FilmHorror MoviesNews

TOP 5 PICKS FOR TELLURIDE HORROR SHOW 2019

It’s that magical time of year again! The leaves are changing color, the smell of pumpkin spice latte is in the air, and the mutha F’n TELLURIDE HORROR SHOW (THS) is about to raise the curtain on it’s 10th and most illustrious year yet! I say it every year, but this is of my absolute favorite film festivals on planet earth. The small mountain town lends itself beautifully as a backdrop that’s equally breathtaking and ominous all in the same locale. It’s truly a place like no other, and a place you’ll never stumble upon by accident. Aside from a few local businesses and residents, the town is basically overrun with horror nerds like myself just before the town closes in anticipation of the returning 1%ers ready to enjoy the winter ski season. It has an almost ghost-town like feel, except for all the horror fans roaming the streets like zombies. Just substitute brains for genre cinema at its finest.

Festival director Ted Wilson has spared no expense in order to celebrate and do justice to the past decade of the fest, and there are no signs of slowing down. The 10th annual Telluride Horror Show will run from October 11th-13th. All films and guests have been announced, except for the secret Sunday screenings which are always a gift to horror fans. The full program can be viewed HERE, and passes and ticket packs can be purchased HERE…if they’re still available. Here are the 5 things we’re most looking forward to this year.

1. HOW REDNECKS SAVED HOLLYWOOD

First and foremost, THS will be hosting a very special engagement with the incomparable Joe Bob Briggs, bringing his HOW REDNECKS SAVED HOLLYWOOD show to the Palm Theatre on Friday Oct. 11th. Joe Bob has been an institution in the horror world for ages as the host of both Monstervision and The Last Drive-in on Shudder. During this particular engagement he’ll be presenting TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL with director Eli Craig as his guest. TUCKER & DALE was the closing night film of the first ever THS, so it seems only fitting to have this retrospective on the 10th anniversary as well. This particular event is sure to be one of the hottest tickets of the entire fest.

2. GIRL WITH NO MOUTH

Next up is the U.S. Premiere of Turkish director Can Evrenol’s newest film GIRL WITH NO MOUTH. This director has proven time and again to be one of the most interesting and adventurous filmmakers working in the horror genre today. I was absolutely blown away when I saw his film HOUSEWIFE at the 2017 THS, and not to mention his aggressive breakout debut feature BASKIN. Can is a director that never pulls any punches and absolutely goes for the jugular every time. This time around he’s bringing us his idea of a fairy tale, god knows what that means, but I’m excited to find out!

“Set in a post-apocalyptic Turkey, “GIRL WITH NO MOUTH” follows Perihan, a young girl born without a mouth due to a nuclear disaster, as she runs from hunters and joins a gang of children also born with parts of their faces missing.”

3. THE GOLDEN GLOVE

Next up for me is the highly anticipated German serial killer melodrama THE GOLDEN GLOVE.  This film has been making the rounds on the European festival circuit since February, but it just recently made its way stateside at the recently wrapped Fantastic Fest. The trailer seems to blend it’s brand of dark humor with a good bit of ultraviolence, but the tone of the film seems to be hard to put a finger on. Rumor has it that when and if it sees a wider release, it will have to be released unrated to avoid being slapped with an NC-17 rating. You had me at German serial killer melodrama! Director Fatih Akin has proven more than capable tackling serious subject matter with 2017’s Neo-Nazi thriller IN THE FADE. I’m anxious now to see what he does with an even darker subject.

“From acclaimed filmmaker Fatih Akin (Head-On, The Edge of Heaven, In The Fade) comes a gruesome tale of notorious German serial killer Fritz Honka who haunted Hamburg’s red light district in the 1970s. Based on the novel of the same name, THE GOLDEN GLOVE follows Honka as he frequents his favorite bar, the “Golden Glove,” where schmaltzy German songs move the boozy bar hounds to tears and drinking is a reflex against pain and longing. There, Honka, a pitiful loser chasing after lonely women, keeps more than just secrets in the attic.”

4. VFW

Joe Begos is undeniably one of the most Metal horror filmmakers out there right now. Aside from sharing an aesthetic similar to Rob Zombie, he also makes some absolutely wild films. Don’t believe me? Look up ALMOST HUMAN or THE MIND’S EYE. Joe shows no signs of slowing down since he has two film festival hits on his hands with BLISS and the one I’m going to see at this years THS, VFW. VFW boasts a star studded cast and looks like a neon-soaked version of GREEN ROOM crossed with RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. If that doesn’t get your spidey senses tingling, you might want to check your pulse. This is one I have been dying to see for months.

“Pitched as THE WILD BUNCH meets NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the story follows Fred and his military buddies as they must defend their local V.F.W. post – and an innocent teen – against a deranged drug dealer and his relentless army of punk mutants. These Vietnam vets have been to hell and back, but this will be the longest night of their lives.”

5. GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR

Last up on our 5 most anticipated happenings of the 2019 Telluride Horror Show is the screening of Producer  Travis Stevens’ directorial debut feature GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR. Starring none other than former WWE superstar CM PUNK (Phil Brooks). The trailer for GIRL ON THIRD FLOOR looks like one of the house renovation shows on a really bad acid trip. Travis Stevens has produced a number of worthy genre treats, and I’ll be anxious to see what tricks he’s got up his sleeve stepping behind the camera for the first time. This one promises to be a good time.

“Bursting pipes, rotting walls, and unidentifiable slime were not what Don Koch (WWE legend Phil “CM Punk” Brooks) expected when he convinced his wife Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn) that he could rehab their new Victorian home himself. In over his head, under duress, and tempted by his old weaknesses, Don soon discovers that the house has its own dark, sordid history and won’t be so easy to renovate after all….”

Yours truly will be on hand for FEAR FOREVER all weekend long to take part in the festivities. I’ll be screening as many films as possible, and who knows who you might run into walking the streets of Telluride. I know that our old friend David Lee Hess will also be in attendance hosting the “Black & Blue comedy short block”, so it’ll be nice to catch up with friends both new and familiar. Stay tuned…there’s a lot more to come.

Previous post

Film Review: Ride Your Wave (Fantastic Fest)

Next post

Film Review: Rock, Paper and Scissors (Fantastic Fest)

Andy Breslow

Andy Breslow

Andy has been a lifelong horror fan and genre journalist for close to two decades. He regularly attends film festivals and horror conventions with a personal collection of roughly four thousand films . Formerly a writer/reviewer for Bloody Disgusting, he was most recently a staff member/programmer for a prestigious Denver based genre film festival.
Although he loves all sub-genres of horror, his favorite styles are Italian Giallo and 80’s slasher films. Some of his favorite horror films include ‘Martyrs(2008)’, ‘Audition(1999)’, ‘The Thing(1982)’ and almost anything by Dario Argento.

No Comment

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.