min | Director: Don Coscarelli
SPECIAL PRESENTATION (courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Followed by a conversation with guest author Joe R. Lansdale.
Based on Joe R. Lansdale’s short story and directed by horror legend Don Coscarelli, this “Masters of Horror” episode, originally aired in 2005 on Showtime, pits Ellen, a seemingly defenseless young woman, against Moonface, a deformed and demented serial killer.
MAN UNDERGROUND
USA | 2015 | 93 min | Directors: Sam Marine & Michael Borowiec
COLORADO PREMIERE
In a small town, Willem, a retired geologist and conspiracy theorist, struggles to find an audience for his controversial beliefs. After befriending some locals, Willem decides to make a low-budget movie about his life, re-enacting scenes from his crumbled marriage and his encounters with aliens while working for the government. Confronting his past, he grows increasingly paranoid about his future.
RATS
USA | 2016 | 84 min | Director: Morgan Spurlock
COLORADO PREMIERE
Inspired by Robert Sullivan’s New York Times bestselling book, RATS goes deep beneath the surface to explore the lives of man’s greatest parasite. Oscar® nominated director Morgan Spurlock unveils a new form of documentary horror storytelling, journeying around the world to bring viewers face to face with rats while delving into our complicated relationship with these creepy creatures. In ways never before captured on film, RATS dives deep into New York City’s parks, subway tunnels, and sewers; venture to rice paddies in Cambodia and Vietnam where rats are caught and sold as food, cross worldly streets in India paroled by the revered Night Rat Killers, journey to the English countryside where packs of terriers kill hundreds of rats per day, and look inside a New Orleans lab, where scientists are studying how abandoned neighborhoods are making rats more invasive than ever. A film as dark and disturbing as any horror movie, RATS is not for the weak of heart, or stomach, and Viewer Discretion is strongly advised.
SPRING BREAK ZOMBIE MASSACRE
USA | 2016 | 45 min | Director: Robert Carnevale
COLORADO PREMIERE
Followed by a Q&A with Sam & Mattie and friends.
Sam and Mattie, just two regular guys living up their senior year of high school. The two BFFs have girlfriends, they’re popular, they’re in a rock band. All is good until prom night, when the devil shows up looking for Sam and Mattie and ruins prom by peeing in the punch bowl. Twenty years ago, Sam and Mattie were born with the fate that one day they’d be bionic heroes with the power to save all of humanity. The devil tried to kidnap the boys at birth, but was unsuccessful, killing their mothers instead before being sucked back into Hell. Since then, the devil has been determined to destroy Sam and Mattie before they can destroy him. Now it’s time for Sam and Mattie to get revenge. From prom to Spring break to epic boat parties with DJ Pauly D, Sam and Mattie embark on a wild (and hilarious) quest to conquer the devil once and for all.
TERRIFIER
USA | 2016 | 84 min | Director: Damien Leone
US PREMIERE
Followed by a Q&A with director Damien Leone.
A maniacal clown named Art terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way…. In 2011, director Damien Leone came to the Telluride Horror Show with his short film, “Terrifier”. A true grindhouse flick with a brutal killer, the short was met with a standing ovation. Now Damien returns to Telluride with the long-awaited feature length version. Art the Clown is back, and more insane than ever.
THE EYES OF MY MOTHER
USA | 2016 | 77 min | Director: Nicolas Pesce
COLORADO PREMIERE
In their secluded farmhouse, a mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, teaches her daughter, Francisca, to understand anatomy and be unfazed by death. One afternoon, a mysterious visitor horrifyingly shatters the idyll of Francisca’s family life, deeply traumatizing the young girl, but also awakening some unique curiosities. Though she clings to her increasingly reticent father, Francisca’s loneliness and scarred nature converge years later when her longing to connect with the world around her takes on a distinctly dark form.
THE GIRL WITH TWO FACES
France | 2016 | 76 min | Director: Romain Serir
COLORADO PREMIERE
Clarisse meets Marc, a young surgeon. She spends the night with him in his mansion. In the morning, she realizes that she has been fooled. She’s now held against her will…
TRASH FIRE
USA | 2016 | 93 min | Director: Richard Bates, Jr.
COLORADO PREMIERE
When Owen is forced to confront the past he’s been running from his whole life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit, and murder. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be scarred for life. From the director of “Excision” and “Suburban Gothic”.
WE ARE THE FLESH
Mexico | 2016 | 80 min | Director: Emiliano Rocha Minter
COLORADO PREMIERE
Set in a post-apocalypse Mexico, a brother and sister wander a ruined city for years in search of food and shelter. They find their way into one of its last surviving buildings, where a man makes them a dangerous offer to survive the outside world. As they help him transform the building into a womb-like cave, a disquieting sexual relationship emerges, along with a dynamic in which darker instincts do their destructive work.
SHORTS
A NEARLY PERFECT BLUE SKY
France | 2016 | 36 min | Director: Quarxx
You might think that Simon lives a monotonous life. You would be wrong… Contrary to appearances, he does not live alone among the ruins of an old farm. Between kidnapper and guardian angel, he never takes his eyes off his roommate. Convinced of having contacts with beings from elsewhere, Simon is getting lost one step at a time while the border between reality and nightmare is progressively fading away.
A REASONABLE REQUEST
USA | 2015 | 9 min | Director: Andrew Laurich
A desperate son reconnects with his estranged father to ask an unspeakable favor that will change their lives forever.
AS THEY CONTINUE TO FALL
USA | 2016 | 7 min | Director: Nikhil Bhagat
IN PERSON: Nikhil Bhagat
An aging drifter hunts fallen angels in a city slowly falling apart.
ARCANA
Portugal | 2015 | 11 min | Director: Jerónimo Rocha
US PREMIERE
Eleventh century, somewhere in the Iberian Peninsula. In a dark and wet dungeon, a heretical is chained to a column with a salt protective line around her. Left to her thoughts, she plans a way to escape…
BILL’S LANDSCAPE AND EXORCISM SERVICES
Canada | 2016 | 6 min | Director: Angus Swantee
IN PERSON: Angus Swantee
A trio of bumbling landscapers chase their passion for exorcism into a shady gig to cleanse a girl of a malicious demon.
BLIGHT
Ireland | 2015 | 15 min | Director: Brian Deane
A young priest is sent to battle dark supernatural forces threatening a remote Island community.
CONVENTIONAL
USA | 2015 | 9 min | Director: Karen Gillan
A scream queen deals with her fall from stardom.
CURVE
Australia | 2016 | 10 min | Director: Tim Egan
A girl wakes to find she is resting at the apex of a smooth, curved surface high above a pitch-black abyss. With no toe-hold or crevasse she must rely on the friction of her palms to climb the Curve and cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death. Beneath her, strange sounds emanate up from the darkness …
DEATH METAL
USA | 2016 | 5 min | Director: Chris McInroy
IN PERSON: Chris McInroy
A metalhead gets passed down a satanic guitar that riffs to shreds.
EAT MY SHIT
Spain | 2015 | 4 min | Director: Eduardo Casanova
Samantha has taken a selfie of her face and posted it on Instagram, but it has been censored and deleted for alleged “sexual content”. Samantha did not choose to be born this way. Samantha is sick and tired of people’s laughs.
GHOST STORY CLUB
USA | 2015 | 6 min | Director: Jared Lapidus
WORLD PREMIERE
The kids of Ghost Story Club are looking for a new member to tell scary stories by the campfire. But when Gary’s Uncle Wally comes by to tell a spooky tale, it turns out Wally may have a horrible misunderstanding about ghosts.
GIRL #2
USA | 2016 | 9 min | Director: David H. Jeffery
“Hell Week” takes on a whole new meaning when a terrifying killer is on the loose and sorority sisters Jenn and Stacey must fight to survive a night of horror. Will they become victims? Or come face to face with another evil?
GWILLIAM
USA | 2015 | 6 min | Director: Brian Lonano
A recently released criminal is looking for a good time. He can forget his sins but he can never forget…Gwilliam.
HADA
Spain | 2015 | 9 min | Director: Tony Morales
Tonight, Hada comes to visit Daniel because his last baby tooth has fallen out. What Daniel doesn ́t know is that his worst enemy is the light.
HANDJOB CABIN (OFFICIAL HD TRAILER)
USA | 2015 | 3 min | Director: Bennet Silverman
A trailer for the breakout horror film “Handjob Cabin” – the story of four friends whose cabin vacation turns deadly when they find a sexually frustrated ghost.
HIDE: BLOODY MARY
USA | 2016 | 3 min | Director: Evan Sweet
IN PERSON: Evan Sweet
Surrounded by the dark woods, Cooper plays Bloody Mary within the confines of his lonely cabin. He shouldn’t have.
HILDE
Germany/Switzerland | 2016 | 20 min | Director: Felix Knoche
After an accident at the lake, 11-year-old Melly experiences a strange metamorphosis. Her mother Hilde desperately tries to keep up normality.
INTERIOR.FAMILY
Spain | 2014 | 9 min | Directors: Gerard Quinto, Esteve Soler, & David Torras
A couple of loving parents wake up their son in the middle of the night. They need to talk to him about an urgent and horrifying matter that will change his life forever.
JEZEBEL
USA | 2016 | 10 min | Director: Nick Phillips
In the early 1900s, a seemingly lonely prostitute draws men to her flat with much more sinister plans in mind.
KITCHEN_REMODEL.WMV
USA | 2016 | 3 min | Director: Brook Linder (Beyond description…)
KOOKIE
Canada | 2016 | 13 min | Director: Justin Harding
Bree, a dishonest 9-year-old, receives a terrifying visitor after a parenting lesson goes horribly wrong.
LITTLE BOY BLUE
Australia | 2016 | 30 min | Director: Nathan Keene
On a rural farm, a lonely girl must face a dark secret when she discovers a boy held captive in a neighboring farm’s barn.
NAKED UNDER THE LEATHER
Brazil | 2015 | 21 min | Director: Lucas Sá
She protects her flesh, but the skin starts to peel off.
NUTS
USA | 2016 | 4 min | Director: Theo Sena
A quiet morning turns dangerous when a man is attacked by his zombified neighbor. The man soon discovers that zombies may be the least of his problems.
OVERTIME
Australia | 2016 | 8 min | Director: Craig D. Foster
It’s getting late on a Friday night and Ralph is keen to get out of the office, but the boss won’t let him. No big deal, right? It’s just that the full moon is rising and Ralph is kind of a werewolf.
PEARLIES
France | 2015 | 13 min | Director: Pascal Thiebaux
Quenottes (Pearlies) is a story about a little mouse, but not just any mouse. It is THE little mouse, or tooth fairy, of your childhood. The one that brought you your first coin in exchange for the tooth under your pillow. In everybody’s mind, the little mouse is a benevolent and generous character…What if it isn’t? What if it is actually a neurotic psychopath obsessing about its collection of dental trophies? If a tooth is missing, it simply must be replaced. By any means necessary…
PIECES
UK | 2016 | 15 min | Director: Dan Sunley
US PREMIERE
Isabella arrives at her deceased grandmother’s home to do what her parents won’t, clear the house of its belongings. As she sorts through the personal effects she discovers an old notebook, inside is a single piece of a jigsaw next to the scrawled words ‘finish it’. When strange noises come from the attic that night, Isabella investigates the loft to find a tin box of more puzzle pieces. But as she begins to put the jigsaw together, she realises she is not alone; a haunting presence still lingers in the house and it gets closer with every piece she finds…
PORTAL TO HELL!!!
Canada | 2015 | 12 min | Director: Vivieno Caldinelli
A crusty and reclusive superintendent is thrown into the ultimate fight against evil when a couple of cultists open a portal to the ancient and mystical city of R’lyeh, awakening a slumbering god.
REED
USA | 2014 | 8 min | Directors: Benjamin & Spencer Allred
While on a nightly walk, a man searches for his dog through a maze of reeds with nothing but a flashlight to see. Shot completely through the point of view of our main character, the man soon realizes he is not alone among the reeds.
STILL
England | 2016 | 7 min | Director: Oliver Park
A woman is plagued by a masked, statuesque figure that never moves.
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
Ireland | 2015 | 12 min | Director: Conor McMahon
Two lonely people find the love they were searching for. Well, one lonely person and one banshee!
THE BABYSITTER MURDERS
USA | 2015 | 21 min | Director: Ryan Spindell
A dark and stormy night. An innocent babysitter all alone. An escaped psychopath out for blood. You know how this story will play out… Or do you?
THE BIRCH
UK | 2016 | 5 min | Directors: Ben Franklin & Anthony Melton
A bullied schoolboy takes drastic measures against his tormenter, summoning an ancient being in the woods using a spellbound book passed down through the generations of his family.
THE BLACK BEAR
France/Belgium | 2015 | 16 min | Directors: Méryl Fortunat-Rossi & Xavier Séron
Rule #1: Never feed bears. Rule #2: Do not approach within 100 meters. Rule #3: Avoid surprising bears. Rule #4: Keep your dog on a leash. Now you know the rules, we wish you a pleasant stay in the natural park of the black bear.
THE HOME
USA | 2016 | 7 min | Director: L. Gustavo Cooper
Set in Ireland at a 19th century home for pregnant women out of wedlock, The Home tells the story of a young pregnant woman fighting for her sanity (and her unborn child) as an ancient evil descends on the convent.
THE INCREDIBLE TALE OF THE INCREDIBLE WOMAN-SPIDER
France/Spain/Turkey | 2016 | 17 min | Director: Pablo Guirado
As a young man wanders through the deserted streets at night, he comes across a poster outside a bar that invites him to discover a strange show, that of “The Incredible Woman-Spider”.
THE MAN WHO CAUGHT A MERMAID
Australia | 2015 | 16 min | Director: Kaitlin Tinker
An old fisherman, obsessed with capturing a mermaid, has been doing extensive training to be ready for a possible life in the sea. This puts considerable strain on his marriage. One day, everything changes.
THE PROCEDURE
USA | 2016 | 4 min | Director: Calvin Reeder
A man is captured and forced to endure a strange experiment.
THE SMILING MAN
USA | 2015 | 7 min | Director: A.J. Briones
IN PERSON: A.J. Briones
A little girl home alone finds herself face-to-face with pure evil.
THE STYLIST
USA | 2016 | 15 min | Director: Jill Gevargizian
IN PERSON: Jill Gevargizian
Claire is a lonely hairstylist with an unnerving desire to escape her disappointing reality. When her final client of the evening arrives with the request to look perfect, Claire has plans of her own.
THE TUNNEL
Norway | 2016 | 12 min | Director: André Øvredal
An overcrowded future. A terrible solution. A family stuck in a traffic jam.
THEY WILL ALL DIE IN SPACE
Spain | 2015 | 15 min | Director: Javier Chillon
The starship Tantalus drifts through space.
WHEN SUSURRUS STIRS
USA | 2016 | 10 min | Director: Anthony Cousins
IN PERSON: Anthony Cousins
A body horror tale like no other. A man finds purpose in his meaningless life when he becomes host to an ancient creature named Susurrus.
ANIMATED SHORTS
THE HORROR….THE ANIMATED: Grisly, Ghastly Animated Shorts at
Telluride Horror Show
Mark Shapiro from LAIKA, the Portland-based animation studio behind Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings, curates a special animated horror shorts block gleaned from major film festivals across the globe. The creative, visual program includes drawn, computer-generated and stop-motion animation, featuring new short films and several undeniable classics. But you heard it here first: Do NOT bring the kiddies…
ACCIDENTS, BLUNDERS AND CALAMITIES
New Zealand | 2015 | 5 min | Director: James Cunningham
A father possum reads his kids a story that’s an alphabet of the most dangerous animal of all – HUMANS!
PHIL TIPPETT’S MAD GOD: PARTS 1 & 2
USA | 2014/2015 | 26 min | Director: Phil Tippett
In Phil Tippett’s epic homage to the art of stop-motion, The Assassin continues his mission to find and destroy the dark heart of a doomed world. Will The Assassin succumb to the shadows of his descent, or will he bring salvation to the unfortunate creatures that inhabit the cracks and crevasses of a hellish dystopia?
THE BACKWATER GOSPEL
Denmark | 2010 | 10 min | Director: Bo Mathorne
As long as anyone can remember, the coming of the Undertaker has meant the coming of death. Until one day the grim promise fails and tension builds as the God-fearing townsfolk of Backwater wait for someone to die.
THE PRODIGY: WILD FRONTIER
Netherlands | 2015 | 4 min | Director: Mascha Halberstad
While camping in the woods, Nelson discovers the true meaning of dualism. WILD FRONTIER is a music video for The Prodigy.
TRAVEL BY FEET
Spain | 2015 | 15 min | Director: Khris Cembe
A night train journey. A wagon full of passengers. An annoying companion in your compartment… What would you be willing to do in order to have a peaceful journey?
UNDER THE APPLE TREE
Netherlands/Belgium | 2015 | 18 min | Director: Erik van Schaaik
A deceased farmer is buried by his hated brother, the vicar. Worms inhabit the corpse, discovering they’ve full control over it. The dead farmer awakens…
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