Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) officially announced its lineup for its 19th year. And although Casey Walker’s films (Home Bodies and Ithaqua) are suspiciously missing from this year’s lineup, there’s no need to be concerned. His work will be playing somewhere as the cold chill strikes Canada. In this case, though, what will befall Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St W) and CineCycle (129 Spadina Ave)? The event takes place from October 14 to 18, 2026, and this year’s event is unique, which I will talk about later.
What has my attention this year are works that showcase what Austin Abrams can truly do rather than simply running around and doing nothing. The festival kicks off with the Canadian Premiere of Brian Duffield’s Whalefall. A tense and emotionally charged survival thriller starring Austin Abrams (Resident Evil) and Josh Brolin (Weapons), the film depicts the harrowing story of a scuba diver (Abrams) who finds himself swallowed whole by a sperm whale and trapped inside the animal’s stomach. With a dwindling supply of oxygen in his tank, the young man turns to the nautical and life lessons his father passed on to him in a desperate bid to survive. Jonah’s Whale this tale is not, and honestly, who doesn’t want to check this out?
Other picks include I Love Paris and Red Snow. The former previously screened at Fantasia and asks whether vampires might be everywhere in the City of Lights. Why not? As for the latter, Ilja Rautsi’s holiday ho-ho-horror follows an angsty teen whose vampire fantasies are fractured when a horrifically violent undead creature dressed as Jolly Old St. Nick shows up at her family’s doorstep.
Two films that are punk in both form and ethos, Matapanki (d. Diego “Mapache” Fuentes) follows a ground-level superhero whose powers are activated by alcohol, while Hallowarrior finds young Pumpkin (Milly Shapiro from Hereditary) facing a post-apocalyptic Halloween as she defends her home from cannibalistic intruders.
Another top pick concerns The Fox. This Australian dark-fantasy comedy is built around Nick (Jai Courtney) venting his frustrations after his fiancée, Kori, cheats on him. Who can he turn to for advice? A sly fox who promises to transform Kori into the perfect woman. When the film also draws upon Japanese folklore and Russian tales, how can I pass this one up? And the reason I’m interested in this year’s event is because of the evolution in the movie-going experience because of what’s been announced in the press release:
The 19th edition also marks an inaugural partnership between the festival and its new lead sponsor, ScareScore. This company is building the world’s first biometric reaction platform for entertainment. Connecting to the smartwatch audiences already wear, this app measures physical reactions as they happen and transforms them into a personal score across movies, streaming, attractions, and adrenaline experiences that they can share, compare, and compete against with friends. Select Toronto After Dark films will be ScareScore enabled.
This year’s festival will also see the return of its official Opening Night Party, which will be held at the festival’s preferred bar, Escape Manor (383 King St. W), just a few blocks away from the festival screening venues. Entry will be free for Toronto After Dark passholders. So, if you’re there for the big event, visiting this metropolis during All Hallow’s Month is a must. Afterwards, perhaps spend some time at Storm Crow Manor too!
And the festival’s late-night CineCycle programming has been made possible this year thanks to the support of Branded to Film (B2F), Kingston’s hyperlocal studio for high-concept genre filmmaking, which provides resources, crew, and producer support for independent filmmakers shooting in the region.
Toronto After Dark Film Festival of Years Past…
