The 2015 Mile High Horror Film Festival - Scotty's Recap

Written by Scotty

It is hard to imagine an event that I have only been to three times has gained so much love in my heart, but the Mile High Horror Film Festival has done just that.  This is one of the only events that I plan my schedule around to make sure that I do not miss one thing and I am happy it has worked out that way.  With so many great guests and films on display, this is a horror nut’s dream come true in the Denver area and if you are a lover of these films as much as I am, you need to make sure you attend.  This event leaves little to be desired and you will be hard pressed to find a more fan driven event in the city.

I don’t even know where to start with my recap since I have so many great memories, but I guess I will start with my movie experience.  I picked up tickets to see Even Lambs Have Teeth and after reading that some of the cast and crew would be there, I knew I could not let it pass me by.  After talking to Jeffrey Riddick who was lucky enough to see the World Premiere the night before, I was promised something just a little bit different and the movie did not disappoint.  I am a sucker for the strong female lead in a horror/thriller flick and the Lambs gave me two for the price of one.  After watching how revenge can come around full circle, I was pleased to talk to a couple of the cast members after and got my most important question answered, what happened to the pig mask? It is a great movie and one to check out when you get the chance, I expect big things from the cast in the future, along with the actresses' to be able to wear pants once again.

I also took in one of the Short Film Showcases that was just delightful.  Never knowing what you are going to see in these shorts, I was blown away by some of the stories that came to life in just a matter of minutes.  Ranging from the funny Bad Guy #2 to the serious Welcome to Willits: After Sundown, this grouping had something for everybody.  Although I did give my top vote to a short called Iris and the best way to describe it is SIRI who wants her owner to come clean about the murder he just committed.  But I will admit that The Barber’s Cut was second on my list with reanimated dead people trying to piece themselves together to escape the torture of watching others die in front of them and get out of the freezer.  All the shorts were great, and I just called out a couple of the ones that stood out in my mind.  Never pass up the opportunity to watch horror short films, they are just as entertaining as the feature length and leave you wanting more.

Well the guests did not disappoint once again this year and I think the main reason why is that they are all willing to take a moment to talk to their fans.  I must start with the lovely Linnea Quigley, Trash from The Return of The Living Dead. I did not know what to expect from meeting her and was pleasantly surprised with the results after seeing how playful she really is.  After talking about how awful the weather has gotten in Florida, she is looking for a place to move to and Denver might be nearing the top of the list, but it is against California and that is a hard one to beat these days. But hey, hopes are high on this one, we need more scream queens in the state.  She also was kind enough to sign my new work of art that I will get into next.

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Joe Oliver has made me believe that dreams really can come true.  After really starting to talk with him last year at the same event, I was blown away by what he had brought to the show.  After drawing the Fangoria poster for Linnea Quigley’s screening of The Return of The Living Dead, I was amazed to see he had the original along with him.  It took a moment to clear the thoughts in my head, but the original is now mine and I could not be happier about the purchase.  I must admit that Joe is going to start to rival my Robert Elrod collection here pretty soon, and I know this might cause a rift between them, but I will do my best to keep them doing what they love.  I digress, Joe was able to arrange for Linnea to sign the poster for me, and we were able to get a group picture and this will live long in my memory banks as one of the greatest events of this festival, at least for me.

My good friend Robert Elrod was also in attendance this year and I know I just said that Joe may be taking over his collection in my home, but it will still take some work.  Besides all of the amazing work that he has done in the past, Robert has been able to make some of the greatest monsters on paper that I have ever seen and I am sure at some point, I will have a room that is nothing but his Kaiju.  Yeah, I might have a problem when it comes to making art purchases these days, but you know what, there is only one way to cure it and that is to add to my collection.  Chatting about the movies we wanted to see, along with what others opinions were, it is always a good time sitting and getting his ear for a couple of minutes when he is free.  Robert will also be featuring his newest artwork against some of the greatest names in the nation in the next couple of weeks, so wish him luck, I know his work will always rank highly on my list.

OK, I know you are all waiting for it, so here it is.  The Shining signings!!!!  Like I have said previously, I love this movie, maybe too much for any man to love anything, but come on, it was the first horror movie that I did not run out screaming from and it is still hard to rival to this day.  I will admit I do have the occasional dream about elevators filled with blood opening and washing me out of the lobby, but my shrink says I have a fear of heights or something, I don’t know, I don’t really listen to him anymore. 

I first got to talk to Joe Turkel, better known as Lloyd the Bartender from the film.  Now I know he was also in Blade Runner and was kind of disappointed that the only photos he brought were from The Shining but quickly got over it.  Joe is a very animated individual and wants to make sure that you get exactly what you are looking for when making your dreams come true.  After listening to him talk to the couple in front of me of what might be best to sign on the photo for a memento in a bar, I had my idea already in my mind and was ready to say it, but Joe was just that much quicker than me.  ‘Your money is no good here Mr. Scott.’  Perfect and then he asked me my favorite drink and Jack on the Rocks came to mind.  ‘Oh, so you are pretty much Mr. Torrance’.  ‘Keep Drinking’ as he finished if off for me. Almost at a loss for words, I asked him if he had seen what is happening at the Stanley Hotel recently and told him about The Shining makeover it was getting. Then I got a quick story about Stanley Kubrick that I had not heard yet.  ‘Stanley always wanted to be able to get into your head.  Look at the main floor of the Stanley Hotel and tell me if Danny’s big wheel would be able to frighten you?  The transition between the carpet to the hardwood, then back….what are you thinking about now?’  Wow!  Mind blown and now I cannot get the image of that darn kid out of my head again!

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Then I got the pleasure of meeting the twins, Lisa and Louise Burns.  If you ever thought that the twins from The Shining were creepy at all, you are completely wrong.  When I was waiting in line to get my autograph, I was almost upset that the guy in front of me had the same idea, getting his copy of The Shining: Studies in The Horror Film signed, but I think I was privy to one of the most epic conversations known to the horror fest.  When I waited to get my picture taken with them, Lisa asked about the sign outside of the door that said No Soliciting.  In Britain, Soliciting means prostitution, so the two were confused about the problem in the Alamo DraftHouse.  Although it means no attempting to sell anything, at least in American, the two lit up when I made the comparison about selling something and a true salesman will have to sell himself as well.  I cannot lie, these two are adorable and bicker like sisters should and it is even better when you get to be the vocal point of their fun battles.  Dream come true!!!

I also bumped into Kane Hodder and Sid Haig, literally, but did not get a chance to try and chat them up. Kane was rushing over to his table to get his signing underway, while Sid was being a gentleman and holding the door open for the woman who was assigned to him. I must admit, I did feel small next to both of them, even for the short time I was next to them.  And I was envious of Sid’s beard at the time, it was much longer than I expected it to be on Friday night.  I also got a chance to chat with Jeffrey Reddick for many couple minute sessions.  He is still doing well and his Dead Awake project is in the final stages of editing, so keep an eye out for it, I promise you it will be fantastic.  

It is hard to get the Mile High Horror Film Festival out of my head and I don’t think that it is a bad thing at all.  I was happy to be able to check out some films this year and I will have to start doing more of that as next year’s event is being planned.  I cannot get over how great the guests are and they seem to get better every year, (no offense to any of the previous year’s guests, not at all).  One thing I love about this event and say every year is that is one of the few events that you get to meet your favorite stars and they will take the time to get to know you, especially if you show up for more than one day.  Mile High Horror Film Festival has found something special here and as long as it keeps coming back, I will be there as much as I possibly can to support it. Stay Scared!

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Some of the Cast and Crew from "Even Lambs Have Teeth".