Detox Inn

Andreas Elsener

Andreas Elsener was born in Zurich in 1991 and graduated in Classical Archaeology and film studies from the University of Zurich in 2018.
His psychological horror short „Pressure Drop“ premiered at the 2021 Neuchâtel Int. Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) before it was screened at various festivals around the globe. His western short „Bounty for Bernadette“ won various awards at film festivals around the world. With his horror short „Detox Inn“ he finishes this trilogy of genre short films all filmed in the Swiss alps.
He also directed the documentary feature „Monte Iato – The Story of an Excavation“ that was also his master thesis in Classical Archaeology. The film premiered at the Archeofilm in Firenze and was released theatrically in Switzerland. In addition the film was awarded the audience award at the Rassegna Internazionale del Cinema Archeologico in Rovereto.

Director Statement

„DETOX INN tackles very current topics: the dependency on technology, social media, and the illusionary world they create. Parallels are drawn between our relationship towards social media and technology on one hand, and a toxic relationship on the other.
These contemporary themes are embedded in the rich imagery of the Swiss Alps, with its legends, myths, and ghost stories surrounding witches.
The contrast between modernity and tradition forms the essence of the film, which runs through the story on various levels.
My goal with DETOX INN was to create a horror film that demonstrates it is possible to produce genre films with serious themes and depth in Switzerland – a country where there unfortunately is no real tradition of genre films.