The first wave of films has been announced for the 2018 Telluride Horror Show, which will take place October 12-14th in the mountain resort town of Telluride, Colorado (elevation 8,750 ft.).
The first wave offers a diverse line-up of guest authors and an eclectic mix of anticipated features, including films about black metal mayhem and a zombie Christmas musical. It also includes a true cult classic and a bulk of the incredible short films, featuring known alumni and plenty of newcomers.
Please read on for the entire first wave of guests, features and shorts:
GUESTS
Stephen Chiodo
GUEST DIRECTOR
Director of 1988’s cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Stephen Chiodo has since established himself as a highly creative special effects director with an expertise in stop-motion animation, working with such noted directors as Francis Ford Coppola, John Landis, Joe Dante, Sam Raimi, Jon Favreau, and Trey Parker & Matt Stone. Most recently, Mr. Chiodo has developed and directed pilots for CNN, Showtime, and the Disney Channel and has been sharing his expertise by teaching stop-motion animation at the California Institute of the Arts. Mr. Chiodo joins the 2018 Telluride Horror Show for a special 30th anniversary presentation of Killer Klowns from Outer Space and will participate in a conversation following the film.
Paul Tremblay
GUEST AUTHOR
Paul Tremblay is the award-winning and best-selling author of seven novels including The Cabin at the End of the World, A Head Full of Ghosts, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, and The Little Sleep. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Shirley Jackson Awards, and his essays and short fiction have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly.com, and numerous “year’s best” anthologies. He has a master’s degree in mathematics and lives outside Boston with his wife and two children. Paul Tremblay joins the Telluride Horror Show as our 2018 Guest Author and will participate in a public reading, conversation, and book signing.
Jeremy Robert Johnson
GUEST AUTHOR
Jeremy Robert Johnson is the author of the critically-acclaimed collection Entropy in Bloom as well as the breakthrough cult novel Skullcrack City. His fiction has been praised by The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly, authors such as David Wong, Chuck Palahniuk and Jack Ketchum, and has appeared internationally in numerous anthologies and magazines. Jeremy Robert Johnson, our guest author in 2017, returns to this year’s Telluride Horror Show to host the conversation with guest author Paul Tremblay and will participate in a public reading and book signing.
Meredith Borders
GUEST HOST
Meredith Borders is the managing editor of the newly-revived Fangoria magazine and a writer for Bloody Disgusting. She lives in Houston, Texas, where she owns City Acre Brewing with her husband Matt. Meredith Borders, our guest host in 2017, returns to this year’s Telluride Horror Show to moderate conversations with special guests and other visiting filmmakers.
FEATURE FILMS
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.
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.
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.
SHORT FILMS
Baghead
UK | 2017 | 16 min | Director: Alberto Corredor
COLORADO PREMIERE
Haunted by grief, a man asks questions only the recently-deceased can answer. The dead get their say in the hidden chamber of a mysterious pub. She will see you next. You may not like what you hear.
BFF Girls
USA | 2018 | 13 min | Director: Brian Lonano
COLORADO PREMIERE
Three dorky American girls magically transform into beautiful Japanese Superheroes and fight a tampon monster as they begin their journey into womanhood.
Big Data “L1ZY”
USA | 2018 | 10 min | Directors: Brandon LaGanke & John Carlucci
WORLD PREMIERE
A typical family is terrorized in a series of commercials for a revolutionary new A.I. product.
Black Mist
USA | 2018 | 4 min | Directors: Will Kingston & AJ Koch
Black Mist is the new music video for the 40-member electronic percussion-centered group itchy-O. It was produced by Stranger Studios, a Colorado-based animation production house.
Catcalls
Ireland | 2017 | 9 min | Director: Kate Dolan
COLORADO PREMIERE
Paul cruises around late at night, looking for something. He pulls in to ask two young girls for directions, only to flash them to get a cheap thrill. Unfortunately for him, he has picked the wrong girls.
Chowboys: An American Folktale
Canada | 2018 | 8 min | Directors: Astron-6
COLORADO PREMIERE
Three hungry idiots are lost in the woods on the coldest night of the year without anything to eat.
Control
USA | 2017 | 15 min | Director: Kimmy Gatewood
COLORADO PREMIERE
A dark and touching comedy about a woman suffering from OCD who contemplates taking her own life…if she can just get everything in order first.
Crying Bitch
Japan | 2018 | 14 min | Director: Reiki Tsuno
COLORADO PREMIERE
A man, who is having an affair with a young woman, gets home late as usual. But that night, he finds something wrong with his wife.
Deep Sleeper
USA | 2017 | 1 min | Director: Ty Huffer
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Amber Hargett & Ty Huffer
Barbara’s sleep is abruptly interrupted and she can sleep through almost anything… almost.
Drum Wave
Australia | 2018 | 10 min | Director: Natalie Erika James
COLORADO PREMIERE
A young pianist is forced to confront her fear of motherhood when she marries into a remote island community with bizarre fertility rituals.
Fetish
USA | 2017 | 22 min | Directors: David Lee Hess & Richard H. Perry
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: David Lee Hess
Oddball Clark finally meets a girl he connects with, but his foot fetish threatens the relationship.
Floor 9.5
UK | 2017 | 2 min | Director: Toby Meakins
COLORADO PREMIERE
If ever an elevator stops on a floor you don’t recognize, and the doors open to a quiet plea for help, pray you hold your ground…
Gwilliam’s Tips for Turning Tricks Into Treats
USA | 2018 | 4 min | Director: Brian Lonano
COLORADO PREMIERE
This is what you wanted! Gwilliam is back and offers some tips for getting special treats this Halloween.
Hair Wolf
USA | 2018 | 12 min | Director: Mariama Diallo
In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.
Home
Norway | 2018 | 9 min | Director: Paul Gustavsen
COLORADO PREMIERE
A young woman is awakened by her boyfriend coming home after a night of drinking, but who actually came home that night?
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Austria | 2018 | 6 min | Director: Ioanes H. Sinderman
A lonesome hunter, a wildlife photographer, and a camera in the woods that took one photo too much.
Mama’s Boy
USA | 2018 | 11 min | Director: Samantha Kolesnik
COLORADO PREMIERE
A young man’s life spirals into depravity and madness when he confronts the trauma of his childhood.
Maw
Belgium | 2018 | 20 min | Director: Jasper Vrancken
COLORADO PREMIERE
Richard has an unusual fantasy: he is sexually aroused by the idea of being eaten by an animal or monster. Through a contact ad he meets the mysterious Max and with that encounter the chance to fulfill his depraved fantasy. Can Richard escape his dark desires or not?
Milk
Canada | 2018 | 10 min | Director: Santiago Menghini
COLORADO PREMIERE
On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem.
Mirror
USA | 2017 | 9 min | Director: Hadley Hillel
COLORADO PREMIERE
When Laura picks up a free mirror on the side of the road and begins to notice strange distortions, she realizes that it may have a sinister agenda.
Mongers
USA | 2017 | 7 min | Director: Jim Valosik
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Gray Creasy & Jim Valosik
A lonely man stalks a family that may not be what they seem in this combative, chaotic horror hell-ride of hunting demons both inward and outward.
Monstagram
USA | 2017 | 3 min | Director: Jerome Sable
COLORADO PREMIERE
An Instagram mom meets the monster that lives in the internet.
Mother of a Sacred Lamb
USA | 2018 | 12 min | Director: Aman Johnson
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Aman Johnson
The sudden reappearance of a missing boy brings hope and fear face to face.
Netflix & Chill
Netherlands | 2017 | 7 min | Director: Michael Middelkoop
After months of flirting and texting, a young man finally gets the message he’s been waiting for: the girl of his dreams invites him over. Her parents are gone for the weekend and she’s ready for a romantic night. As the night progresses, one guy hoping to get lucky finds out that there’s more at stake than his virginity.
No One Will Ever Believe You
Canada | 2018 | 6 min | Director: Frédéric Chalté
U.S. PREMIERE
It’s Halloween season and Lucy wants to prank her sister Maggie by giving her a good scare. However, Lucy is the one who’s about to be terrified.
Pandora
Germany | 2017 | 14 min | Director: Daniel Rübesam
COLORADO PREMIERE
Matt and Sherman are sent out to find Pandora, a legendary supreme being which is capable of deciding the fate of the world.
Penny Whistle
Canada | 2018 | 9 min | Director: Robert Cuffley
U.S. PREMIERE
When a little girl blows into an old tin whistle she finds in the dirt, something follows her home.
Petite Avarie
France | 2018 | 20 min | Directors: Leo Hardt & Manon Alirol
COLORADO PREMIERE
Laura is scared. Laura is sick. But Sylvain, her lover, is here to help. Really?
Post Mortem Mary
Australia | 2017 | 10 min | Director: Joshua Long
COLORADO PREMIERE
A mother and a daughter, Mary, who suffers from a crippling fear of death run a post mortem photography business. As Mary confronts her phobia she must do all she can to make the dead look alive…
Prey
USA | 2018 | 5 min | Director: Bill Whirity
COLORADO PREMIERE
While on a first date, a young couple finds themselves pursued by more than just each other.
Right Place, Wrong Tim
UK | 2018 | 7 min | Director: Eros Vlahos
COLORADO PREMIERE
A 90s British sitcom is taken over by clones of the lead actor and descends into chaos.
Riley Was Here
USA | 2018 | 14 min | Directors: Jon Rhoads & Mike Marrero
COLORADO PREMIERE
Several years ago, a horrific pandemic destroyed a large part of the world’s population. A vaccine was eventually created, leaving vast communities mourning their gruesomely departed loved ones. Today, a man will knock on the door of a woman who lost her child to the disease, having sought her out to explore a very particular need.
Sam Did It
USA | 2017 | 10 min | Director: Dominic Burgess
Sam is about to meet his celebrity idol… the only problem is, Sam works in a morgue… and his idol is dead.
Special Day
USA | 2018 | 7 min | Director: Teal Greyhavens
Emily is a quiet girl who comes from an unusual family. On the night of her 18th birthday, they gather together to reveal an important secret to her. It’s a secret that will shape the rest of her life…
Suspended
USA | 2018 | 8 min | Director: William Elder Groebe
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: William Elder Groebe
Ana’s nightly bus ride home makes an unscheduled and deadly stop. What will she do?
Tater
USA | 2018 | 8 min | Director: Spencer Lenzie
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
A young boy scientist must stop a space potato from killing his entire family.
The Blue Door
UK | 2017 | 9 min | Director: Paul Taylor
COLORADO PREMIERE
A district nurse, played by Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones, The Crown), is assigned a new patient living alone in a dilapidated bungalow. The nurse soon discovers that her dying patient, and the home she inhabits, are hiding a dark secret.
The Day My Mother Became A Monster
France | 2017 | 23 min | Director: Josephine Darcy Hopkins
COLORADO PREMIERE
Candice is a nine-year-old girl who lives alone with her mother since the divorce of her parents. As her birthday approaches, she is delighted at the thought of seeing her father again. Only, her mother’s attitude starts to change…plunging the fragile balance of their relationship into a terrifying nightmare.
The Front Door
UK | 2018 | 7 min | Director: Andrew Rutter
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Upon locking the front door, Steven notices some rather odd intruders.
The Hidebehind
USA | 2018 | 10 min | Director: Parker Finn
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Parker Finn
Lost deep in the forest, a lone backpacker encounters a mysterious stranger.
The Sermon
UK | 2018 | 11 min | Director: Dean Puckett
In an isolated church community in the English countryside, a powerful hate preacher prepares to deliver a sermon to his flock, but his daughter has a secret that could destroy them all.
There’s A Monster Behind You
UK | 2018 | 11 min | Director: Evan Richards
WORLD PREMIERE
Three nights. Two friends. One monster.
Time Enforcer
USA | 2018 | 11 min | Director: Jimmy Nickerson
COLORADO PREMIERE
A Time Enforcer must stop illegal time travel at any cost.
Who’s That at The Back Of The Bus?
UK | 2018 | 5 min | Director: Philip Hardy
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Alone on the top deck of the night bus, an old lady is haunted by an unlikely apparition.
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
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, returns to Telluride with a special animated shorts block gleaned from major film festivals across the globe. The creative, visual program includes drawn, computer-generated and stop-motion animation films. But you heard it here first: Do NOT bring the kiddies…
All Your Favorite Shows!
USA | 2015 | 5 min | Director: Danny Madden
Anything you wanna watch in the palm of your hand. Crazy convenient…crazy.
Attack of the Potato Clock
USA | 2018 | 3 min | Directors: Victoria Lopez & Ji young Na
WORLD PREMIERE
In an 80s elementary school, a mutated potato clock rises from death on a stormy night to get revenge on Hilda, the cafeteria’s lunch lady who is chopping potatoes, creatures of his own kind.
Drawn & Recorded: Blondie Escapes
USA | 2017 | 3 min | Director: Drew Christie
Before she was blond(i)e, Debbie Harry was a brunette bunny, which made her prey for one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history.
Drawn & Recorded: Johnny Horton’s Last Ride
USA | 2017 | 4 min | Director: Drew Christie
Rockabilly star, Johnny Horton, had a dark premonition. Would it come true?
First Bite
USA | 2014 | 4 min | Director: Drew Christie
This animated vampire tale is based on an original 18th Century written account from the Balkans.
Hybrids
France | 2017 | 6 min | Directors: Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Yohan Thireau, Romain Thirion
When marine wildlife has to adapt to the pollution surrounding it, the rules of survival change.
Nothing to Declare
Scotland | 2017 | 8 min | Director: Will Adams
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
An adventurous young backpacker returns home on Christmas Eve, eager to see his beloved family. He discovers that, despite meaning well, a contraband package that he sent his sister from the Amazon jungle has inadvertently had catastrophic consequences for everyone at home.
Sog
Germany | 2017 | 10 min | Director: Jonatan Schwenk
After a flood, some fish got stuck in old trees. In danger of drying out, they scream sharply. Woken up by the noise, the inhabitants of a nearby cave don’t feel happy about the unintended gathering.
The Autopsy of Sven Svensson
Israel | 2017 | 6 min | Directors: Shir Pakman & Hadas Coen
A pathologist’s daily routine is being interrupted when he encounters a body in his image.
The Death, Dad & Son
France | 2017 | 14 min | Directors: Denis Walgenwitz & Winshluss
COLORADO PREMIERE
Death’s son doesn’t want to take over the family business. His secret dream to become a guardian angel triggers a succession of mishaps – and his dad will have to get him out of this mess.
The Other
Poland | 2018 | 5 min | Director: Marta Magnuska
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
While waiting for the arrival of the mysterious newcomer, people keep on guessing who is he. The blurry vision of the stranger takes shape the way his presence feels almost real. The initial excitement of the crowd turns into anxiety.
The Subject
Canada | 2018 | 10 min | Director: Patrick Bouchard
COLORADO PREMIERE
An animator dissects his own body, extracting memories, emotions and fears that will nurture his work. As he cuts into his skin with a scalpel, various symbolic objects recalling his past emerge. Reaching the heart after cracking his ribs, he succeeds in identifying the burden he’s been dying to cast off.
Winston
USA | 2017 | 6 min | Director: Aram Sarkisian
Through a series of letters written to his younger brother Marcus, we get inside the mind of a man (Winston), who slowly falls into his own hell, by his own means.
Telluride Horror Show
The Telluride Horror Show, Colorado’s first and longest-running horror film festival, returns for its 9th edition October 12-14, 2018. Every year, the festival attracts the latest & best horror films from all over the world and attendees from all over the country for an intimate gathering of genre film fans in the world-famous mountain resort town of Telluride, Colorado. For three days and nights, experience an eclectic mix of horror, suspense, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi and dark comedy in Telluride’s historic Sheridan Opera House, Nugget Theatre, and Palm Theatre, with many of the films showing for the first time in the US. If you love horror, and film, then you can’t miss this fest. Named one of the “20 Coolest Film Festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine.
3-DAY PASSES & 6-PACKS: 3-Day Passes and 6-Packs are available for Telluride Horror Show 2018! Visit our website for details: PURCHASE PASS NOW.
FESTIVAL LODGING SPECIALS:
October is the most affordable month to visit Telluride and we’re excited to have Alpine Lodging Telluride back as our official lodging sponsor. Discounted festival rates start at only $107/night! Hotel rooms, condos and private homes are now available. Click BOOK MY STAY for more info.
