Pleated skirts and revenge! Jungle protests and secret societies! Whatever Rigor Mortis is! These are some of the brutal delights that programmer Colin Geddes has set up for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness slate.
The whole thing opens with Lucky McKee’s (The Woman) latest film All Cheerleaders Die where he teams with writer/director Chris Sivertson to remake one of his early movies. This new version tells the supernatural story of a rebellious girl who joins the cheerleading squad in order to take down the captain of the football team.
There’s also new Eli Roth, Sion Sono, Hitoshi Matsumoto…The hits keep coming, and I still can’t tell what’s going on in Rigor Mortis. Here’s the full lineup to drool over.
Afflicted – Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, Canada/USA, World Premiere
Best friends Derek and Clif set out on a trip of a lifetime. Their plan: travel to the ends of the earth, see the world, and live life to the
fullest. But the trip soon takes a dark and bloody turn. Just days in, one of the men shows signs of a mysterious affliction which
gradually takes over his entire body and being. Now, thousands of miles from home, in a foreign land, they must race to uncover the
source of his illness before it consumes him completely. Footage of their travels meant to document pleasant memories may now
become evidence of one of the most shocking discoveries ever captured on film…and may be their only postcard home.
All Cheerleaders Die – Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson, USA, World Premiere
When tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Mäddy Killian shocks the student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift between Mäddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller – a loner who claims to practice the dark arts. After a
confrontation with the football team, Mäddy and her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape.
Almost Human – Joe Begos, USA, World Premiere
Mark Fisher disappeared from his home in a brilliant flash of blue light almost two years ago. His friend Seth Hampton was the last to see him alive. Now a string of grisly, violent murders leads Seth to believe that Mark is back, and something evil is living inside of him.
The Green Inferno – Eli Roth, USA, World Premiere
How far would you go for a cause you believe in? In horrormaster Eli Roth’s terrifying new film, a group of college students take their
humanitarian protest from New York to the Amazon jungle, only to get kidnapped by the native tribe they came to save: a tribe that still practices the ancient rite of cannibalism, and has a healthy appetite for intruders.
Oculus – Mike Flanagan,USA, World Premiere
Oculus is a spine-chilling supernatural tale of two damaged siblings (Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites) who, as children, witnesses their parents’ harrowing descent into madness and murder. At long last, brother and sister reunite as adults to expose and destroy the paranormal entity they believe is responsible: the Lasser Glass – a legendary mirror their family once owned.
R100 – Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan, World Premiere
An ordinary man with an ordinary life joins a mysterious club. The membership lasts for one year only and there is one rule: no
cancellation under any circumstance. The man enters into an entirely new and exciting world which he has never before experienced.
Rigor Mortis – Juno Mak, Hong Kong, North American Premiere
Juno Mak’s debut feature Rigor Mortis is an eerie and chilling, contemporary action- and special effects-laden homage to the classic
Chinese vampire movies of the 1980s. Starring Chin Siu-Ho, Kara Hui, Anthony Chan, Lo Hoi Pang and Richard Ng.
The Station (Blutgletscher) – Marvin Kren, Austria, World Premiere
At a climate research station in the Alps, the scientists are stunned as the nearby melting glacier is leaking a red liquid. It quickly turns
to be very special juice – with unexpected genetic effects on the local wildlife.
Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (Jigoku de Naze Warui) – Sion Sono, Japan, North American Premiere
Two men, Muto and Ikegami, hate each other. Muto desperately wants to help his daughter Mitsuko star in a movie. Meanwhile,
Ikegami falls in love with Mitsuko, knowing that she’s the daughter of his foe. Hirata, a filmmaker, and Koji, a young movie-lover, get
dragged into this complicated situation that heads into an unexpected direction.
All official synopses courtesy of TIFF’s press release.
Related Topics: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
