Midnight Madness Preview TIFF 2012 – Toronto International Film Festival

Aug 6 2012 – For the last decade or so I get together with some friends and we indulge in our annual tradition of watching some awesome movies at the world’s best film festival – the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Sorry Cannes – when was the list time your festival picked an Oscar winner? This year’s edition which is the 37th, will run from September 6-16 2012. The movies shown are categorized in one of 16 programs (some examples are Galas, Contemporary World Cinema and Masters). One category that stands out above all the others for its uniqueness is called Midnight Madness. As the name clearly implies these are movies that are shown at midnight at each night of the festival (and have a repeat showing at some other time during the event). The official TIFF webpage for Midnight Madness describes the movies being shown as “The wild side: midnight screenings of the best in action, horror, shock and fantasy cinema.” 

Official description aside let me tell you the vibe at the Midnight Madness showing is unlike any other. Over 1000 people on a given night congregate at Ryerson University’s movie hall for the clock to strike midnight. A brief introduction of the night’s film by the Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes and the lights go down. The hall usually has a few hecklers shouting out random comments during the commercials and introductions and then silence…. everyone is waiting anxiously for the first beheading scene (or depending on the movie the first fight, sword fight or machine gun fight)… and BOOM – on cue the audience all scream out the appropriate sound whether it be “ewwww” or “yahhhhh”, and the film proceeds. I have seen dozens of films at midnight madness and about 95% of them get standing ovations (my favorite ever was a French horror film called “Martyrs” – watch it!). A great highlight of the night as the Q&A session right after the flick. Usually the director and the stars are there to field audience questions about the film. This year’s batch of 10 flicks has 3 comedies, 1 action flicks and 6 horror films (wooohooo!!), also 9 of the 10 are World Premiers (the only exception being John Dies At The End which premiered at the Sundance Festival earlier this year).

The main thing I am disappointed about this year’s schedule is a lack of foreign films. There seems to be only one foreign language film in the mix which is very uncharacteristic of Midnight Madness. Even the usual Hong Kong or Japanese violent mob movie seems to be lacking as is the traditional French horror film. It appears Geddes has strayed from his time tested line-up guidelines and we can’t wait to see if this will make this year’s experience better or worse.

It is cool going to IMDb and seeing no ratings or comments for these as of yet. The schedule for these films will be released on August 21st. The official descriptions from the Midnight Madness webpage for this years’ movies are:

Aftershock at TIFF 2012

Aftershock – (USA) In the middle of a night of wild partying, a hapless American tourist (Hostel director Eli Roth) and his friends are suddenly plunged into a living hell when a powerful earthquake rips through the coastal town of Valparaiso, Chile. Horror.

The Bay at TIFF 2012

The Bay – (USA) Acclaimed writer-director Barry Levinson gorily switches gears for this mock-doc eco-apocalypse thriller about a seaside town that becomes a breeding ground for a terrifying nest of parasites. Horror.

Come Out And Play at TIFF 2012

Come Out And Play – (Mexico) This atmospheric thriller turns a serene, sun-bleached Mexican paradise blood red, as a vacationing couple must uncover the mystery of a remote island populated only by children. Horror.

Dredd 3D at TIFF 2012

Dredd 3D – (UK) In a grim, dystopian future, ultimate lawman Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) takes on a vicious drug empress (Lena Headey), in this dark, visceral new screen version of the legendary British comic-book icon. Action/Sci-fi.

Hellbenders at TIFF 2012

Hellbenders – (USA) The Hellbound Saints of Brooklyn Parish are a team of foul-mouthed, lewd and lecherous priests who you’ll need on your side if you want to survive an exorcism, in this outrageous horror comedy by JT Petty (The Burrowers, S&Man). Comedy.

John Dies At The End at TIFF 2012

John Dies At The End – (USA) Ancient evils, trans-dimensional bugs, meat monsters and Clancy Brown are just a few of the freakish denizens of this phantasmagorical mindbender from the director of Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep. Comedy.

The Lords Of Salem at TIFF 2012

The Lords Of Salem – (USA) Rock star-turned-horror maven Rob Zombie conjures up a nerve-wracking chiller involving Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a radio station DJ, who receives a wooden box containing a record, “a gift from the Lords.” Heidi listens and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of Salem’s violent past. Is Heidi going mad or are the Lords of Salem returning for revenge on modern day Salem? Horror.

No One Lives at TIFF 2012

No One Lives – (USA) The director of Versus and The Midnight Meat Train returns with this exuberantly gory thriller about a clan of backwoods road bandits whose latest victims are far less helpless than they seem. Horror.

Seven Psychopaths at TIFF 2012

Seven Psychopaths – (USA) An alcoholic screenwriter (Colin Farrell) struggling to write a serial-killer script gets more real-life inspiration than he can handle when a dognapping scheme gone awry brings a galaxy of crazies to his doorstep. A top-notch cult-movie cast — including Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Harry Dean Stanton-anchors this wacky, blood-spattered commentary on the psycho-killer thriller from the writer-director of In Bruges. Comedy.

The ABCs Of Death at TIFF 2012

The ABCs Of Death – (USA) Over two dozen of the world’s top horror directors bring you twenty-six alphabetically-inspired ways to die in this provocative, shocking and deadly funny compendium of carnage. Horror/Comedy.

Verdict: I can’t wait to see No One Lives, Come Out And Play, and Aftershock. Of course these picks are just based on the descriptions but one thing is for sure, any Midnight Madness film has a very high probability of being kick ass!