Good Morning!
As I said in our AEW recap, this one’s gonna be a little bit different. We’re decorating the Let’s Watch Some Wrestling page for Halloween, i.e. doing a post on the movies we watched at the Telluride Horror Show, a three-day movie festival in the lovely box canyon of Telluride, Colorado.
It’s an amazing festival in the most beautiful small town, made even more perfect as the aspen trees that fill the area are all exploding with colors in October. The people are welcoming, the food in town is great, the beers are plentiful, and the movies are always amazing. I’ve never not liked a movie at the Show, and I’m sure that’s due to the careful curation of the people who set this thing up.
There were three of us this year, which is one more than usual! Our movie lovin’ pal joined my wife and me for a weekend of drinks and movies and fun, and she was a blast. As a more outgoing person than either me or Mrs. Pequeno, she made the random chats we had with strangers even easier than they usually are. However, it’s pretty easy to start a chat with nearly anyone in line or while seated before a flick -- these are people who LOVE movies, and love talking about them.
We didn’t catch every movie -- simultaneous screenings in three different theaters over the course of three days made that impossible, especially since some movies are only shown once. However, we tried to eliminate movies that were going to be on Shudder soon, or movies that looked like they would have a wide release based on notable stars or directors.
We caught eleven feature films and two short film blocks while in Telluride, adding up to, well, a lot of time sitting in dark theaters. However, we never really felt rushed except for the one time, and even then we planned around it by having Mo scout ahead to lock in a spot in line for our group of three. I made sure to put notes into my phone after each screening, and at the end of the festival I think the three of us had a consensus on the movies’ ratings, as well as individual favorites.
1978, BLACK SPINES, FRÉWAKA, TRIZOMBIE, and GET AWAY were the ones we missed, but I’m hoping to do kind of a mini-marathon of films we’ve missed from the five Horror Shows we have attended so far, so maybe we’ll get lucky and those are streaming somewhere soon. That’s what JustWatch is for, right? (In case you’re unaware, JustWatch is an app and website that tracks what movies are streaming where. You punch in a title and it tells you which of the dozens of streaming apps carry that film, and whether it’s streaming on a paid or ad-supported service, or available for rental or purchase. It’s free and super handy!)
So, without further ado, what follows is some short, spoiler-free movie reviews. Movie ratings are out of five skulls, and trailers have been inserted where they’re available.
💀💀Day One💀💀
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire 💀💀
A fictional true crime documentary, following the aftermath of a serial killer’s occult murders in southern California. It was kind of like a mockumentary, except instead of poking fun at its subject matter, it shows things they wouldn’t in a real one. It didn't really get into its supernatural elements as much as I would have liked, which was a bummer for me because I thought that was the most interesting part of the story they were telling.
Problem is, STRANGE HARVEST also didn't do the cop stuff great either. Our friend is a fan of true crime and documentaries in that genre, and she was immediately turned off by the unrealistic portrayal of the police.
The killer’s mask was spooky in a "weird interpretation of the leprechaun meme" way, so points for that! And there were genuine moments of unease, as well as some good scares.
The Rule of Jenny Pen 💀💀💀💀
I would call this movie less of a horror film and more of a reflection on aging and how we treat the elderly. Fantastic performances by John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush in this great movie about a judge (Rush) who ends up in a care facility that’s run by mostly indifferent folks and dominated over by a cruel man with a menacing little hand puppet (Lithgow).
I felt a lot after this screening, but mostly because it really makes you think about things like elder care and our own mortality, in a way. There are some scenes that literally made me tear up, and others that made me laugh. It’s also a delightfully tense movie in parts, because you just know retribution is coming and you just don’t want it!
A Desert 💀💀
A moody neo-noir film that changed perspectives and protagonists throughout. Beautifully shot, with an effective third act, but you gotta be patient to get there. The main antagonist was really the high point for me, just a sleazy dude that made me uncomfortable every time he was on screen. This one wasn’t for me or the others in my group, but I’ve seen good reviews of it elsewhere by actual film-knowers so maybe it’s more your brand of vodka.
Jimmy and Stiggs 💀💀💀💀
A Joe Begos (BLISS, VFW, CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS) flick for all that means. Creative, well shot, with an interesting story behind the film.... I keep coming back to the phrase “balls to the wall.” It’s really just a chemically-enhanced blast for eighty-some-odd minutes of fun. It might have been better if it was shorter, and if we’re being completely honest it was probably the weakest of the Begos movies I’ve seen. But given the insane COVID production story behind it, it’s kind of a miracle it was made at all. Plus, it’s just fun, and I don’t like to crap on fun when I see it.
💀💀Day Two💀💀
Vault of Humor Shorts [10 Short Films]
The Box 💀💀💀
Skeeter 💀💀💀💀
Meat Puppet 💀💀💀💀💀
Hunting With The Family 💀💀💀💀
Like Me 💀💀💀💀
Deep Cut 💀💀💀
Good Deal 💀💀💀💀
The Last Thing She Saw 💀💀💀💀💀
/HAW/ 💀💀💀
Nepotism, Baby! 💀💀💀💀
This block is typically set for the Saturday morning opening slot, which is nice because it kinda eases you into the longest day of movies. I honestly enjoyed every one of these ten short films, but the standouts were Meat Puppet and The Last Thing She Saw. If you happen to find either of these on YouTube, or at a proper short film screening, go out of your way to check them out.
Spellbound Shorts [6 Short Films]
Meeting Spot 💀💀💀💀
Transylvanie 💀💀💀💀
Shadow 💀💀
Eonian 💀💀💀
Girls 💀💀💀💀💀
Les Betes 💀💀💀💀
I’ll be honest -- we usually only watch the Vault of Humor shorts collection. The schedule just worked out that we had an empty spot and some time to fill, so we wandered over to the Blob and figured if we got in, we would stick around -- with only 150 seats, that little theater filled up quickly! I was impressed by a lot of these films, though. Lots of heart, fantastic camera work, and everything looked so professional. Girls and Meeting Spot were both heartbreaking in very different ways, and Transylvanie was tense but also very cute. Les Betes was a gorgeous stop-motion short that the filmmaker told us he’d been working on since COVID times.
Dark Match 💀💀💀💀💀
Obviously I'm biased as a pro wrestling fan, but this was some grade-A horror with good wrestling scenes mixed in! The cult plot was fun, and there was a good amount of insider lingo but not so much as to confuse our non wrestling fan pal. Kills and FX were very well done and mostly practical, and I could even see Jericho using a version of this character in a real storyline on TV.
The main character, Miss Behave (played perfectly by Ayisha Issa) felt so much bigger than her situation, which I imagine was kind of the point. She just felt miles above the rest of the characters in terms of both in-ring talent and on-screen ability. Ms. Issa doesn’t have too many credits on IMDB apart from some stunt work, one-shots on TV series, and a role in The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, a horror video game. I hope this gig gets her some more work!
Also the line "Kayfabe" was perfect -- you’ll know it when you hear it. Our little audience popped big-time for that line.
Daddy's Head 💀💀💀💀💀
Terrifying in parts, sad and thoughtful in others, this was easily the scariest movie I saw at the Horror Show. Thankfully, the movie subtly explained everything that happened during its runtime, as well -- it didn’t feel the need to have a character flat-out say why what happened, happened, but enough visual cues were provided that one could easily put things together when discussing the movie afterward. Daddy’s Head is a reflection on how loss affects a kid and a stepmother who's trying her best but has her own problems too. The movie really makes you feel for these characters, and when the shit starts to hit the fan it’s far more effective because of that.
💀💀Day Three💀💀
Párvulos 💀💀💀💀
(In Spanish) A good, moving film about keeping a family together no matter what changes. But it’s also about zombies and religion... so all bases are covered. There’s a twist you’ll probably see coming about halfway into the movie, but by then you’ll be so involved with this little family of three that it won’t bother you much. It’s really a beautiful story, and while I had some thoughts about the ending, it was still a very good film.
"Adorable" - MO Good
The Severed Sun 💀💀💀
Folk horror! Possibly a period piece! Religion! Murder! Bad people get what's coming to them! This was a great witchy tale in the vein of other folk horror stories like The VVitch or Midsommar. The cast was all great, especially the father, daughter, and main antagonist. While the creature effects were a little too digital for my taste, the thing did project an impressive aura. And I think the story was more focused on the human drama than the beast itself, which was fitting. If I was more of a folk horror fella, I’d probably lean more into the four-skull range.
Dead Talents Society 💀💀💀💀💀
(In Mandarin) Good lord, all the feels with this one. A look at what it means to be seen, viewed through the lens of ghosts that have 30 days after death to earn the right to stick around. To earn that right, there’s a kind of America’s Got Talent for ghosts, with haunting licenses on the line. Hilarious, moving, and surprisingly gory in parts, this is definitely more comedy-horror than horror-comedy but it’s a great film nonetheless.
The Soul Eater 💀💀💀
(In French) So, “French Tom Hardy does parkour” is the entirety of the notes I took after this one, which doesn’t really do it justice. However, there’s a little joke we shared before this one that I want to share, because it kinda affects how we went into the movie.
Before JIMMY AND STIGGS, my wife and I were trying to explain why Joe Begos was such a big deal to us at this festival. Part of it is that we’ve just loved his movies, but another part is that our first Telluride Horror Show was five years ago, when I turned 40. He was present for that one, and his birthday is right around mine. After the screening of VFW, he answered some questions and brought out cups and a handle of Jack Daniels to do shots with the crowd before we all headed to the closest open bar to close out the night, and it was just a great experience for us.
Anyways, we were joking that we’d built up this new film and suggested a host might come out and say something like, “this film is a big detour from his previous work,” and we’d get a more reserved, nuanced movie. That wasn’t the case; however, we got that exact line from the host before THE SOUL EATER, a movie directed by two of the big names in the 90s French extremity movement: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. And while this movie has plenty of gore, it certainly wasn’t as tense, scary, or brutal as movies like INSIDE, LIVID, or THE DEEP HOUSE. It was interesting, though, and while many of us figured out the mystery pretty early into the film, there was enough going on to keep that interest throughout the movie. Good, not great, is what I guess I’m trying to say.
Presence 💀💀💀💀
This was the big festival-ender, a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh (OCEAN’S ELEVEN, TRAFFIC, CONTAGION, UNSANE) and produced by NEON. While not necessarily a scary movie, this haunted house tale was effective, and beautifully shot entirely in first-person. The acting was amazing, and the different acts felt more like a play or a family drama with a ghost showing us the conversations and events taking place in this house. It’s a good movie I probably would watch again now that I know how it plays out. This one will be in theaters in January, and I definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a slow-burn, dramatic story that happens to have a ghost behind the camera.
And that’s it!
11 films, 16 shorts, 1 first-time festival goer, 2 5th-timers, 4 amazing meals, dozens of drinks, tons of great conversations with new movie pals, infinite gorgeous views, and not nearly enough water consumed. It was an incredible weekend, as usual, and we followed it up with a wonderful pit stop in Glenwood Springs for a soak in their amazing hot springs and an early dinner at my favorite restaurant, Juicy Lucy’s.
Oh! And we bought some movies, too! Vinegar Syndrome always has a setup in the auditorium outside the Palm theater with dozens of Blu-rays of obscure films that they’ve restored. This year I went a little more nuts than usual, buying four movies and getting a fifth as a bonus from the delightful gal who runs the store:
I’ll let you know about these as soon as I get around to watching them!
Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!
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