Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Confessions of a Scardy Cat

Confession time. I can't watch scary movies. I get so tense imagining what's going to happen on screen, that I scare myself before anything actually happens.  So why the heck, do I go to the Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TAD)? Well, in addition screening straight up horror films, TAD also includes such genres as sci-fi, action, cult, martial arts, and horror comedies (sometimes one film can encompass all of these elements). 

My favourite film from TAD 2008 was Netherbeast Incorporated, an office vampire movie that had me in stitches. I'd go to work and have humour flashbacks at my desk (very hard to explain).

For TAD 2009, this confessed scardy cat is looking forward to seeing the opening night gala, Black Dynamite, as well as Black, homages to '70's blaxploitation films. I also have on my list the sci-fi film The Dark Hour, the fantasy film, Franklyn (Ryan Phillippe and Eva Green), the horror comedy Strigoi and Zombie flicks Dead Snow and The Revenant (I can't resist a good Zombie comedy). Maybe, just maybe, I'll see Anna Pacquin's film Trick 'r Treat--not sure, though. I'll have to screw my courage to the sticking place for that one.

The pièce de résistance for me will be the Asian triumverate of Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro in Peter Chan's WARLORDS.

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival runs Friday, August 1th until August 21st at the Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West (Bloor and Bathurst).
Website: www.torontoafterdark.com
Photo/Logo Credit: TAD website