This year marked my first visit to the Telluride Horror Show, and oh man, what a time! I can’t believe I didn’t know about this before, but I’m so grateful that I do now. It’s been going on for 16 years, and is one of the premiere horror film festivals in the world, right in my back yard! The setting and people were amazing and the programming lived up to the hype.
I was really surprised by the non-film events, and one in particular really stuck with me. I have to give a little shoutout to Grady Hendrix’ “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls - LIVE” where he gave an amazing talk on the history and impact of witches and witchcraft throughout history. It was beautiful and emotional and really made me grateful for the witchy women in my life who helped make me who I am. I haven’t been able to find a recording of it anywhere, but if I do, I will link it here in the future.
Feature Films
Onto the films! The features are definitely what brought me out to Telluride. I will avoid spoilers and won’t do synopses or anything like that. Instead, I’ll focus on my impressions in general, why they stand out in my memory, and who I think they are most for. This list isn’t a complete accounting of what I saw, just my top few, and there were even more I had to skip. There was no way to see them all. Check out the complete lineup for 2025 to see the full list.
Shelby Oaks
This is one of the bigger titles of the show, and was chosen for the closing screening. The buzz it’s creating is well-earned. I listened to an interview with the director, Chris Stuckmann, and he said the found footage sections were done mostly as a way to stretch the budget, which surprised me. The combination of found footage / mockumentary and traditional storytelling are masterfully intertwined in a way that creates something that I think is entirely new. A great example of constraint pushing us to new places in art. Try to go into this one cold if you can! The trailers even have some light spoilers in them.
If you’re a fan of found footage or supernatural / possession movies, this will probably be something you enjoy. I can’t decide if this or Mother of Flies is my favorite feature of the festival.
Mother of Flies
The other big buzz creator on my shortlist was Mother of Flies. This is the latest from the Adams Family (John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser), who have fully cemented their place in the history of indie horror with this one. I had heard of them before but this was my first experience of their work. I’m definitely going to be going through their catalog and catching up now!
Really well crafted and emotional, this one will appeal to lovers of folk and supernatural horror alike. The world that is created here is enthralling, with clear ties to real folklore but also creating new lore to play with.
It Ends
I couldn’t stop thinking about It Ends after seeing it. It’s beautifully crafted, interesting, and has some great performances in it. It’s definitely weird, and eschews a lot of expectations about what a “movie” should do. I found it really striking, and I think it will find a huge cult following. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a broad release.
This one just barely counts as a horror movie in my mind, and if I had to pick a sub-genre I would put it in Cosmic or Existential horror. If you enjoy your horror coming in the form of creeping dread that may not reach a big climax, you’ll enjoy It Ends. I personally can’t wait to see what this team does next, especially director Alexander Ullom.
Blood Shine
Blood Shine squarely hits all my major flavor centers. Isolation, cults, gore. One of the most visually beautiful films I saw this weekend, it has continued to linger in my mind for weeks after seeing it. It’s a great example of how even a small movie can have a big impact.
I hope Blood Shine gets picked up by Shudder or another streamer like that because more people deserve to see it! If you are into folk or religious horror it will be right up your alley. The creators, Emily Bennett & Justin Brooks, have earned a permanent place on my “ones to watch” list going forward with this one.
We Bury the Dead
I was skeptical of yet another zombie movie, but with big names attached (starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Zak Hilditch) I decided to set my skepticism aside and check it out anyway, and I’m glad I did. They take the base concept in a few interesting directions. I particularly liked that the zombies are created by a singular event rather than a disease or toxin so there’s no risk of infection. It makes the story feel more like a natural disaster response than a survival horror. That fresh angle, combined with the personal story at its core, should keep even non-horror fans engaged.
I fully expect We Bury the Dead to get a wide release, and when it does, it’s well worth the time.
Shorts
Shorts are often hard to find outside the festivals, so I made sure to catch as many as I could, even if it meant missing a feature I was interested in. Of the shorts I saw these are the ones that I most want to revisit, though there were many many more that I really enjoyed. I’ll keep my blurbs on them minimal since they so often rely on getting in one good gut-punch, so I don’t want to accidentally blunt that.
The Chosen
Directed by Brady Richards. Easily my favorite short of the festival, and contains maybe my favorite overall moment too. I had a chance to have a conversation with Brady (who also is an organizer for the festival) which was a lot of fun. After being involved with the Horror Show for some years he thought, “Hey, maybe I can do this too” and I think he did a great job. I hope he does more!
Harvester
Directed by Charlie Schwan. The log line from the lineup is “A woman forms a pact with a dark entity in exchange for a glimpse into her tormented past.”, and I’ll just leave it at that. If you get a chance to see this, do it!
Heirlooms
Directed by Dan Abramovici. This really has the feel of something that could be fleshed out into a feature. I really hope someday it is. We only get a glimpse of something that I’m sure has a lot of story built up behind it, and I’m eager for more.
Väsen
Directed by Kiggs. Great little snippet of a Swedish folk tale that is perfectly paced. From the moment it starts you know where it’s going to go and the build up to the inevitable end is delightful.
Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks)
Directed by Louise Flaherty. A fascinating stop-motion story that seems inspired by Inuit folk tales. I loved it not only for the quality of the production, but also for bringing a new story and perspective.
What’s in Your Bag?
Directed by Béla Baptiste. A great little shocker in the best tradition of gonzo shorts. You can tell they knew exactly what they wanted to do, and their execution was perfect!
Sleep Tight
Directed by Grace Presse. A tight little gross-out scare that left me wanting more. Don’t watch before bed!
Next Year!
I see that the dates for 2026 have already been announced, October 16-18, and I’ve already got my calendar blocked. This is definitely going to become a high point of my year.