Midnight Madness Movies Coming To A Theater Near You!

So the Festival is over, and that means so is Midnight Madness... at least for another year. But many of the films were picked up for distribution, which means you'll still get the chance to see them. Here's a list.

If you want to see Samuel L. Jackson as an ass-kicking US President, you're in luck! Big Game was picked up by Elevation Pictures, a Canadian distribution company, and will be released in the US by RED/Relativity.

The whole world is going full walrus. A24 films picked up Tusk and will release it in the US this fall, while Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will be handling distribution for the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Italy, Benelux, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, Portugal, Spain and Greece.

It Follows was picked up by Icon Film Distribution for the UK and Radius Films for the US. P.S. Make sure no ghosts are lurking in the cinema when you attend a screening.

Screen Gems holds the rights for US distribution of the latest and last installment in Jaume Balaguero's zombie found footage franchise, [REC]4, but no firm release dates have been set. It opens in Spain on October 31.

If you want to enjoy a nice room temperature plate of busghetti worms bushgetti, you'll be able to when What We Do In The Shadows hits US and Canadian theaters and home video, thanks Unison Films, The Orchard, and Video Services Corp.

The Guest opened in US theaters on September 17 through Picturehouse and D Films will release it in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal on September 26, with nationwide expansion the next week. UPDATE: The Guest will be opening in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal on October 10, with further Canadian dates following after.

Midnight Madness 2014 Playlist!

MM Interviewer Rob Mitchell has put together a playlist of all his interviews, the introductions and post-screening question and answer business for all the films that played Midnight Madness this year. Twenty-two videos and just under five hours of content!

Midnight Madness Grolsch People's Choice Award Winner!

What We Do In The Shadows is the winner of this year's Midnight Madness Grolsch People's Choice Award!

Congratulations to writers/directors Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement and the cast and crew from all of us at Midnight Madness! (Stu! Stu! Stu!)

Congratulations as well to the directors, producers, writers, cast and crews of first runner-up Tusk and second runner up, Big Game!

Jemaine Clement accepts the award and denounces vampire hunters from the podium.

(Of course, it should've won the Grolsch People's Choice Documentary Award, too. A travesty! Totally robbed).  If you missed the film you have one more chance to see it at TIFF!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Social Media Buzz for WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS!

Like all Midnight Madness screenings, Friday's screening of Jermaine Clement's WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS inspired some wild posts on Twitter and Instagram.  Jonny Bunning kept a vigilant eye on social media to see what people thought of New Zealand's greatest vampire mockmentary of the year!

You still have a chance at checking out a screening of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS at TIFF! Check out the details below.


WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Pics from the Premiere of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS!

Jermaine Clement brought his signature dry wit and wacky humour to the Ryerson last night for the premiere of his vampire mockumentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and a packed house of Midnighters was in stitches! Ian Goring was there to capture all the spooky action!

Producer Emanuel Michael, Writer/Director/Star Jermaine Clement, and Stuart Rutherford

What a charming bunch!

Producer Emanuel Michael

Stuart 'Stu' Rutherford

Jermaine Clement hams it up on the red carpet!

Jermaine Clement and Colin Geddes looking sharp on the red carpet.

Blah!

The Ryerson was packed for WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS!

Colin Geddes hypes the crowd for the penultimate screening of Midnight Madness 2014!

Jermaine Clement reads a very official statement from the New Zealand Documentary Board.

Jermaine Clement and Stuart Rutherford chat with the audience after the screening.

You can still catch a screening of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS here at TIFF!


WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Video: WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Complete Premiere Intro and Q&A

What We Do In The Shadows received its Canadian premiere last night. Here is the complete premiere introduction and post-screening Q&A with Jemaine Clement and Stuart Rutherford moderated by midnight madness programmer Colin Geddes.





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

Video: Interview Jemaine Clement Acclaimed Documentary Filmmaker Talks WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

What We Do In The Shadows had its Canadian premiere last night at midnight madness. Robert A. Mitchell was fortunate enough to interview the very acclaimed New Zealand documentary filmmaker Jemaine Clement, whose newest work took him into the exciting and often dangerous world of vampires.

Clement channels Werner Herzog in his quest to fully understand his undead subjects and reveal many ecstatic truths about our own fragile human ways. Mr. Clement also bears a striking resemblance to one of the vampire subjects Vladislav, but this is purely coincidental. His co-director Taika Waititi was not at the premiere leading to some speculation that perhaps the documentary work with vampires did not end well.





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

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: More Fan Art!

Today it's What We Do In The Shadows at @mmadnesstiff! Here's my idea of a happy Petyr. @DeliciousNecks #TIFF14 pic.twitter.com/YxesSqoye3
— Leigh Young (@LeighYoungArt) September 12, 2014

Thanks again, Leigh, for the amazing art! 


WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Dracula

"Hey, baby. How 'bout we go for a bite?"

From Vlad Țepeș to Count Dracula starting in 1897, Dracula has had a lot of looks over the years. (And I'm sure he would argue that all of them were sexy, Deacon!) And Dracula certainly had some sexy-times--or at least his brides did, if you go by Bram Stoker's novel.

In the moonlight opposite me were three young women, ladies by their dress and manner. I thought at the time that I must be dreaming when I saw them, for, though the moonlight was behind them, they threw no shadow on the floor. They came close to me, and looked at me for some time, and then whispered together....All three had brilliant white teeth that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips. There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina’s eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth.

On the other hand, that was from Jonathan Harker's journal (via Project Gutenberg) and perhaps Dracula had been kicked to the spare coffin storage room, which would explain why he was moving to London without his brides and in the market for new brides.

His mustache was good enough for the ladies of the mid-Fourteen Hundreds.

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia had some extraordinarily cool titles and a sweet patronym. His father was Vlad II of the Order of the Dragon (inarguably cool) who was granted the surname, "Dracul" and "Dracula" is Vlad III's patronym. He's also a "three-time Voivode of Wallachia." Which, again, cool. So that had to ease the pain of whatever marital difficulties he had in the 1890s.

Of course, he also had a penchant for impalement that he felt worked out great for Christendom, but really freaks everyone out. I assume he had some stuff to work out because by the Victorian Era, he's just doing regular vampire things--turning ladies into vampires, making guys eat flies, taking the form of a wolf and concealing the hair on his palms.

Please enjoy this look at Dracula through the years!

Can you find the vampire in this crowd of sophisticated Thirties gentlemen?

And here he is--also in 1931.




In 1970, he tried out the 'stache again. (Or is it 1890. It's hard to say...)



In Dracula contends with that ne're-do-well poser Johnny Alucard and his fashion in 1972.



And here he is again in 1972.

Soy Dracula, tambien

Also, Dracula... note the thicker hair.



And this video features many of his more extreme fashion experiments.



I'm not sure what he's doing here. No sexy times at all. Maybe he finally went loco in 2000?


Or will we see him again soon? Say at midnight tonight?

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: 5 Tips For Living With Your Vampire Roomies

Ah, what a happy, healthy vampire household. This, too, can be yours!

So maybe you've found yourself recently undead and more or less vampiric (definitely more) and rooming with other vampires. Yeah, you could live alone but that's lonely and sad and sharing your space with a group of fellow vampires can be a very rewarding experience. But living with other vampires is no easy task. Some days you may find yourself hiding in your coffin just to escape the madness. You're stuck with these guys for all eternity now so you need to learn how to make the most of it. Um, yeah, we guess you could move. But, packing. Ugh. Who wants to pack, right? Right. We've got five basic tips for making the most of your vampire roomie situation.

Make sure all of your roomies are taking turns with chore duties.
And a good pair of gloves will keep your skin soft!

1. Take care of your house. 

If you've been kicking around for hundreds of years, you've probably accumulated a lot of things. We're not saying get rid of your knick-knicks. We love knick-knacks! And your collection of socks from victims of the Black Plague is a great conversation starter anyway. But if you don't keep up your house, they'll be nobody coming over to see your collection anyway. Nobody likes a messy, unkept home, not even vampires. There are a lot of ways you can keep a beautiful home: maybe a cleaning schedule with your roomies will work or you'll enlist the help of your familiars. Either way, make sure to dust regularly because you'd be surprised how hard getting hundreds of years worth of grim off of furniture can be. Being aware of the integrity of your home is of upmost importance as well. Imagine if one of your black-out curtains fell down from a faulty curtain rod and let sunlight into your room while you were sleeping? We shudder at the thought.

We can't recommend investing in a vacuum more. It'll make cleaning up a breeze.

2. Respect each other. 

That human Aretha Franklin had the right idea with her song "Respect" (dang, what a great tune). Every vampire is different and you need to respect your roomies' life choices. We all come from different vampiric backgrounds. You may be living with vampires from the 1300s or 1700s or even just last week. With all of these different backgrounds, though, come different personalities, customs, even sleeping habits. You may be a classic coffin-sleeper but your roomie may prefer to sleep hanging upside down in a closet. Sure, it may be strange to you but don't try to impose your own vampiric beliefs on your roomies—it'll just end badly. And trust us, your customs may seem totally normal but we guarantee you they're wigging your roomies out.

Everyone loves a good vampire joke. Oooo, floating spoon! 

3. Make time to do activities together. 

As important as it is to respect each other's customs, it's also a good idea to plan some activities to do together so you can get to know each other. How awkward would it be to live hundreds of years with the same vamps and not even learn their favourite pastime, right? Maybe you'll start a book club or all take up knitting or go club hopping together—the world is your brimming glass of blood! (Humans would normally say "oyster" but that, like all food, is disgusting.) Whatever you do will be a great way to bond with your roomies. We personally recommend setting aside a night to get out of the house. It's a good excuse to put on your favourite ruffly blouse and track down some fresh food. Or dance at clubs. Either or.

Getting out and partying can be a great way to get rid of hundreds of years of tension.

4. Clean up after yourself. 

This one should be obvious but, please, clean up after your meals. Do you know how much harder it is to get blood out of hardwood flooring when it's been sitting for days? And it will start to attract flies and once that happens it's all downhill. Listen, we all know how easy it is to loose yourself in a delicious meal. That neck, that blood, mmm. But be mindful that you share your space with other vamps and having a bloodstained, infested home is just gross. You could try putting down newspaper or tarp before going in for the kill or creating a "blood room" with easy-to-clean tile walls and flooring and equipment to hang your meals and drain them of their blood for later consumption. This is a also great option for a fancy party as you can store the blood in jugs and serve it in that lovely stemware you acquired during Queen Elizabeth I's reign.

That rug is vintage. Don't you dare get blood on it!

5. Get the internet.

Or, you know, a hobby. Eternal life is long and having nothing to do will make it even longer. You so don't want to be that whiny, sad vamp that wanders around the house doing nothing either. Womp, womp. Nobody likes a sad-sack vampire. And we don't judge: if your idea of a great way to pass the time is reading Dan Brown novels, go for it. As long as you're happy.

Get your own vamp fix and learn even more tips about living with vampire roomies at this Festival's screenings of What We Do in the Shadows. We recommend taking notes. Or just seeing it all three times.

What We Do in the Shadows is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness Programme. Check out more Midnight Madness films on the official Festival website!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:

Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Premieres Tonight!

Clean the bathroom later--you've got a movie to see!

Don your ruffliest shirt, shrug on your must resplendent velvet jacket and shine up your fangs because What We Do In The Shadows premieres tonight and you know the whole vampire community is going to be there.

Remember this is the sexy you'll have to compete with.

Alternatively, if you're not a vampire, fill your messenger bag with garlic and bottled holy water. Maybe bring that squirt gun you filled with holy water from the It Follows premiere. And wear your biggest crucifix, but you know, keep it covered. It's just considerate with vampires present.

You don't want to cause eye-bleeding. It's inconsiderate. And gross.

You should be fine. Really.

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

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Elizabeth Báthory

After the last Vampire Profile, we received word from @DeliciousNecks, aka certain Antipodean Vampires, that while Count Orlok might be adorable he'll never be as sexy as What We Do In The Shadows' Deacon. But now I'm about to do a little profile of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, and I'm just not sure if it's fair. Can Countess Báthory compete with Deacon?

Who could compete?

Should we dividing create sexiness divisions? Because I know there are some people who go for Count Orlok.

Erzsébet lookin' good!

Báthory Erzsébet / Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a Hungarian aristocrat. She was born in 1560 or 1561, according to the Crime Library. Her family was reportedly filled with madness, alchemical experimentation, Devil-worship, witchcraft and Lesbianism. Which is probably the best background for the young vampire. Her husband, Prince Nádasdy had special dungeons in their familial castle and their shared interests included: being aristocrats, ruling harshly, beating servants and black magic.

With the help of four other people, the Countess killed hundreds of young women and bathed in their blood as part of her intensive skin care regimen. (Natural beauty takes work, people!). When even Sixteenth Century aristocrats couldn't tolerate her brutality anymore, Báthory was ultimately imprisoned in Čachtice Castle. In 1610, she was walled into a room with a narrow slit for meals to be passed in and out, because she's still being judged and punished by people pretty much like her. The Countess was found dead in 1614--or should I say, "apparently dead in a cunning escape plan?"

"I am totally dead. I only appear alive because of my rigorous skin care regimen."

Some people believe that Báthory was merely a serial killer, but movies conclude decisively that she was a vampire. And I will always go with movie facts--especially the ones I prefer to believe.

Here the Countess uses the name, "Dracula," but it's just a cover to get some respect in a male- dominated and the very Dracula-dominated vampire world.



In Daughters of Darkness (1971), the Countess has sexy times and makes a new friend.



The Countess (2009) conceals her fangs. (Fangs can be so gauche).



And in Southern California, she relies on chastity pledges to keep her feeling fresh and young.



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

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Top Five Vampire Flicks

Growing up, watching vampire movies - I made up a special rule; vampire movies all get an automatic two stars, and can work up from there. Reason is, it's tough being a vampire movie!  You got so much working against you; the trappings of superstition, pop culture, and a minefield of cliches to navigate. That, and there are a LOT of bad vampire films.  However, I happen to LOVE vampires, and can't get enough of them.

This year's What We Do In The Shadows  looks to be an amusingly "dead" pan take - something that will definitely stand out in a long tradition of vampire movies.

So here's my top five vampire films, with honourable mentions below!

Let The Right One In (2008)
Okay, this may be painfully obvious to those that have seen it, but what about those that didn't? I highly recommend this film, as it's not just a great vampire movie - it's a great movie!

Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
Willem Dafoe is transcendent! A truly lifelike performance of someone who is most likely undead.

Downton Abbey, Undead Edition

Interview With The Vampire (1994)
I feel like this one gets a lot of undeserved hate.  I'm a fan of the original story - AND I think the scale of this movie is massive, beautifully shot, just a big, sweeping story… and Kirsten Dunst is amazing.

In a remake, this could be a boy band. Still, buy the soundtrack!

The Lost Boys (1987)
Yeah, how could I not include this? If you haven't seen it, this one's got something for everyone; a real snap shot of the 80s.

The Arrughhhhh!

Fright Night (1985)
The original. While I wasn't crazy about it the first time, a recent screening opened my eyes to its cult brilliance. For me, it's all about Evil Ed.

Here's a whack of other vampire movies I enjoyed, but I don't want to crash the server!  I know there can be some strong arguments for a few of these, but really, would you want any vampire fan to miss the above movies?

The Night Flier, Stake Land, Innocent Blood, Byzantium, Near Dark, The Addiction, Mr. Vampire, Monster Squad, Dracula (dir: Todd Browning), Bram Stoker's Dracula, From Dusk Til Dawn, Only Lovers Left Alive, Nosferatu, Lost Highway (when I first saw I swore they were vamps!), Daybreakers, Blade series, Martin, Salem's lot, John Carpenter's Vampires, 30 Days of Night, Cronos, Vamp

Let me know what I missed!

And don't you miss What We Do In The Shadows (2014) playing this year at Midnight Madness!

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