Editorials
[Stanley Fest ’14] Why You Should Be Going Next Year
However, there are a few things that are worth noting. The Stanley Fest this year was the best time I’ve ever had at a film festival. Full stop. I say this not to brag about the time I just had, but to urge anyone and everyone who has the means to attend next year. It’s just such a great environment to view movies in. The hotel itself is iconic and fantastic, but the people make it truly special. All of the team organizing the fest, from the programmers to the publicists, are among some of the most friendly people I’ve encountered and they truly, truly care about making the event special for the attendees. They’re not just taking your money. As good as this year was I know that they were constantly evaluating the response to each and every component of the fest in order to make next year even better.
I really felt like I was among friends the entire time, and I’m hoping to see all the folks I hung out with again at the Fest next year. Again, this isn’t adventures in networking or anything, it’s about the fact that the fest is filled to the brim with people who truly love horror movies and enjoy talking about them. If you’re seeking out that kind of interaction, book a trip to Estes Park next spring.
The programming is killer. You may have already read my pieces on The Green Inferno, The Sacrament, Tales From Beyond The Pale, The Babadook and What We Do In The Shadows. I’ve got a few more interviews and reviews coming and there were also amazing films that I happened to have seen before, like Starry Eyes. That’s before you even get to the great retro screenings of stuff like Gremlins, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Who Can Kill A Child.
All of the theaters and venues are close together, with a good amount of the screenings taking place at the hotel itself. Remember that feeling you get at SXSW after you see a midnighter and realize it’s another hour at least before you can climb into bed? Not here. You’re only a few steps away from your room… or another party. There is no shortage of parties and special events on the grounds. From the opening night gala to the zombie walk and ghost tours to the closing night party.
It also doesn’t hurt that the scenery is flat out beautiful. Just as sure as being a few steps away from a party, you’re only a few steps away from a peaceful moment if you need one. You can actually take time to reflect on things here, which may sound cheesy but I found it incredibly valuable in regard to sustaining momentum.
It was also nice to see Joe Dante awarded with the Master Of Horror Award at a brunch served by zombies, cannibals and psychopaths.
And, without further adieu, here are the other award winners from the fest.
Audience Award for Feature Film
Winner: What We Do In The Shadows directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement.
Audience Award for Short Film
Winner: Here Be Monsters directed by Paul Glubb and Nic Gorman.
Jury Award for Short Film
Ghost Train directed by James Fleming and Kelly Hucker
Stanley Dean’s Cup Audience Award
Winner: Wormbug directed by Arlen Konopaki
Stanley Dean’s Cup Jury Award
Winner: Wormbug directed by Arlen Konopaki
Next year, I register for the Big Wheel race early.
The trailer for Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of A Christmas Carol raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped earlier this week. While plenty of folks initially dismissed Ebenezer as a derivative project meant to cash in on the recent wave of unnecessary prequels that expand the backstory of beloved characters (such as 2023’s Wonka), Charles Dickens’ original novel already made a point of exploring Ebenezer Scrooge’s origins in detail – meaning that this new film is likely just a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material under a different name.
Couple that with the fact that the movie is being helmed by a genuine horror auteur and I think it’s safe to say that the latest iteration of the first modern ghost story is in good hands.
That being said, one detail that immediately jumped out at me during the brief teaser (other than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to Johnny Depp’s iconic bedroom death scene from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street) is the fact that many of Ebenezer’s ghosts appear to have been directly lifted from the iconic John Leech illustrations that accompanied the first edition of Dickens’ novel.
Here are a couple of stills from the trailer compared to the original artwork:
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Phantoms in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Ebenezer’
Marley’s Ghost in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
Mainly working with old-school wood and steel engravings that would later be transferred to print, Leech was instrumental in crafting the iconic look of history’s most influential phantoms – especially since Dickens is said to have been deeply involved with the creation of these so-called “comic illustrations.”
And since the novel is commonly said to have popularized spiritualism in Victorian England, much of the ghostly iconography that we still see in genre media to this very day (including some of Ti West’s previous films) can be traced back to the author’s partnership with Leech.
Ebenezer won’t be the first A Christmas Carol adaptation to borrow heavily from these designs, but I can appreciate how Ti West is incorporating an important part of horror history into his latest film.
Ebenezer will be available in theaters starting November 13.
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