If the world ever faces a zombie apocalypse it’s a good thing there are films like these ones. The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012 will teach you everything you need to know for survival.
It’s also a must-see event for any fans of horror or cult flicks, and just a lot of freaky fun. So get into the Halloween spirit with TAD which runs now until October 26 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
This year, viewers can get their fix of blood, guts and gore, featuring everything from British gangsters fighting off zombies, to bloodsucking aliens, a man with a garlic bread head, and killer Japanese man-eating sushi rolls. (I’m not making this up)
With 20 feature films and a collection of shorts, it’s hard to narrow down your choices, so here’s a few highlights to make your selection easier:
INBRED (Friday October 19) Think TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE meets DELIVERANCE in this gory British film of hillbilly survival. A group of social workers and troubled youth set out to the country-side for a weekend of character building only to fight for their lives when they meet the twisted, demented locals. The movie is filled with brutal gore gags and black humour, and features lots of creative kills involving farm equipment and good old fashioned blunt objects. It screens with the five-minute short film GARLIC BREAD MAN VS. SUPERBO LASAGNA MAN, where I’m told a man with garlic bread for a head kicks someone in the face within the first 30 seconds of the movie. How is this not a full-length feature film?
Photo Credit: Torontoist.com
Saturday October 20 – ZOMBIE APPRECIATION NIGHT
A night of pure entertainment as Toronto’s Zombies emerge from the Toronto Zombie Walk earlier in the day. Fans, err, zombies, receive discount tickets for screenings. Catch a zombie-themed mini-documentary shot at the 2011 festival featuring fans, staff interviews and scenes from last year’s Zombie Appreciation Night.
Zombie day also features the latest installation of the Spanish zombie movie series REC 3: GENESIS. The film takes place at a lavish wedding where the guests try to survive a zombie outbreak and the bride wielding a chainsaw, must cut through her guests in order to survive. Finally don’t miss COCKNEYS VS ZOMBIES where British gangsters are caught in the middle of an outbreak on the streets of London. Lots of sweet zombie kills from start to finish.
For those of you who enjoy your blood and guts mixed with laughs don’t miss the Spanish horror farce GAME OF WEREWOLVES (October 26) or FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING (Oct 26) a dark and quirky comedy about a very nervous writer played by Simon Pegg (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ) struggling with a slew of mental demons while working on his latest novel about Victorian serial killers.
Another film getting a lot of buzz and sure to be a crowd-pleaser is Japanese film DEAD SUSHI (October 24) about carnivorous sushi rolls that attack a vacation resort. It’s being screened with the appropriately titled SUSHI GIRL, an ultra-violent American crime film in the mould of Tarantino’s RESERVIOR DOGS and features Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill! What’s not to like I ask?
Other hot buzz films include the brutally violent UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (Oct 21) with Jean Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren and LLOYD THE CONQUEROR (Oct 21) featuring Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys (Mike Smith) and nerdy comedian Brian Posehn. Fans who show up in costume for the live-action role playing comedy will receive discount tickets.
New this year is the Toronto After Darkade showcasing the latest horror, sci-fi, action and cult indie video games. Catch two a night starting at 11:30 at the Pub After Dark socials on the second floor of Paupers Pub (539 Bloor St W.)
You can also visit the Toronto After Dark Website here for all the schedules and information on updates, tickets and other highlights.
I leave you now with this two-minute Toronto After Dark sizzle trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-BKqk25eLQ
