Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TAD), one of the top annual showcases of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies in Toronto, officially begins tonight, October 17th! The full lineup will feature 20 screenings comprising 19 feature films and a collection of shorts; all screening over nine nights at the Scotiabank Theatre.
As TAD has become one of my favourite festivals in the city, I just had to compile a list of films for you. I think this list will entice some of you to come out and experience the fun that is TAD.
SUN, OCT 20
GROSS-OUT NIGHT – 7:00PM
SEPTIC MAN (CANADA)
From the twisted mind of celebrated writer Tony Burgess (Pontypool) comes this disturbing and disgusting tale about a sewage worker who gets trapped inside a septic tank during a water contamination crisis and undergoes a hideous transformation. Co-stars Robert Maillet (Pacific Rim), Julian Richings (Man Of Steel) and Stephen McHattie (300).
Screens with short film UNDER THE NEON LIGHTS
MON, OCT 21 – 7:00PM
ODD THOMAS (USA)
Based on the best-selling novel by Dean Koontz. In a California desert town, a young cook (Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin) with a unique ability to see supernatural forces at work, encounters a mysterious man with a link to a darkness that threatens to destroy the people around him. Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) and co-starring Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire)
Screens with short film DOWN BOB
TUES, OCT 22
SCI-FI NIGHT – 7:00PM
LAST DAYS ON MARS (UK/ IRELAND)
An intense sci-fi horror thriller about a deadly strain of bacteria discovered in the Martian soil that begins to infect a group of astronauts, turning them one by one into blood-thirsty zombies! Stars Liev Schreiber (Scream), Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) and Elias Koteas (Shutter Island)
Screens with short film THE VEHICLE
THU, OCT 24
SCARY NIGHT – 9:30PM
BANSHEE CHAPTER (USA/Germany)
A scary horror thriller about a young reporter in search of her missing friend, last seen experimenting with the same mind-altering drugs used by the CIA in the 1950s.
Screens with short film MASTER
FRI, OCT 25
CLOSING NIGHT – 9.30PM
BIG BAD WOLVES (ISRAEL)
A brilliantly constructed, award-winning, gripping crime thriller that deftly blends elements of horror and dark comedy. Two police officers kidnap a suspected brutal serial killer so they can carry out their own private interrogation in the woods.
Screens with short film CORVUS
These are some of the films that stood out for me from this year’s line up. Do not be afraid to venture out and see other films that sound or look intriguing. TAD has films for a variety of tastes. The festival runs from October 17-25 at the Scotiabank Theatre. For full festival line up, and ticketing info, visit torontoafterdark.com.