I've been attending the magnificent Toronto After Dark Film Festival for 5 years of its 9-year-long history and I have to say that I have no idea what I would do if I ever had to miss a year. It's unique amongst genre festivals (and festivals period) in that its head honcho Adam Lopez set out to create an event that was by fans and for fans of all things macabre and this is what makes it so special. The audience-response is always lively, but respectful and you'll get no better on-a-big-screen experience anywhere in Canada - perhaps even the world. Lopez and his lively team (including, but not limited to) Peter Kuplowsky and Christian Burgess, have consistently presented more than just a film festival - it's a pure atmosphere of genre adoration. It's all about . . . . . LOVE!!! And believe me, it has nothing to do with the love between a man and a woman, a man and a man, a woman and a woman, a parent and their child or a boy and his dog. It is, in fact, the special love between those of humankind and the colour of red - BLOOD RED!!! This is a beautiful thing.
This year, I reviewed EVERY SINGLE FEATURE FILM and a selection of first-rate short films. Below, you will find my annual accolades for this year's edition of the festival. Without further delay, here they are:
BEST OVERALL FILM OF THE FESTIVAL:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST HORROR FILM:
Hellmouth
BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM:
Time Lapse
BEST THRILLER:
Open Windows
BEST HORROR COMEDY:
Suburban Gothic
BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE:
Late Phases
BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE:
Wyrmwood
BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM:
Hellmouth
BEST SHORT FILM:
He Took His Skin Off For Me
BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM:
Migration
BEST DIRECTOR:
David Zellner, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST SCREENPLAY:
Nathan and David Zellner, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST ACTOR:
Stephen McHattie, Hellmouth
BEST ACTRESS:
Rinko Kikuchi, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Jason Spisak, Time Lapse
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Siobhan Murphy, Hellmouth
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST EDITING:
Wyrmwood
BEST SOUND:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Time Lapse
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Hellmouth
BEST MAKEUP EFFECTS:
He Took His Skin Off For Me
Here are links to every single Film Corner review from TADFF 2014:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Let Us Prey
Late Phases
Hellmouth
The Babadook
Canadian Shorts at TADFF 2014
Why Horror?
Refuge
The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014
Wyrmwood
Wolves
The ABCs of Death 2
Dead Snow 2: Red VS. Dead
Shorts After Dark
Suburban Gothic
Time Lapse
The Drownsman
Zombeavers
Predestination
Housebound
Open Windows