ModernHorrors Has Love For Midnight Madness, Vanguard and Bruce McDonald's HELLIONS

ModernHorrors.com has a full rundown of the genre films screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Canadian filmmaking icon Bruce McDonald's Hellions appears on that list.

Seven years after his much-loved zombie thriller Pontypool, Canadian maverick Bruce McDonald returns to the horror genre with this deliciously creepy tale about a pregnant teen whose home is besieged by a ghastly crew of trick-or-treaters.

Modern Horrors highlights more than 30 titles in this Festival spotlight, including Vanguard titles like Demon, Der Nachtmahr, Evolution, February, and Lace Crater.

But wait, there's more!

The site also name checks Midnight Madness titles like Baskin, The Devil's Candy, The Final Girls, The Girl In The Photographs, GreenRoom, Hardcore, The Mind's Eye, Southbound, and Yakuza Apocalypse.

Thanks ModernHorrors.com!

VANGUARD:

HELLIONS Screening Times:

Thu. Sept 17, 9:30PM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN

Fri. Sept 18 4:00PM, SCOTIABANK 4

DEMON Screening Times:

Fri. Sept 11, 6:15PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Sun. Sept 13, 4:15PM SCOTIABANK 10

Sat. Sept 19, 9:15PM SCOTIABANK 13

DER NACHTMAHR Screening Times:

Thu. Sept 17, 9:00PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Fri. Sept 18, 12:00PM SCOTIABANK 3

Sun. Sept. 20, 6:00PM SCOTIABANK 14

EVOLUTION Screening Times:

Mon. Sept 14, 9:30PM RYERSON

Wed. Sept. 16, 4:30PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Sun. Sept 20, 8:30PM TIFF LIGHTBOX CINEMA 2

FEBRUARY Screening Times:

Sat. Sept 12, 6:30PM SCOTIABANK 1

Mon. Sept 14, 6:45PM SCOTIABANK 9

Fri. Sept 18, 6:45PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

LACE CRATER Screening Times:

Tue. Sept 15, 9:30PM SCOTIABANK 10

Thu. Sept 17, 9:30PM SCOTIABANK 14

Sun. Sept 20, 3:15PM SCOTIABANK 9

Midnight Madness:

GREEN ROOM Screening Times:
Thu, Sept 10th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 12, 2:15 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

BASKIN Screening Times:
Fri, Sept 11, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun, Sept 13, 4:00 PM SCOTIABANK 13
Thu, Sept 17, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 4

HARDCORE Screening Times:
Sat, Sept 12, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Mon, Sept 14, 4:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14  
Fri, Sept 18, 1:00 PM SCOTIABANK 4

THE DEVIL'S CANDY Screening Times:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14

THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS Screening Times:
Mon, Sept 14, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed, Sept 16, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1
Fri, Sept 18, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3

THE MIND'S EYE Screening Times:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

SOUTHBOUND Screening Times:
Wed, Sept 16, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Fri, Sept 18, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 13
Sun, Sept 20, 3:30 PM SCOTIABANK 10

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE Screening Times:
Fri, Sept 18, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 19, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

THE FINAL GIRLS Screening Times:
Sat, Sept 19, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun, Sept 20, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Top 3 Promo Videos

"It hurts our feelings when you say we are not rappers, I mean, that vampires don't have any feelings."

If you've been trapped in a coffin for the last few months you may not know about the hilarious vampire comedy that's playing at the Festival, What We Do In The Shadows, directed by and starring Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. In addition to a seriously funny trailer, the filmmakers have released some short promo clips from the movie to whet your appetite. Mwahaha! After watching these clips, you'll be laughing until you cry tears of blood.

Werewolves Not Swearwolves: "I'm not racist; I just don't like werewolves."

Image Problems: "You are the sandwich."

Lund The Right One In: "You need to simmer down! This is only until morning."


Wait a minute! How did that last video get in there?! We swear it was an accident. Those darn mischievous vampires!

Watch all the What We Do In The Shadows promo clips on their YouTube channel, DeliciousNecks.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead's SPRING screening times:
Fri., Sept 5th, 6:00 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept 7th 7:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 4
Sat., Sept 13th, 3:15 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE: A DUNE Without Sting?

Playing in the Vanguard program, Jodorowsky's Dune tells the story of an unrealized attempt by Alejandro Jodorowsky to adapt Frank Herbert's novel "Dune" to the big screen. It was later adapted by David Lynch, of course, and one of the film's brightest elements is Sting as Feyd-Rautha. In Jodorowsky's adaptation, Feyd-Rautha was to have been played by another musician.

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.

So I got to thinking, "What other musicians could have been alternate-reality Feyd-Rauthas?"

Kurt Cobain?

 Frank Sinatra?

 Midnight Madness Alum, Rob Zombie?
 

Actually, forget this.
Sting rules!

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE screens:
Tuesday, Sept 10th, 8:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 2

Conspiracy Theories: ROOM 237 & THE SHINING

A few years ago... I had a bit of spark.  I was sitting in my basement apartment, looking over a Kubrick DVD box-set I had just acquired, and declared it to be lightening in a bottle.  How could one guy, this Kubrick, be such a goddamn filmmaking genius?  With several cups of coffee, I made a decision, that well, in reality, hasn’t had much impact... Until now!  Maybe.  It’s up to you to decide.

I watched The Shining in glorious digitally re-mastered DVD and manically DISSECTED it shot-by-shot, over the course of a single day.  I jotted it all down on my laptop’s note pad program.  I’m going to venture to guess it took me about 4-5 hours.  It’s all a smeary caffeinated blur to me now!  I’d “scribble” down shots as the movie went by, and then pause the film to catch up for the more complicated sequences.  Now I can’t say that my notes are perfect, or even technically sound -- but as an indie filmmaker, I definitely know the broad strokes.  Most of the time, it’d be the camera work I’d be looking at.  The framing, move type, focus, etc.  Sometimes I’d concentrate on the acting.  Other times, something in the edit would pop out at me.  There was just so much going on.  And there still is, every time you play it.

In the end, I had a several paged document, that I don’t think I’ve ever gone back to read.  I sent it to two friends, who didn’t respond to the email (I forgive you). 

Did I learn something?  I sure hope so.  Did I bottle the genius of Kubrick?  Baby, I didn’t even cap a spit of spark.  But man, how clever I felt!  I was on the verge of a new discovery!  This was going to change things!  Had anyone ever done this?  I didn’t know, but I sure felt special. 

Well, that bubble burst some 4 years later, when a few days ago, I loaded up this year’s Vanguard line up online, and inched through it, a movie at a time; my eyebrows see-sawing in amazement.  Click, click, click... Berberian Sound Studio... hmmmm.... click-click-click - Room 237?

The image hit me first... a VCR with a video tape of The Shining protruding from it!  What the heck... So I read the blurb, and learn that filmmaker Rodney Ascher has created a feature length subjective documentary exploring the possible hidden meanings and secret code in The Shining!  Whaaat, secret code?!  Do you know what that means?  Ascher and his team have in all likelihood, spent years examining that lightening in a bottle.  They’ve had whole teams of minds analyzing the very same question.  Months upon months of effort, money, blood, sweat and tears, looking to drop a finger on it. I hadn’t been that ambitious with my tinkering with The Shining.  But then, maybe that’s why I’m still (mostly) sane!  

I don’t have much idea of where Room 237 is going to take these ideas, and I doubt they’ll be anywhere similar to my mundane shot by shot break down -- but what I invite you to do, is to post your own theories and extrapolations of The Shining -- and let’s see if we don’t have some overlapping wavelengths!  Some new ideas!  Let’s break out the tin foil hats, and compare theories!  I know there are some geniuses out there!

And... if any of you doubt at all what I’m saying about my own Shining breakdown (it’s absolutely real!), post your emails (or spam-safe spoof emails), request a copy, and I will send it to you - or perhaps if enough of you request it, I’ll get the green light to post it here! 

Don't miss the meticulously mad deconstructions of The Shining lurking in the eminent screenings of Room 237!

ROOM 237 Screening times:

Thurs., Sept 13., BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA, 6:00PM

Sat., Sept 15., CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 2, 5:45PM

Sun., Sept 16., TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 3, 12:00PM

MONSTERS: An Unforgettable Journey

This film screens as part of the Vanguard programme but maybe of particular interest to Midnight Madness fans.

Very rarely do you ever see the words romance and monsters in the same synopsis. Those two words are at the very core of Gareth Edwards' film Monsters. I personally consider the film a contemporary classic, a throw back to films from the forties and fifties. Monsters is The African Queen meets War of the Worlds. That being said the themes of the film are very much rooted in the present day.

Here is the first clip I saw of Monsters. It really captures the beauty and awe of the film.



Monsters is also one of the great stories of independent film making. The words science fiction film, usually conjures up images of huge budgets and large crews. The production team had less people then a baseball team on the field. There was Gareth wearing two hats as both director and cinematographer, a sound man, an interpreter, an editor, an assistant, a line producer and the two lead actors. Using two vans the crew filmed in Guatemala, Belize, Mexico and Texas. I believe this small team really brought a lot of intimacy to the film, you as the audience really are a third person on this journey. Here is Gareth talking about the making of the film



Here is the latest trailer.



Monsters is a well crafted, engaging sci-fi, adventure film in which the passion and dedication that went into the production is evident in every frame. I strongly urge you to take the journey because it is an experience that you will not soon forget.

Screening times:

Thursday, Sept. 16. 9:00pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 8:30pm Scotiabank Theatre 1
Sunday, Sept 19. 3:00pm Scotiabank Theatre 3

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

"If you were gonna die, and you knew you were gonna die... and you could choose how... what would you choose?"

Though this blog's main focus is the films that are playing as part of the Midnight Madness program, we'll occasionally take the opportunity to bring to your attention films outside of MM which might be of interest to you. The first of these films is a film having its World Premiere in the Vanguard program, called A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE.


A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE is directed by Tennessee born filmmaker, Adam Wingard, who made a huge impression on the independent horror scene three years ago with his haunting film, POP SKULL. A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE tells the story of Sarah (Amy Seimetz); a woman trying to start a new life, and a murderous ex-boyfriend (AJ Bowen) who won't let her. The film also stars writer/actor/director Joe Swanberg, and is written by Simon Barrett, the writer of Midnight Madness alumni, DEAD BIRDS.

A trailer for the film was released today, and it looks stunning. A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE is without question, one of my top three picks of TIFF 2010.

Watch the amazing trailer!

A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE screens:
Tuesday September 14
8:00:00 PM
AMC 2
Thursday September 16
6:00:00 PM
AMC 2
Friday September 17
2:00:00 PM
AMC 10