Toronto After Dark Film Festival: A “Frightening” Toronto Tradition

There was blood… and guts… and… and… I loved it.

Does anyone remember when they re-released the original three “Star Wars” films in theaters? I for one do, specifically the commercials for the event. What stood out to me in the commercials was the audience in the theater; they were all fixated on the screen, gasping at explosions, and cheering with the Rebel’s success. It was the definition of the “Perfect Theater Experience” to me, and unfortunately, when I finally went to go and see the re-release of “A New Hope”, I did not receive the theater experience that I had come to expect from the commercials (my introduction to the manipulative world of marketing). I’ve been to the movies more times than I can remember, multiple times for a lot of films, and I’ve never had a theater experience that lived up to that “Star Wars” audience in the commercial. The idea of that enthralled theater was becoming a celluloid dream that I’d never experience… then came the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. At a screening of “Home Movie” during the 2008 festival, I was finally treated to what I had come to believe was a fantasy. This festival is truly the definitive “theater experience”.

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival has been around for five years now, bringing the latest and greatest in sci-fi, horror, action, and cult films to Bloor Cinema for eight crazy nights, no pun intended. The head and founder of the After Dark festival, Adam Lopez, along with his team are all huge fans of film on a whole, but have a special place in their heart for the mad and macabre. With annual awards, a zombie appreciation night, and nightly social events after the evening’s screenings, it’s hard not to notice the tremendous amount of work put into the event. Critics have had nothing but love for the festival as well, some going as far as calling it “One of Toronto’s Must See Events”, and with polls ranking it as the city’s second greatest film festival who’d argue (remember folks, we still hold Toronto International Film Festival).

Since October 2006, the Toronto After Dark Film Festival has seen tremendous growth. Last year marked a record 9 000 attendees, despite the sudden migration to mid-August. It’s no surprise however, as the After Dark team never drops the ball when it comes to the films they select. Over the years we have seen films such as “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon“, a film featuring Robert Englund, Thai horror flick “Alone“, Swedish favourite “Let the Right One In“, and Halloween mash-up “Trick R Treat“. My first year attending the festival would have been during 2008, where I took in “Let the Right One In” (if you haven’t seen this film, it’s an absolute must) and “Home Movie” with a theater full of excited, and possibly intoxicated, individuals. The second year was supposed to be a buffet of movies for me, as I planned on purchasing one of their much sought out All-Access Passes. Unfortunately, the festival was doing so well that by the time the film line-up was released all of the passes had been purchased. Wanting to watch much more, I was limited by cash to the screenings of “The Children“, an eerie film about children gone mad, and “Grace“, a film displaying the lengths a mother goes to to attend to her zombie child (absolutely brilliant film). After the screening of “Grace” we were treated to a Q & A (question and answer) session with the director of the film, and as a lover of film and a cinema hopeful, this was a real treat. The experience was not only untouched by many others, but it left me with the feeling that I was part of the groundwork for something that was very special.

This year promises to be even better than ever and will be taking place, as usual, at Bloor Cinema (located at Bloor and Bathurst) between August 13th and August 20th. Some of the films that are being brought to the screen this year include: “Robogeisha” – if you’ve seen or heard of “Tokyo Gore Police” you’ll know exactly what to expect from this, “The Last Exorcism” – a documentary feel exorcism flick from Eli Roth (who will be in attendance this year), “I Spit on Your Grave” – an uber-violent rehash of a cult favourite involving a woman instilling revenge on a group of men who rape her and leave her for dead, and the extremely controversial “Human Centipede” – exploring a mad man’s experiment to create a unified gastric system between three people.  There are sixteen films in total this year so check out the link at the bottom of the post for more info on them. Tickets are on sale now and luckily there are still All-Access Passes left to purchase.

If you are a movie lover, plan to enter the film industry, or are just looking for a good time, this is definitely something to check out as I promise it will be beyond what you’d expect. I can’t even express the amount of fun I’ve had attending this festival, and I feel that it’d be a shame not to spread the word. It’s more than great films, and a great atmosphere; it’s an amazing Toronto tradition and an experience of a lifetime. If you don’t believe me, go on youtube, try to find those “Star Wars” commercials, and get a reference, because this is something you shouldn’t miss.

Word to Big Bird

If you want more info on the festival just visit their site:

torontoafterdark.com