Telluride Horror Show 2025: A First-Time Press Experience

The Journey There

It was 2016 when I first heard whispers of the Telluride Horror Show, and it sounded like something I would definitely be interested in: a secluded mountain town, crisp autumn air, and three days of non-stop scares. Now in 2025 — with a growing audience and the time/money to spare — now was the time to go! Deciding to make the trip was easy, but getting accepted as official press made the whole experience feel unreal. I honestly thought that with Telluride being such an iconic event in the horror community, there was no shot I would get accepted with my small follower count; despite that, I signed up and wrote about how this would be my first ever time there and that I could give a unique perspective on the event. To my surprise, it worked and I was selected as press! Even now I am still giddy about it.

With credentials in hand, I packed my bags (making a fun little “Pack with Me” reel) and set off for Telluride, ready to see if my impressions from afar matched the reality of high-altitude horror in the Colorado mountains.

The Festival

Telluride isn’t just a backdrop—it’s part of the show. The historic town is surrounded by towering mountains that feel equal parts stunning and ominous, setting the perfect stage for a horror gathering. I couldn’t help but make Stephen King connections, like The Shining and Misery. The festival venues, from cozy theaters (the Sheridan Opera House and Palm Theater the two I frequented most) to community spaces, made the entire event feel both intimate and electrifying. I am used to big-box theaters, so being in smaller venues with old-style seating, marquee signs, and rolling popcorn carts was an experience all its own. I felt like I was taken back to the heyday of movie nights. Pair that with thousands of horror t-shirt-wearing fans from all over the world — I was surrounded by genre excellence from mountaintop to spooky stream!

Scheduling was its own little adventure: a few days before, event staff released the full lineup. I did have some trouble deciding on what I wanted to see — so many features and shorts sounded absolutely bonkers and I didn’t want to miss out on anything! Plus, there were events like the Pig Roast and author talks. So much to do with only one me! While at the Horror Show, scheduling turned out not to be so much of an issue. The website had many different ways to view the lineup and multiple offerings of the same movies, so if you didn’t make it to one showing you’d definitely make to another. The same people we stood in line with were happy to offer recommendations for other venues if a line was too long, and there was always a murmur of audience thoughts on each movie they had seen up until that point. I myself recorded multiple before-and-after reviews as I waited for the next film to start.

Deciding which films to prioritize, when to sneak in a meal (or more likely, hot coffee), and how to balance screenings with panels and mingling seemed daunting, but with the first day down, it turned out to be a breeze. One thing I commend Telluride on was the hour-by-hour schedule: the programming was absolutely stacked and there was no room for a dull moment. As I have found at other festivals, the Telluride Horror Show‘s atmosphere was chaotic in the best way. There really is no comparison between genres of whose community makes the most out of a weekend of film screenings (horror is always the best!).

The Films

The bleeding heart of the Telluride Horror Show is, of course, the films. From blood-soaked slashers to eerie slow-burns, the lineup spanned horror in all its terrifying forms. A few films immediately caught my eye: Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon, Mother of Flies, and Shelby Oaks. These were films that I had heard of the most in non-Telluride Horror Show social media, so I knew those would be ones to seek out and destroy (as in, definitely watch).

Shorts blocks offered quick jolts of fear, with themes including “Chamber of Horrors,” “Sinister Stories,” “Uncanny Tales,” and the “Vault of Humor.” While feature-length films are my place to be scared out of my mind, I prefer shorts to be funny, so I made the most of the Vault of Humor, seeing stories about a haunted bidet (Bidet, Canada, directed by James Brylowski), a bovine connumdrum (Wall Udder, USA, Alexandra Hayden), and the perils of sitting down (CHÄIR, USA, Chris McInroy). I also sat down for Uncanny tales and was both enchanted and disturbed by What’s in Your Bag? (USA, Béla Baptiste), MurderBird (USA, Barrett Lesly Shuler), Man of the House (USA, Alex Henes), and Sicko (USA, Aman Johnson).

What stood out most was the energy in the room—audiences who live and breathe horror, reacting together to jump scares, gasps, and nervous laughter. Whether it was a breakout indie feature, a polished studio preview, or a microbudget gem, every film had its moment to shine in front of the most enthusiastic horror crowd around.

Final Thoughts

I saw 19 short films, 5 features, and one mystery Bava film (it was 1963’s Black Sabbath), a pretty good run for my first time at the Telluride Horror Show. 

As a first-time press attendee, the Telluride Horror Show was everything I hoped for and more: thrilling, welcoming, and just the right amount of terrifying. It’s a festival that proves horror isn’t just about the scares—it’s about community, creativity, and celebrating the genre we love. Many thanks to the Telluride Horror Show event staff for putting on such an awesome festival year after year, and to the filmmakers who continue to haunt my nightmares with their stories. I left the Horror Show feeling incredibly satisfied, my hunger for horror satiated. But more so I am excited to see what comes next.

Would I brave the high-altitude horror again? In a heartbeat.

Want to know more?

Visit the Telluride Horror Show website for more information on this year and past events. See what horrors I partook in during the festival on Instagram and YouTube as well!