Telluride Horror Show’s Author Roll Call

As I said when they dropped their lineup last week, one of my favorite parts about Telluride Horror Show is their literary programming. The three-day genre festival – which kicks off on Friday in eye-popping Telluride, Colorado – never fails to bring some of the most fascinating and prolific authors working in the genre, and every year I find a new writer to love thanks to events like the Horror Book Fair and Creepy Campfire Tales.

This year's no different: in anticipation of Sarah Langan's attendance at the fest, I read her books The Keeper and The Missing this month, and I'm absolutely floored by the dark poetry of her words. Langan will be joined by other authors whose work I already celebrate: Grady Hendrix (Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, My Best Friend's Exorcism), Fango columnist Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians, The Indian Lake Trilogy), Daniel Kraus (Rotters, Whalefall), and Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts, Horror Movie), and as always the programming will be led by author Jeremy Robert Johnson (The Loop, Skullcrack City).

Read on for more about Telluride Horror Show's literary programming, and get your pass HERE.

TELLURIDE, Colo. — Long recognized as one of the nation’s premier genre film festivals, the Telluride Horror Show has also become an essential gathering for the horror literary community. When the festival returns to the majestic mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, October 10 through 12, 2025, it will once again offer a weekend that not only celebrates horror on screen, but also pays tribute to the storytellers redefining the genre on the page.

While the festival's film program includes the Colorado premieres of Bryan Fuller’s DUST BUNNY, starring Mads Mikkelsen, and Chris Stuckmann’s SHELBY OAKS, the literary programming has steadily become one of Telluride Horror Show’s most beloved elements. Over the course of the weekend, readers and writers alike will find a slate of immersive events that bring the written word to life in uniquely atmospheric ways.

The festival’s signature literary event, Creepy Campfire Tales, has grown into a fan-favorite tradition. Free and open to the public, guest authors read chilling excerpts of their work under the stars, gathered around a crackling fire in the mountain air. It is an experience that goes beyond the typical reading or book signing, creating an intimate and eerie space for storytelling that is both raw and unforgettable.

Returning to moderate the annual Horror Summit, author Jeremy Robert Johnson will lead thought-provoking conversations with this year’s guest authors. The Summit gives audiences a rare look at the creative lives of these writers, exploring what inspires their stories and how they see horror evolving in both fiction and culture.

The weekend also features the Horror Book Fair, where fans can meet their favorite authors, discover new voices, and get books signed in a casual, welcoming setting.

This year’s guest authors represent some of the most influential and dynamic voices in contemporary horror fiction. Grady Hendrix, widely known for How to Sell a Haunted House, The Final Girl Support Group, and the cult-favorite Paperbacks from Hell, returns with his signature blend of sharp wit, cultural insight, and supernatural suspense. Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and My Heart is a Chainsaw, brings his award-winning, deeply personal approach to horror that fuses folklore, identity, and visceral storytelling.

Paul Tremblay, whose unsettling novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted into the feature film KNOCK AT THE CABIN, adds his cerebral brand of psychological and existential horror to the lineup. Sarah Langan, a three-time Bram Stoker Award winner, joins with recent work such as Pam Kowolski Is a Monster and her forthcoming novel Trad Wife, continuing her exploration of dread through emotionally charged, character-driven fiction.

Daniel Kraus, whose collaborations with Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER) and George A. Romero (THE LIVING DEAD) have made him a vital voice in genre literature, brings a uniquely cinematic perspective to his storytelling. Rounding out the roster is Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop and Skullcrack City, whose work blends body horror, speculative fiction, and literary craftsmanship into bold, often unclassifiable narratives.

Set against the sweeping landscape of the San Juan Mountains and hosted in one of the most beautiful towns in the country, the Telluride Horror Show is more than a film festival. It is a celebration of horror in all its forms and an essential event for anyone interested in where the genre is headed next.