Pro Tip: The Stanley Film Festival

Most people in Colorado are somewhat familiar with The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and the eerie allure that it holds.  Redrum, come and play with us, here’s Johnny, and all of that creepy jazz.

And this week, all of that uneasiness gets compounded when the hotel serves as host to a film festival dedicated solely to our future nightmares.

The Stanley Film Festival (SFF), now in its third year, is an event that specializes in spooky soundtracks, blood-thirsty maniacs, final girls, and literally running for your life.

What exactly does this iconic destination film fest entail?  Well, nine out of ten creepy dentists agree that this is a festival that keeps getting better each year.  During this year’s gathering, attendees will be treated to a whole slew of short films, full-length features, panel discussions, horror trivia, happy hour scare zones, ghost stories, an immersive horror game, audio dramas, a haunting performance by The Itchy-O Marching Band, a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, an elaborate horror brunch (pass the eyeballs please), and more.  The best way to get an overview of this year’s fest and its scheduled events, is to view the festival program here.

Additionally, peep the list below for the festival 411 and what to expect at this year’s SFF [insert bloodcurdling scream here].

The lowdown:

• The 2015 Stanley Film Festival runs for four days, starting on Thursday, April 30th and continuing through Sunday, May 3rd, 2015.
• While you are welcome to come for just the day or night, why not make it more of an experience?  In addition to The Stanley Hotel, festival lodging is available at a number of nearby hotels/Airbnb options.
• Over 25+ full-length films from all over the world and two full shorts packages will be presented at the fest.
• Additionally, attendees can get a sneak peek at the future of horror film, with a collection of shorts from local, national, and international students in the Stanley Dean’s Cup Program.
• Films will be shown at The Stanley Hotel Concert Hall, Reel Mountain Theater, and Historic Park Theatre.  All additional events will be held at The Stanley Hotel.
• There will be three shuttle stops located at the theaters, with shuttles running approximately every 15 minutes during screening hours.
• All films run $10 for Denver Film Society (DFS) members and Estes Park residents and $12 for everyone else.  You can purchase tickets in advance through the Denver Film Society’s box office.
• DFS membership starts as low as $25 for students.
• There is one FREE family screening of The Bride of Frankenstein on Sunday, May 3 at 11:30am at the Historic Park Theatre.

Want more information?  Like the Stanley Film Festival page on Facebook and stay up-to-date on all festival happenings.

Testimonial from previous SFF attendees:

“The Stanley Film Festival is the premiere horror fest for genre fans.  It offers a huge selection of films, quirky events, spooky parties, and a chance to hobnob with filmmakers over four days, all in the world-famous haunted hotel nestled in the stunning Colorado Rockies.  A truly unique festival experience!”

“SFF is wonderful.  One of the best parts about this particular film fest is that because of the isolated location, it makes it really easy to navigate and craft your experience.  Can’t emphasize that aspect enough.  It makes it really intimate.  The programming is varied and if you wanted to just see movies for four days straight, you could, and if you wanted a good mix of film and fun, you could do that easily as well.  Every year seems like they are adding more unique events and the film selection is always well done.  Super excited for all of the additional musical events this year since music is of the utmost importance in horror films.”