The Stanley Film Fest: Horror in a Hotel

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 29 April 2013 10:14

Written by Renzo Adler

The old dark house is a motif prevalent throughout the horror genre. An unfamiliar locale, simultaneously ornate and pristine, whether Dracula’s castle, or the Overlook Hotel, these fictitious abodes are both alluring and terrifying. So it only makes sense that a horror film festival would be organized in such a place.

The Stanley Film Festival (May 2 – 5, 2013), innocuously named after Colorado’s “haunted and historic” Stanley Hotel (333 East Wonderview Avenue, Estes Park), focuses on horror films, both contemporary and classic. The festival opens with James DeMonaco’s Ethan Hawke vehicle, The Purge, about a not-too-distant future, where all criminal activity is permissible for a single night.

Other features being shown include the new V/H/S/2, German silent classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and a special free screening of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. There are also exhibitions of short films and student films so you can see the next batch of Eli Roths or Oren Pelis.

The Stanley Film Fest also has special events like a whiskey tasting from the hotel’s collection (the largest in Colorado), panel discussion on The Shining, a silent film screening with a live band, and a masquerade ball.

The Stanley Film Fest is clearly trying to set it’s self apart from the majority of horror film fest with its somber atmosphere and classy hotel setting. Given that this is the festival’s first year, it will be interesting to see if it can lead to a new breed of horror film fest.

To learn more, go to: http://www.stanleyfilmfest.com

Stanley Film Festival
May 2 – 5, 2013

The Stanley Hotel
333 East Wonderview Avenue
Estes Park, CO 80517

• < Prev
• Next >