Author: Isabelle Ryan
In addition to those that played ahead of the main features, the Toronto After Dark Film Festival screened eight more Canadian shorts in a dedicated showcase. From stop-motion animation to Lovecraftian horror, these films cover a variety of genres, subgenres, and tones. Some are pure horror; others offer no scares at all. Here are our
Alongside their dedicated Shorts Showcase (both Canadian and International), the Toronto After Dark Film Festival offers bitesize extras for those attending. Each of the main features is preceded by a short film, resulting in a bevy of horror and comedy in equal measure. Here are our thoughts on those ten extra shorts. Anything, Anything When
“It seems the very maddest, queerest thing that ever happened to me.” –The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Since their inaugural case, A Study in Scarlet (1887), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have held many in their thrall. Despite coming to hate the public’s clamouring for Holmes and Watson’s latest exploits
“It’s not my fault that I’m Japanese… yet it’s my greatest sin that I am.” -The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) During the Second World War, Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army was stationed in Manchuria. Officially known as the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwantung Army, the unit
In 1934, vaudevillian Will Hammer (real name William Hinds) diversified into the film industry. Hammer Productions Limited joined forces with Spanish entrepreneur Enrique Carreras to create Exclusive Films Limited, before returning to the Hammer name two decades later. 1955 saw the release of The Quatermass Xperiment, an adaptation of the wildly successful BBC series. Quatermass
The anthology film is almost as old as the industry itself. Perhaps the earliest example is D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916), the director’s petulant response to wholly justified accusations of racism. Horror followed quickly, with Eerie Tales (1919) from Austrian director Richard Oswald, who is now best remembered for directing the ground-breaking gay film Different from
In order to establish the empty existence of the titular American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis describes in excruciating detail every aspect of Patrick Bateman’s life. From the shoes on his feet to his Oliver Peoples glasses – from ice cubes in soy sauce to new age menus at pretentious restaurants – Ellis lists page after
Established in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive is a non-profit which seeks to collect, conserve and distribute genre films in order to preserve their legacy. From shot-on-video slashers and alien invasion flicks to queer oddities, the AGFA’s catalogue is fit to burst with an abundance of diverse and fascinating gems. Starting this year, 101
Pop culture is currently experiencing a boom of 1980s nostalgia. From Stranger Things on Netflix to Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism, science fiction and horror are squeezing every last drop of neon-soaked nostalgia from their audience. Before this, the 1980s experienced its own longing for 1950s culture. Back to the Future (1985) is perhaps
A local legend gone haywire. A small-town cop. An impossible eyewitness testimony. Which is easier to believe—that killer mermaids exist, or that one person is worth risking everything for? For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Into the Drowning Deep comes a chilling horror story steeped in urban rumor. -from the author’s