Movies
TIFF ’10: Midnight Madness Line-up Announced!
Without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite festival of the year is the Toronto International Film Festival. With hundreds of movies premiering, they also have a section dedicated to genre films, and programmer Colin Geddes never fails to deliver the goods. With past titles including Inside, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, High Tension and many more, one could only wonder how he could possible top years prior. This year he’ll be hosting the world premieres of James (Saw) Wan’s Insidious, John Carpenter’s The Ward, Jim Mickle’s Stake Land, and Brad Anderson’s Vanishing on 7th Street!! Details inside.
A superhero, a samurai, gun runners, vampire hunters and hosers stalk the night during the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness programme. Programmed by Colin Geddes, this year’s line-up features premieres that deliver the thrills and chills that the devoted audience has come to expect and love from Midnight Madness.
“From the streets of Hong Kong to a post-apocalyptic vampire plagued United States, from a town run by Kung Fu killers to the oil fields of Alberta, this year’s Midnight Madness selection will take audiences into worlds that are sure to shock and thrill,” said Colin Geddes, TIFF programmer.
The Midnight Madness selection includes films from John Carpenter, James Wan, James Gunn, Brad Anderson and Dante Lam and feature on-screen performances by Demi Moore, Ellen Page, Josh Hartnett, Liv Tyler, Hayden Christensen, Kevin Bacon, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo, Rainn Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Rose Byrne.
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
World Premiere
“When proud parents take possession of an old house, an accident results in one of their sons falling into a coma. The tragedy doesn’t stop there when they are beset by vengeful spirits from another realm in this new chiller by the director and writer of Saw and by the producers of Paranormal Activity. The film stars Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey and Patrick Wilson.”
World Premiere
“In the aftermath of a vampire epidemic, a teen is taken in by a grizzled vampire hunter on a road trip through a post-apocalyptic America, battling both the bloodsuckers and a fundamentalist militia that interprets the plague as the Lord’s work.”
World Premiere
“When a massive power blackout causes the population to inexplicably vanish, a small handful of survivors (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo) band together inside a desolate tavern, struggling to survive as the darkness hones in on them. From director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Transsiberian) comes an apocalyptic thriller with a terrifying vision of our world’s end and a story that wrestles with the nature of existence itself.”
World Premiere
“Acclaimed director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) makes his long awaited return to the screen with a thriller about a young woman (Amber Heard) in a 1960s mental institution who becomes terrorized by a malevolent unseen forces.”
World Premiere
“After his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), a frustrated husband (Rainn Wilson) decides he will win her back as Crimson Bolt, a costumed vigilante armed with a monkey wrench. His actions bring him an admirer, an overeager comic store clerk (Ellen Page) who wants to be his sidekick.”
World Premiere
“In the sequel to the 2002 cult comedy, Fubar, headbanger hosers and lifelong friends Dean (Paul Spence) and Terry (Dave Lawrence) realize they’re weary of constantly trying to “give’r” while barely scraping by and hit the road to find wealth, happiness and more beer in the oil fields of Alberta.”
World Premiere
“In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new. The film also stars Demi Moore.”
World Premiere
“This shocking debut by director duo Carbon and Courtiaud is a seductive cat-and-mouse thriller set in Hong Kong, about a woman’s obsessive desire to own a rare object that hides a deadly and perverse secret.”
North American Premiere
“A tale of revenge, honour and greed follows a group of misfits that gets involved with a kitchen cleaver made from the top five swords of the martial arts world in this wild and brash action comedy.”
North American Premiere
“Dante Lam proves himself to be a talent to look out for in this slam bang action film where robbers and gunrunners battle with cops on the busy urban streets of Hong Kong. Starring Leon Lai, Fire of Conscience is easily one of loudest action films from Hong Kong in recent memory, with an orchestra of exploding grenades and machine gun rounds.”
The previously announced Canadian short film “The Legend of Beaver Dam” (Jerome Sable) will premiere prior to Fubar II.
The Midnight Madness Package is $157, and available to students and seniors for $100 (prices exclude taxes and fees). Other ticket packages for the Festival are also available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa+. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.,) or in person at the TIFF Box Office at 2 Carlton Street, West Mezzanine (Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. The 35th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 9 to 19, 2010.
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Movies
Popcorn Frights 2026 First Wave Includes ‘Colony’, ‘Train to Busan’, Interactive Screenings, and More
Get ready for one of summer’s bloodiest events when the 12th annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns August 6-16 for 11-day of horror fun in South Florida.
The feat has unveiled its first wave of programming, kicking off with an opening double feature from master filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who will present the premiere of Colony, and the 10th anniversary of Train to Busan, in a breathtaking new 4K restoration.
Popcorn Frights is rolling out the red carpet for some special guests, too. Stephen Lang will be in attendance for a trio of screenings, including Don’t Breathe and Remains, the latest film from his son, Noah Lang. Actor Michael Ironside will be in attendance for the 45th anniversary screening of Scanners and the 4K restoration screening of Total Recall.
Also keep your eyes peeled for interactive screenings, new premieres, and the return of Popcorn Frights’ virtual offerings.
A second wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 titles with more than two dozen additional feature film premieres for in-theater and virtual programming will be announced next week.
In the meantime, read on for the packed first wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 programming:
IN-THEATER FEATURE FILM LINEUP
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Colony
Florida Premiere
South Korea | 2026 | 122 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
A professor attends a biotech conference, only to witness it spiral into catastrophe when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. As the outbreak spreads and the infected begin to transform, authorities seal off the entire facility.
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Train to Busan
10th Anniversary Presentation
South Korea | 2016 | 118 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Best Served Cold: How a Revenge Film Was Buried for Decades
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 106 Min. | Dir. Eric Zaldivar
A documentary tracing the stranger-than-fiction saga of THE FARMER (1977), a forgotten independent revenge thriller that vanished into obscurity only to become one of the most sought-after cult films of the 21st century.
Gator Face
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Padraig Reynolds
A Florida vacation becomes a blood-soaked fight for survival when a group of friends are hunted through the swamps by a savage cult that feeds its victims to ravenous alligators in the name of an ancient reptilian god.
Hallowarrior
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Ben Sottak
Desperate for companionship on a post-apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.
Imposters
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 102 Min. | Dir. Caleb Phillips
After a couple’s baby is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to get their baby back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she brought back isn’t their son.
Marrow
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 96 Min. | Dir. Mitch McLeod
A true crime Vodcast host declining in popularity receives the career opportunity of a lifetime when a mysterious stranger invites her into its dangerous world.
Sender
South Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Russell Goldman
After receiving a series of packages containing unnervingly personal items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender.
VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
Armageddon Road
US Premiere
Canada | 2026 | 85 Min. | Dir. Karen Lam
A hopeless romantic with big dreams is hired to chauffeur a mob boss’ girlfriend for a night. He’s blissfully unaware that his passenger has died and is now possessed by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Broken Beak
Southeast US Premiere
New Zealand-USA | 2026 | 90 Min. | Dir. Christian Carroll
After the murder of her uncle, an activist Maori photographer returns to New Zealand to claim her inheritance. There she has visions of a monster called Broken Beak, and as more family members die, she is compelled to vengeful action.
If It Bleeds
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 97 Min. | Dir. Matthew Hersh
A young and ambitious news reporter and her skilled cameraman delve into a series of gruesome murders that unfold throughout a chaotic and violent day.
Incubation
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 91 Min. | Dirs. Victor Fink & Joshua Land
A teenager raised in pandemic isolation must fight to save his family when a violent stranger invades their cabin.
Mary Kwon Mary Kwon
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Josh Park
A poet travels to her childhood home in the woods, hoping to uncover the cause of her mother’s disappearance in the same house. Two visitors unexpectedly drop by.
Variations of Violence
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 71 Min. | Dir. Zachary Nichols
Consumed by the distant violence he witnesses daily, a military drone pilot drifts toward self-destruction, leaving his sister to face the intimate cost of war fought far away.
Woozy
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Joey Bicicchi
A man’s structured life to cope with mental health issues unravels when a horrifying apparition called Woozy starts tormenting him, forcing him to confront his fears.
IN-THEATER RETRO LINEUP
Band of the Hand
40th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 1986 | 109 Min. | Dir. Paul Michael Glaser
Five juvenile lost causes are sent to the Florida Everglades where a war veteran tries to reform them using survival tactics. Their new skills and resolve are tested when a Miami drug lord targets them for trying to clean up their neighborhood.
Don’t Breathe
10th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 2016 | 88 Min. | Dir. Fede Alvarez
Three delinquents break into the house of a war veteran who is blind to steal his money. However, they discover that the man is not as defenseless as he seems.
Little Shop of Horrors
40th Anniversary Presentation with Live Shadowcast
United States | 1986 | 103 Min. | Dir. Frank Oz
A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
Polyester
45th Anniversary Presentation in Odorama, 4K Restoration
United States | 1981 | 86 Min. | Dir. John Waters
A suburban homemaker’s world falls apart when she finds that her pornographer husband is serially unfaithful to her, her daughter is pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who’s been breaking local women’s feet.
Scanners
45th Anniversary Presentation, 4K Restoration
Canada | 1981 | 103 Min. | Dir. David Cronenberg
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called “scanning” to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.
Total Recall
4K Restoration
USA | 1990 | 90 Min. | Dir. Paul Verhoeven
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real–or is he?
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Classic Gateway Theater—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
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