TIFF 2014: Midnight Madness brings horror and more to Toronto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCQJnOn0ru0

When most people think of the Toronto International Film Festival, things like celebrities, red carpets and arty films usually spring to mind.

But what many folks still don’t know is that TIFF - more specifically the festival’s long-running Midnight Madness program - is also home to some of the best genre cinema from around world. From horror and action, to science fiction, westerns, thrillers, and everything in between, the program offers rabid genre fans a gory and terrifying escape from the glitz and glam usually associated with Toronto. Midnight Madness applies the idea of the late-night grindhouse screening to the festival format, giving these genre films an unrivaled international platform.

The 2014 TIFF Midnight Madness line-up was unveiled on Tuesday morning, and it’s a mix of newcomers, program vets, and genre movie superstars. Here’s a few of the highlights:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.tiff.net/content/carousel/0153fdbe438bcbfe0a5456f5be4a3c14.jpg

The venerable Spanish horror series “[REC]” returns to the late-night event with the fourth film in the first-person found footage series, naturally titled “Apocalypse.” Though the first film in the franchise spawn the unsuccessful U.S. remake “Quarantine,” the original Spanish series remains just as shocking and scary as before.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.tiff.net/content/carousel/e2ec8ebc448eb3ecd9f26ccd37a91d23.jpg

Director Jalmari Helander’s “Big Game” finally brings Samuel L. Jackson to Midnight Madness. After Air Force One is shot down over a remote wilderness, the U.S. President (Jackson) must rely on a young boy to survive.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.tiff.net/content/carousel/aea596b58dac12e7f8c1d88b27ef79ad.jpg

The Belgian thriller “Cub” sounds like pretty much every camper’s nightmare. The film follows a group of teenage cub scouts who find themselves being hunted by an insane survivalist. Be prepared!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10368939_697516593651962_1203735616079943285_o.jpg

Midnight Madness isn't just limited to feature films though. There is usually at least one documentary in the mix, and this year it's “Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.” For those who don't know, Cannon Films is responsible for some of the best (and worst) B-movies of the late 1970s and '80s, films like "Delta Force," "Death Wish II," "American Ninja," "Over the Top" (pictured), and of course, "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.tiff.net/content/carousel/329fe93300a20d6a9983cf69b63bee32.jpg

The folks behind "Flight of the Conchords" and "Eagle vs Shark" team up for the mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows,” a fake doc following the (un)lives of three vampires living in New Zealand.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.tiff.net/content/carousel/9f7aef49d8d1c19ef6a10ab79f91121c.jpg

But by far the most high profile offering at Midnight Madness is director Kevin Smith's “Tusk,” the disturbing/hilarious tale of a popular American podcaster (Justin Long) who is kidnapped and surgically transformed into a human-walrus by a crazed Canadian. Yes, you read that correctly. This one is sure to be a good time.

Midnight Madness screenings are some of the most fun you can have at TIFF. If you're looking for something different, something weird, or something that will scare the pants off you, rest assured that you will have a home during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.