Telluride Horror Show (#telluridehorrorshow) is officially a week away! The virtual event will showcase some much-anticipated feature films and the always-entertaining short blocks! As evidenced by our preview of the first wave of teasers, this will be another fantastic year of THS, but the second wave of teasers takes the anticipation to another level...Check out our highlighted films below from the second wave, see the whole list here, and be sure to get your virtual passes for the festival!
Second Wave Highlights
Feature Films
Bloodthirsty
A singer/songwriter travels to a remote house where a mysterious music producer promises success for her much-anticipated second album. As her sanity starts to collapse and the producer is not what he seems, she must choose whether to conquer her fear of transformation, or run.
A festival darling thus far in 2020, this superb balance of body horror and rising tension carries as much heart as it does horror. This may be one of those transcendent horror films that can touch a wide array of audiences.
Faking a Murderer
Two filmmakers go in search of a man they believe to be a serial killer, but they may be in over their heads.
While not supernatural in structure, this film gives me vibes of Digging up the Marrow, with its documentary style approach that increases the realism beyond the conventional found footage genre. The power of this film lies within its realistic tone that tricks your brain into believing that this might actually be happening. This one could surprise us.
The Oak Room
Several seemingly unrelated stories in a bar weave into violence.
So...I can't really tell what this movie is about, and that makes me want to see it even more. It looks like a fun mystery with some big twists and a promise of a violent clash at some point. What's not to get excited about here?
Possessor
From Brandon Cronenberg, "Possessor" follows an assassin who takes over other bodies to carry out her kills.
Every year I cross my fingers for a particular movie to hit THS and I am never disappointed. This year, THS has scored again with my most anticipated movie of 2020 (it was tied with Antlers, but...that got pushed...). I am a fan of the Cronenberg directing lineage and this anime-esque premise sounds right up my alley. I can't wait to finally see this already critically-acclaimed movie.
Reunion
A pregnant woman visits her estranged mother, but the tense reunion grows terrifying.
Film plots tend to come in pairs. This movie feels like it would pair nicely with Relic, which was a fantastic haunted house tale about the horrors of dementia and our culture's apathy for caring for the elderly. If Reunion holds a similar emotional weight and tense atmosphere, it will be a must-watch.
Short Films
50 States of Fright: Red Rum
A group of social influencers descend upon the infamous "Shining" locale, the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, only to find the spirits that haunt the place are not only on screen.
50 States of Fright the brightest spot on a struggling streaming platform. It's a shame, because 50 States offers some of the best anthology horror ever. I can't wait to see the Colorado incarnation of the series!
Don't Let It In
A woman encounters a terrifying entity in the Everglades.
Anything alluding to a creature or monstrous entity is going to grab our attention. Set it in the Everglades...and now it's one of our most anticipated shorts of THS!
Hospital Dumpster Divers
Hospital waste causes a mutant troll to be born from a dumpster.
This short feels like an 80s B-movie homage stuffed with whacky practical effects akin to Ghoulies. From the synopsis and screenshot, it appears to have that wonky self-awareness that will make it horror-comedic gold.
Morbus
A couple falls upon an abandoned vehicle pile-up on an isolated road.
The synopsis sounds interesting to me because it's hard for me to picture what exactly an abandoned vehicle pile-up looks like. I've never heard of such a thing. How would that happen? I sense something supernatural is afoot...And the screenshot looks promising.
Drawing
A painter struggling with a recent miscarriage begins to obsess over her artwork she is a drawing in a seemingly otherworldly sketchbook.
I'm drawn (pun happened) to the marriage between artwork and horror. While it contained quite a bit of satire and more of a commentary to the fine arts world, Velvet Buzzsaw was a very intriguing film to me. This appears to take the world of art more seriously and with more emotionally dire consequences...perhaps in the realm of The Devil' Candy, which was also a wonderfully dark and impactful film.
The Relic
A group of adventurers come across an ancient object that may house the end of the universe.
An ominous plot and intriguing screenshot make this a highly-anticipated short for Efrit and I. It could tackle a broad spectrum of horror and they all are likely to deliver.
Tea Time
A little girl's tea party with her dolls turns violent.
Pure scares and horror-comedies are the safest bets for success in horror shorts, and this one looks like it'll pay off big in the horror-comedy arena. I have a feeling I'm in for a good, morbid laugh.
These are just some of the feature films and shorts previewed from the second wave of the THS teasers. Check out their site for all of the content you can expect to see! We are incredibly excited for the lineup this year and to experience the online format (though, of course, we'll miss seeing everyone in person in Telluride)! Check out our podcast in the next couple of days as we discuss our most anticipated films and shorts from the second wave, and be sure to get your virtual pass for the festival next week! See you online!
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