Toronto After Dark
It’s been a little over a week since Toronto After Dark screened its last film of 2011. Diehard fans who took in all the genre fest had to offer have now adjusted to life without the nightly promise of blood, scares and goose bumps. But there is one ceremony that remained: the annual audience awards. Each year, audiences rate the films after viewing them, deciding the top three best feature films. In addition, following the festival, pass holders are asked to select their favourites in a number of categories and this year there were some clear choices that truly captivated...
The Woman was a highly anticipated selection at Toronto After Dark, but not in the same way as many of the other films. The movie drew such a visceral reaction from one audience member at the Sundance Film Festival, he had to be removed from the theatre. Though the people that create these types of ultraviolent pictures usually have a reason for doing so that goes beyond blood and violence, it waited to be seen whether director Lucky McKee was successful in conveying his message....
End of the world pictures are a favourite of independent directors because they provide an opportunity to create a world contained in a limited space. This Toronto After Dark‘s apocalyptic film is also it’s red carpet event. The Divide stars Michael Biehn, Michael Eklund and Milo Ventimiglia, and is from French director Xavier Gens – all of whom were in attendance for the sold out screening....
The horror anthology is a great way to showcase the skills of a variety of directors in a single film. 4bia and its sequel we’re favourites from previous years at Toronto After Dark, featuring a set of frightening tales from Thailand. This year’s collection is The Theatre Bizarre: seven stories of the supernatural and weird....
It’s often a disservice to a film to build too much anticipation or hype before a screening because regardless of how good it is, it will never be as good as one imagines it could have been. Absentia was hyped to be the scariest film to show at this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival. That’s a lot to live up to – especially with this audience....
Vampires have long been a popular monster of fiction. Bela Lugosi had a generation of teenage boys sneaking up behind girls, whispering “I vant to suck your blood.” Anne Rice gave us the romantic vampires of her series, The Vampire Chronicles. And most recently, audiences have flocked to the sparkling blood drinkers of the Twilight franchise. But there’s always someone willing to break away from the current accepted trends, creating something that appears original in a sea of the same. Toronto After Dark previously brought audiences the Swedish film adaptation, Let the Right One In; this year, they bring more...
Produced by Tom DeLongue of the alt-rock group Angels and Airwaves, Love is a stunning picture that’s been making a lasting impression along the festival circuit. Making its Toronto premiere at the After Dark Film Festival, the film delivered on all fronts, including striking imagery and a resounding soundtrack....
Some Guy Who Kills People is set to be the sleeper hit of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Though it screened at 1:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon, it was surely one of the strongest films programmed this year. Executive producer John Landis knows something about horror films, so his backing of this movie gives it a little more clout – though it’s more than capable of impressing audiences on its own merits....
The second screening on zombie appreciation night at Toronto After Dark was the world premiere of War of the Dead. The film that was in production for nearly a decade was shot in Lithuania for approximately £1.3 million ($2 million CAD). For all its expense, the film’s lengthy assembly appears to have benefitted it in some ways, but hurt it in others....
The zombie comedy is a sub-genre with a variety of hits and misses. It’s likely Shaun of the Dead will long be the film to which all others are compared. But DeadHeads is a surprising success story, as the trailer did not put the film in the best light. Nonetheless, the first film of Toronto After Dark’s zombie appreciation night is a laugh-out-loud success....
