We've made no secret of our fondness for the upstart Stanley Film Fest. Taking place at the historic Stanley Hotel (famous as Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining) in Estes Park, Colorado, Stanley has quickly become the premier destination horror festival. The good people of the Denver Film Society have been hard at work and have put together one hell of a program for their third edition which kicks off tomorrow. ScreenAnarchy will be representin' at the fest and we'll have plenty of updates as the weekend rolls along. But first we'll take you on a quick tour of some of the most exciting happenings at the festival, both cinematic and otherwise.
We Are Still Here
Ted Geoghegan's directorial debut is heavy on Fulci influences. With characters named after cast and crew from House By The Cemetery and set in New England, this could be a fun horror roller coaster ride of a story. Plus, Lisa Marie, Larry Fessenden, Barbara Crampton, and Andrew Sensenig star, while producer Travis Stevens (Cheap Thrills, Starry Eyes, Jodorowsky's Dune, Big Ass Spider!) will likely bring his usual Midas touch.- Izzy
Tales From Beyond the Pale Live: The Stanley Edition
With live foley work and actors, Tales from Beyond the Pale returns to the Stanley FF after a fantastic response last year. This year's edition is entitled "Parlor Tricks," and features onstage talent includes Barbara Crampton, Leon Vitali, and Larry Fessenden, along with some unannounced special guests. Audiences can look forward to spine-tingling tales by horror Renaissance man Larry Fessenden (Habit, Beneath, You're Next), as well as by April Snelling (Rue Morgue) and Glenn McQuaid (I Sell The Dead). Their stories are "Cold Reading" and "No Signal" respectively. Tales From Beyond the Pale Live takes place on Friday night at 7pm at the Historic Park Theatre in downtown Estes Park. - Izzy
Stung
This XYZ-produced creature feature debut from Benni Diez has been high on our most anticipated list for what seems like years. With its premiere a few weeks back at Tribeca came the awesome news that IFC will be releasing the film on the masses. But first, a midnight stop at Stanley. -Ryland
Cooties
The fest opens up with a screening of this SpectreVision joint directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion that Lionsgate will bring out later this year. With grade schools kids going bananas terrorizing fellow classmates and teachers (including Elijah Wood), this looks to be one fun horror comedy. What's not to love? - Izzy
Deathgasm
Deathgasm (premiered at SXSW 2015) by New Zealander Jason Lei Howdon looks hilarious. Anything that features the apocalypse, horror, and metal heads gets horns from my inner 15-year-old self. -Izzy
Extra-Curricular Activities
There are so many cool events happening at Stanley we couldn’t narrow it down to just one. From the live immersive game to this year's introduction of Virtual Reality, there's little happening in the horror world that the Stanley folks aren't sniffing around. Also on tap: Dead Right Horror Trivia brought to you by Blumhouse, ShockTillYouDrop.com, and Fangoria (one trivia night, three sponsors!), a haunted house, The Pumpkin Pie Show, and the 32-piece Itchy-O marching band (pictured), cuz... why not? -Ryland
Some Kind of Hate
After having seen a work-in-progress clip at Fantasia's Frontieres panel, I've been waiting for Some Kind of Hate to emerge. The film features gender reversal via the angry entity of a dead teen girl who was pushed to suicide from bullying (former Disney star Sierra McCormick). It looks seriously sick, and is brought to you by Adam Egypt Mortimer. - Izzy
Sun Choke
Welcome back, Barbara Crampton. We've missed you. She was previously in You're Next and stars in fellow Stanley film We Are Still Here, but this role in Sun Choke seems to put her in a particularly interesting position: as caretaker of a messed-up teenager who may not care so much how said girl turns out. Hurray for psychological horror and women on the edge! - Izzy
The Invitation
Another outing from Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body, XX), The Invitation premiered at SXSW 2015, and is reportedly a Jonestown-esque descent into cult madness. Sign me up! - Izzy
The Awesome Horror Film Community
All the cool movies and events are great, but the really amazing thing that Stanley has going for it is the incredible sense of community amongst all the attendees. People talk about the access to filmmakers at festivals like Fantastic Fest. Imagine it being a fraction of the size and tucked away in a remote mountain village. This is horror movie summer camp at its most realized. Bring it on! -Ryland