Hitfix's Drew McWeeny Says AFFLICTED Is One of TIFF's Best!

Monday night's screening of Afflicted caught a lot of us by surprise with its fresh take on found footage horror and two completely riveting leads that held nothing back. Over at Hitfix, well-known critic Drew McWeeny (who, incidentally, appears in TIFF selection Jodorowsky's Dune) proclaimed the Canadian production one of the best in the entire Festival.  High praise!

Derek Lee and Clif Prowse managed to wring new life out of one of the most over-used horror concepts, and it's entirely because of how smart and slick their debut feature is. They co-star as themselves in the film that takes place during a year-long trip around the world, and when they run into a supernatural horror, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare that feels all the more real thanks to the clever way they've shot the film and the exceptional stunt and effects work. This is a canny debut from guys who seem ready for Hollywood to discover them, and I have a feeling we'll be hearing more about them and "Afflicted" in the future.

 Let's hope that Drew's right and we see some new work from these talented new voices in horror very soon.  Might I suggest an all-isopod remake of Rosemary's Baby?

What's the Horrified Midnight Madness Audience Saying About AFFLICTED?

In the second Midnight Madness surprise in a row, Derek Lee and Clif Prowse's Afflicted shocked and awed the Ryerson audience into submission, with at least one more audience member running for their lives before the lights came up. Prowse and Lee obviously had an effect on our Twitter followers, because the buzz was fast and furious for this gem of a found-footage road trip gone spectacularly wrong!

High praise from the lovely directors of American Mary!

Someone call Children's Aid!

As you can probably tell, we love hearing from you guys, so please keep tweeting your thoughts on the films to the official Twitter account and check out all the feedback here and on Storify!

AFFLICTED Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 8:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9

DREDD 3D: "Grimy, Hyper-violent, Faithful"

At Hitfix, Drew McWeeny reviews Dredd 3D:

I'd heard good things after the Comic-Con screenings of the film, and it seems to be picking up a head of steam as far as critical reactions are concerned.  There were rumbles about behind-the-scenes difficulties during production, but none of that is visible in the final product, which is a hyper-violent action film that manages to perfectly capture a sort of world-weary attitude that really sells the reality of life in Mega City 1.  Karl Urban's performance as Judge Dredd, a legendary figure in the city, is suitably grim and badass, and there's not a hint of ego in the way he vanishes into that costume and that permanent scowl.

Catch the last screening of DREDD 3D at the Festival:
Sat., Sept. 8 12:30PM:  CINEPLEX ODEON