Allan Ungar’s Gridlocked may feature a premise reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, but its heart is firmly in love with the action films of the 80’s and 90’s. Harkening back to a time when odd couple pairings, bullets and explosions were a staple dish for movie goers on a Saturday night, Ungar’s […]
Category Archives: After Dark
October
19
TADFF 2015: Shut In
posted by Courtney Small
Anna (Beth Riesgraf) suffers from a severe case of agoraphobia, one that has prohibited her from leaving her house for the past ten years. Her phobia is so crippling that her only source of human interaction comes from her dying brother Conrad (Timothy T. McKinney) and a local delivery boy named Danny (Rory Culkin). When […]
October
18
TADFF 2015: The Interior
posted by rmpixie
Many a therapist will advise their clients to do internal work and explore hidden, unresolved feelings harbored, often for a lifetime. With Trevor Juras’ debut feature film The Interior, we get a literal representation of just that, but with an extremely sinister twist. Being a cog in the wheel of an industrialized, computerized and compartmentalized […]
October
17
TADFF 2015: The Hollow One
posted by rmpixie
Add two parts Hellraiser, one part A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a pinch of sci-fi; bake in the indie horror oven for an hour and forty minutes and you’ll get The Hollow One. It’s a recipe to whet the appetite of the die-hard 80’s horror fan. Family secrets riddle the Wades as father Mike […]
October
16
TADFF 2015: The Demolisher
posted by Courtney Small
There is a scene early on in Gabriel Carrer’s The Demolisher where the soundtrack blares the “I wanna feel invincible” as a vigilante in riot gear takes on some local gang members. While other directors would use this moment as a calling card to showcase the strength of the face shield wearing individual, Carrer opts […]
October
15
TADFF 2015: A Christmas Horror Story
posted by rmpixie
Christmas is traditionally considered a time for good cheer and good will among all. However, in the past, it was also known as a time for ghost stories and creepier fare, such as the European legend of Krampus. This cloven-hooved and horned entity ran amok terrorizing naughty children at Christmas. He has fast become a […]
October
14
TADFF 2015: Night of the Living Deb
posted by rmpixie
Zom-coms have become a genre that is difficult to do well. When they are successful, it’s usually because they are so over-the-top and absurd you have to laugh. With the grand-daddies of the genre in recent years being Shaun of the Dead and Dead Snow, I think the creators of Night of the Living Deb […]
October
13
TADFF 2015: The Hallow
posted by Courtney Small
Corin Hardy’s debut film The Hallow opens up with a picturesque shot of Adam Hitchens (Joseph Mawle) and his wife Clare (Bojana Novakovic) on a ship looking out at the Irish landscape that will serve as their new home. Complete with baby boy in tow, it is a serene moment for the big city couple, […]
October
03
Toronto After Dark Announces 10th Anniversary Lineup
posted by Courtney Small
The Toronto After Dark: Horror, Sci-Fi, Action and Cult Film Festival has unveiled its exciting 2015 lineup. Once again compiling an exciting array of feature films and a fantastic collection of shorts, the festival is gearing up to offer audiences tons of thrills and chills this Halloween season. The 10th annual edition of the festival […]
October
28
TAD 2014: The Babadook
posted by Courtney Small
Arriving on a stunning wave of critical praise, expectations for Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook were undeniably raised. Boosting buzz that hailed it as the scariest film of the year, many came from far and wide looking for a good jolt of fear. Due to the insane level of hype the film no doubt divided the […]
October
27
TAD 2014: Let Us Prey
posted by Courtney Small
Game of Thrones’ star Liam Cunningham gets to indulge in his darker side in Let Us Prey, an entertaining homage to the 80s genre films that the likes of John Carpenter use to make. In the film Cunningham plays a mysterious stranger, only known as Six, who appears on the outskirts of a small town. […]
October
26
TAD 2014: Time Lapse
posted by Courtney Small
In the world of science fiction, it is often forgotten that sometimes the simplest things are the most effective. Take Bradley King’s feature film debut Time Lapse for example. Despite being a tale revolving around time travel, the film rarely gets bogged down with the science at its core. In fact, King is so trusting […]
October
24
TAD 2014: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
posted by Courtney Small
The Coen Brothers are notorious for their liberal interpretation of “based on a true story”. The best example can be found in the 1996 gem Fargo, a film that opens with a stark message claiming that the crime tale was inspired by a true event. It is obvious to most that it was indeed a […]
October
23
TAD 2014: Predestination
posted by Francis McKay
Time travel tales tend to have very particular rules: you must avoid running into your past self, limit unnecessary contact with others, and do not take anything back with you to the present. Often even the smallest of actions could have severe ramifications for the future. Based on the 1960 short story All You Zombies […]
October
21
TAD 2014: Open Windows
posted by Courtney Small
In a year where hackers are routinely making the news for the sex crime of leaking photos of nude female celebrities, Open Windows is if nothing else a timely film. Nacho Vigalondo’s overly ambitious film not only sets its feet firmly within the internet sphere, but also attempts to serve as a commentary on our […]
October
20
TAD 2014: Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead
posted by Courtney Small
Picking up mere moments after the original film ends, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead finds lone survivor Martin (Vegar Hoel) fleeing the horde of gold loving Nazi zombies. After narrowly escaping the grasp of the undead Nazi general (Ørjan Gamst), Martin wakes up in the hospital only to find that he is going to […]
October
18
TAD 2014: Housebound
posted by Courtney Small
If you have ever heard a strange noise in the night, thought you saw something moving in the shadows, or even remotely entertained the notion of your home being haunted, then Housebound is the film for you. Rejecting the found footage style filmmaking that has consumed the paranormal genre in recent years, Gerard Johnstone’s sensational […]
October
17
TAD 2014: ABCs of Death 2
posted by Courtney Small
Truthfully speaking, I was not a fan of the original ABCs of Death. While I enjoy short films in general, the anthology format has always made me a bit leery. Navigating the minefield of hits and misses can be a tricky endeavour. Of the buffet of 26 titles that comprised the first film, only five […]
October
15
5 Films to See at Toronto After Dark
posted by Courtney Small
The 9th Annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival kicks off tomorrow night! Set for another year of chills and thrills, the festival has brought its share of memorable genre films to local cinephiles. Films such as Black Dynamite, Big Bad Wolves, Rubber, and The Last Exorcism have all had their Toronto premieres at the festival. […]
October
01
Toronto After Dark Unveils 2014 Roster
posted by Courtney Small
The Toronto After Dark Film Festival officially unveiled its exciting selection of films for its 9th annual edition. Included in the lineup are some of the hottest new genre feature films and shorts from the international film festival circuit. All of the features will have their Toronto, Canadian, North American or World Theatrical Premieres at […]
