Ahh, October. Is there a better month of the year? (The answer is a very firm “NO”.) The temperature starts cooling off, leaves on the trees start to change gorgeous colors, and it’s SPOOKY SEASON. The entire month is full of candy, scary movies, haunted houses, pumpkin & apple flavored drinks and food items, hoodies, and Halloween itself. How could it get any better, you may ask? The annual Telluride Horror Show in the picturesque mountain town of Telluride, Colorado!
14 years. 14 years is how long this amazing festival has been running. This year is a little extra special, because the first day of the event just so happens to fall on a Friday the 13th. (I mean, seriously, how perfect is that?) I feel like this weekend keeps growing each year. 21 feature films + 35 shorts? I’m scared to think of what this thing will look like in 2035.
As someone who has been attending the festival for quite some time now, one of my favorite aspects is seeing familiar faces pop back up. Back in 2015, Stephen Cognetti premiered his haunted house/found footage classic, Hell House LLC, which took the horror world by storm. This year, he returns to bring his latest installment into that ever-growing franchise; Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor. In 2017, Joe Lynch’s extremely wild, funny, and violent Mayhem played at the Telluride Horror Show. This year, his new film Suitable Flesh will be making its Colorado Premiere. The (un)offical First Family of the Telluride Horror Show, The Adams Family, have shown up many times. First in 2019 with The Deeper You Dig, then again in 2021 with Hellbender. Continuing their every-other year streak, they are back with their most recent film, Where the Devil Roams.
It isn’t simply the returning fan-favorites that make this event so beloved, but the always increasing number of new directors, as well as the numerous countries represented at the festival. Eight different foreign countries are being represented in the feature films alone. Let’s take a look at the lineup for the 2023, 14th annual Telluride Horror Show.
FEATURE FILMS
All You Need is Death
Ireland | 2023 | 94 min | Director: Paul Duane
COLORADO PREMIERE
A couple seeks forbidden knowledge; specifically, the desire to possess songs that hold the power of modern magic. When they find an elderly woman who sings songs that have never been heard before, they open the door to an ancient evil.
Eight Eyes
USA/Serbia/Macedonia | 2023 | 88 min | Director: Austin Jennings
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Justin Martell (Producer), Emily Sweet (Lead)
A mysterious local crashes a couple’s vacation through the former Yugoslavia, pulling them deeper into his web of psychic rituals. A Vinegar Syndrome production, hosted by Theresa Mercado.
Falling Stars
USA | 2023 | 80 min | Directors: Richard Karpala, Gabriel Bienczycki
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Richard Karpala
On the first night of harvest, three brothers set out for the desert to see a witch’s corpse. Short film alum Richard Karpala (“Iris”, 2015 Telluride Horror Show, and “Psychos”, 2021 Telluride Horror Show) returns to the festival with his feature directorial debut, co-directed by Gabriel Bienczycki.
Frogman
USA | 2023 | 80 min | Director: Anthony Cousins
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Anthony Cousins with Cast & Crew
Three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman are about to find out he is more than just a local legend…. Short film alum Anthony Cousins (“When Susurrus Stirs”, 2016 Telluride Horror Show, and segments in Scare Package and Scare Package II, both Telluride Horror Show selections) returns to the festival with his first feature film.
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
USA | 2023 | 97 min | Director: Stephen Cognetti
WORLD PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Stephen Cognetti
In 2021, a group of internet sleuths travel to the remote Carmichael Manor, deep in the woods of the Rockland County, New York, site of the infamous 1989 Carmichael family murders that have gone unsolved to this day. What they discover are secrets that have been hidden away for decades and a terror that has been lurking in the shadows long before Hell House LLC. In 2015, Hell House LLC premiered at the Telluride Horror Show. We welcome back director Stephen Cognetti with his latest, courtesy of Terror Films.
I Will Never Leave You Alone
USA | 2023 | 93 min | Director: DW Medoff
WORLD PREMIERE
IN PERSON: DW Medoff
After being released from prison, a brooding man with a dark past is forced to stay in a haunted house to clear it of spirits. If he leaves, he goes back to prison, but the witch-ghost may be more punishment than he can withstand.
It’s a Wonderful Knife
USA | 2023 | 90 min | Director: Tyler MacIntyre
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Tyler MacIntyre
After saving her town from a psychotic killer, Winnie Carruthers’ life is less than wonderful. When she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe where without her, things could be much, much worse. From writer Michael Kennedy (Freaky) and director Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls, 2017 Telluride Horror Show), starring Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets), Joel McHale (Community) and Justin Long (Barbarian).
Never Hike Alone 2
USA | 2023 | 70 min | Director: Vincente DiSanti
WORLD PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Vincente DiSanti with Cast & Crew
FREE ADMISSION
A Friday the 13th fan film and the direct sequel to Never Hike Alone (2017 Telluride Horror Show), Never Hike Alone 2 is set three months after the disappearance of MARK HILL (Courtlan Gordon). Crystal Lake’s haunted son and part time ambulance driver, TOMMY JARVIS (Thom Mathews), has all but given up on his search for the long-lost JASON VOORHEES (Vincente DiSanti / Bryan Forrest). However, when Tommy receives an emergency call to pick up injured hiker KYLE MCLEOD (Andrew Leighty), he will once again come face-to-face with the Ghost of Crystal Lake, setting into motion the epic and blood-soaked conclusion to their deadly rivalry. Caught between the chaos is DR. DIANA HILL (Anna Campbell), who is still searching for answers to her son’s disappearance, and the ever stubborn SHERIFF RICK COLOGNE (Vinny Guastaferro), who believes Tommy is ultimately responsible for it all.
Late Night with the Devil
USA/Australia/United Arab Emirates | 2023 | 92 min | Directors: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
COLORADO PREMIERE
October 31, 1977. Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show ‘Night Owls’ that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. A year after the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America. Writer-director duo Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes craft a narrative that unfolds nearly in real time, as the taping of ‘Night Owls’ unexpectedly transforms from amusing to bizarre to deliciously sinister. In his first lead role, David Dastmalchian brings a magnetic charisma as well as layers of gravitas to the role of Jack. At its core Late Night with the Devil is a tale about the inextricable links between fame and cult of personality, modern technology and the supernatural…with plenty of insidious thrills along the way.
Lord of Misrule
UK | 2023 | 104 min | Director: William Brent Bell
COLORADO PREMIERE
Rebecca Holland (Tuppence Middleton) has recently taken over as vicar of a rural English village. When her young daughter Grace (Evie Templeton) goes missing at the local festival, the villagers and local police join in a desperate search. However, the closer they edge towards finding Grace, the more secrets emerge from the village’s dark past. Soon, Rebecca must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to rescue her daughter from the grip of evil.
Sleep
South Korea | 2023 | 95 min | Director: Jason Yu
COLORADO PREMIERE
Hyun-su (LEE Sun-kyun, PARASITE) and Soo-jin (JUNG Yu-mi) are newlyweds. Seemingly out of nowhere, he starts talking in his sleep. “Someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, he transforms into someone else with no recollection of what happened the night before. Soo-jin is overwhelmed with anxiety that he’ll hurt her family while she sleeps and can barely sleep a wink because of this irrational fear. Despite sleep treatment, Hyun-su’s sleepwalking only intensifies, and she begins to feel that her unborn child may be in danger…
Suitable Flesh
USA | 2023 | 99 min | Director: Joe Lynch
COLORADO PREMIERE
Successful psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby has brutally murdered her young patient Asa Waite. Locked up in a psych ward, she recounts to her friend Dr. Daniella Upton an insane, obsessive tale of erotic attraction, out-of-body experiences, ancient curses, grisly deaths and unspeakable evil. The things Elizabeth has felt, seen and done have destroyed her marriage, ruined her reputation, left bodies in her wake, and led her to a ‘kill or be killed’ desperation. If Daniella doesn’t believe her now, more deaths will follow, and Elizabeth will be forever lost. But who would believe such a mind-bending story? And worse, if it is all true, who will be left to tell it? From the director of Mayhem (2017 Telluride Horror Show), Suitable Flesh is an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation inspired by Stuart Gordon’s horror legacy, starring Heather Graham, Barbara Crampton, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, and Jonah Ray.
The Coffee Table
Spain | 2023 | 90 min | Director: Caye Casas
COLORADO PREMIERE
Jesus and Maria are a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A fateful decision that will change their existence…
The Origin
UK | 2022 | 87 min | Director: Andrew Cumming
COLORADO PREMIERE
A small boat reaches the shores of a raw and desolate landscape. A group of six have struggled across the narrow sea to find a new home. They are starving, desperate, and living 45,000 years ago. First they must find shelter, and they strike out across the tundra wastes towards the distant mountains that promise the abundant caves they need to survive. But when night falls, anticipation turns to fear and doubt as they realize they are not alone. Terrifying sounds suggest something monstrous at large in this landscape, something that could kill or steal them away. As relationships in the group fracture, the determination of one young woman reveals the terrible actions taken to survive.
The Sacrifice Game
USA | 2023 | 99 min | Director: Jenn Wexler
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Jenn Wexler, Heather Buckley (Producer)
The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep – just in time for Christmas. The latest feature from Jenn Wexler, director of The Ranger and producer of Larry Fessenden’s Depraved and Mickey Keating’s Darling (2015 Telluride Horror Show), starring Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Olivia Scott Welch (the FEAR STREET franchise), and Telluride’s own Gus Kenworthy.
Vincent Must Die
France | 2023 | 115 min | Director: Stéphan Castang
COLORADO PREMIERE
Vincent is just an average guy working at an average job with an average life when he is violently assaulted by an intern out of the blue, which soon develops into escalating attacks by random strangers for seemingly no reason.
When Evil Lurks
Argentina | 2023 | 100 min | Director: Demián Rugna
Special Theatrical Presentation courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder
The residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape before the evil is born, but it may be too late… A shocking supernatural thriller from the Argentine master of horror and director of Terrified (2018 Telluride Horror Show).
Where the Devil Roams
USA | 2023 | 93 min | Directors: Zelda Adams, John Adams, Toby Poser
COLORADO PREMIERE
IN PERSON: Zelda Adams
A family of traveling sideshow performers traverses the harsh conditions of Depression-era America on a bloody search for eternal life. The Adams Family, directors of “The Deeper You Dig ” (2019 Telluride Horror Show) and “Hellbender” (2021 Telluride Horror Show), continue to take the indie horror world by storm!
You’ll Never Find Me
Australia | 2023 | 96 min | Directors: Indianna Bell, Josiah Allen
COLORADO PREMIERE
An isolated man living in the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened – but who should really be afraid? A bold directorial debut from filmmaking duo Josiah Allen & Indianna Bell, this sharp, twisted contained thriller features outstanding performances from Jordan Cowan and Brendan Rock.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Mickey Keating
GUEST HOST
Mickey Keating is a writer, director, sometimes TV show host, and Telluride Horror Show diehard. He first arrived in the mountains in 2015 to premiere his black & white freakout DARLING, and later returned with 2017’s PSYCHOPATHS, then again in 2021 with the folk horror movie OFFSEASON. He is thrilled to be joining the festival once again this year and is looking forward to many more returns.
Adam Cesare
GUEST AUTHOR
Adam Cesare is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning Clown in a Cornfield series, the Dark Horse Comics graphic novel Dead Mall (with art by David Stoll), and several other novels and novellas including the cult hit Video Night and the upcoming YA psychothriller Influencer. Clive Barker called him “an author who knows how to make us afraid.” And, yes, that blurb’s going on Adam’s tombstone.
Gabino Iglesias
GUEST AUTHOR
Gabino Iglesias is a writer, editor, literary critic, and professor living in Austin, TX. He is the author of The Devil Takes You Home, Coyote Songs, and Zero Saints.His work has won the Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, Wonderland, and International Latino Book awards. He has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Locus, Reading the West, and Dragon awards.
Jeremy Robert Johnson
GUEST AUTHOR
Jeremy Robert Johnson is the author of The Loop, Skullcrack City, In the River, and Entropy in Bloom. 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. A long-time member of the Telluride Horror Show family, Jeremy is “a defining name within the [bizarro] genre. His work is most aptly described as a mixture of all these things — thrillers that become bloodbaths, horrors that blend into fantasies, and apocalypses that transcend into high art” (Los Angeles Review of Books).
THURSDAY NIGHT SHOWS
Get primed for the Telluride Horror Show with two horror classics at the Nugget Theatre.
Thursday, October 12. FREE ADMISSION.
The Changeling
Canada | 1980 | 106 min | Director: Peter Medak
4K Restoration by Severin Films
Severin Films presents the fully restored 1980 gem that made Martin Scorsese’s 11 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time list. This movie represents a career peak for both star George C. Scott and director Peter Medak (THE RULING CLASS.) Oscar-winner Scott delivers major feels as a classical music composer consumed by grief after his wife and daughter are killed in a shocking accident. When he moves to a secluded Victorian mansion, he finds himself haunted by a paranormal entity that unleashes an even more disturbing secret. Based on actual events!
Cemetery Man
Italy | 1994 | 105 min | Director: Michele Soavi
4K Restoration by Severin Films
Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett) is the groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead just won’t stay dead – and it’s up to him to deal with those who come back to life with a hunger for human flesh. But Dellamorte’s job soon becomes much more complicated when he falls for an enigmatic young woman (Anna Falchi) whose husband has recently died. Based on the novel by Tiziano Sclavi (DYLAN DOG) and directed by Michele Soavi (THE CHURCH), CEMETERY MAN is a late masterpiece of Italian horror: quirky, gory, romantic, and unlike anything else.
We all know the movies aren’t the only draw for the overall weekend. There are many other events offered to both passholders and the general public alike. Mix that in with some amazing local food spots, hiking trails, and just overall perfect fall vibes…why are you even still reading this?
