Eli Roth Headshot - P 2011
David Livingston/Getty ImagesEli Roth and his latest horror flick, Aftershock, will be center stage at the inaugural Stanley Film Festival, a new horror festival set in haunted landmark Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
The hotel is not only one of the great historic hotels in the West but is on the list of notable haunted edifices in the country. It also served as inspiration for Stephen King to write The Shining after he stayed there.
The festival is bestowing its Visionary Award to Roth for his contribution to independent horror while Aftershock will close out the program, which runs May 2 – 5.
The feature film program, curated by programming director Landon Zakheim and programmer Michael Lerman, will feature two U.S. premieres and 13 Colorado debuts.
The U.S. premieres include 100 Bloody Acres, an Australian horror comedy from Colin and Cameron Cairnes, and Wither, a Swedish screamer about vacationers encountering an infectious creature.
Among the movies making their debuts in the state are:
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Jonathan Levine’s directorial debut starring Amber Heard which was made in 2006 but it only now getting a proper U.S. release;
Berberian Sound Studio, a British film starring Toby Jones about a motion picture sound designer’s decent into madness;
Big Bad Wolves, from Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, the filmmakers behind Isreal’s first horror movie, Rabies;
Black Rock, from Mark Duplass’ wife Katie Aselton, who also stars with Lake Bell and Kate Bosworth as friends trapped and stalked on a secluded island;
Frankenstein’s Army, a monster movie set in the final days of World War Two involving Russian solders, mad Nazi scientists, and creatures;
Henge, a micro-budget tragedy from Japan described as part domestic drama, part sci-fi;
Here Comes the Devil, a gory erotic horror thriller from Mexico;
Maniac, a remake of the 1980 co-written by Alexandre Aja and starring Elijah Wood;
Other titles include The Rambler, Tower Block, V/H/S/2 and Vanishing Waves.
Fittingly, the festival will also screen documentary Room 237, which focuses on Kubricks’ adaptation of The Shining. The hotel also served as inspiration for the book’s eerie Overlook Hotel.
The festival will additionally feature shorts, panels, student competitions and special events. The opening night film will announced at a later date.
