Yet another set of Midnight Madness picks, courtesy of Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting:

Another year, another 10 incredible genre film selections, Midnight Madness is the pinnacle of my year. Forget any other film festival, the Toronto International Film Festival is so jammed-packed that even the MM line-up overflows into the full festival. One of most exciting parts of our coverage is that every year Colin asks me to tell him my 3 most anticipated films and why, which leaves me staring blankly at the full line-up for about an hour trying to make up my mind. While each and every film has a special something about it, there were three films this year that stood out from the pack and are a MUST for ol’ Bloody Disgusting. 

3: DAYBREAKERS

Ah, 2003. What a wonderful year for horror as the genre was coming back strong and gaining some serious momentum. Lionsgate become a household name in horror with the smash hits of both SAW and CABIN FEVER - but that was only the beginning. At the 2003 Midnight Madness the studio acquired both Alex Aja’s HAUTE TENSION, along with Michael and Peter Spierig’s indie zombie film from Australia, UNDEAD, which showed the director’s multiple talents as they not only directed the film, but also wrote, produced, edited, scored and even did the visual FX for.

Here we are SIX years later and the duo has finally, finally got their sophomore feature film arriving in theaters (January I believe). DAYBREAKERS, a vampire film produced by Lionsgate, is the true test of the Spierig brother’s talent and will truly give us an idea of what they can do with a BUDGET. The timing couldn’t have been any better as “TRUE BLOOD” is killing the ratings on HBO and TWILIGHT has brought on a whole new generation of vampire fans.  But if you need more reasons than that, how about the casting of Sam Neill (IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, OMEN III, EVENT HORIZON, JURASSIC PARK), Willem Dafoe (ANTICHRIST, AMERICAN PSYCHO, SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) and Ethan Hawke (EXPLORERS, TRAINING DAY), an ensemble you just can’t go wrong with.


2: SOLOMON KANE

It was tough to bump this epic horror-fantasy to the #2 slot as everything we’ve seen for this film thus far looks superb. The footage displayed at the San Diego Comic Con showed us just how beautiful a dark period piece can be (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron) and also proved to fans of SILENT HILL and BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF that the film will in fact carry the signature DP work of one Dan Laustsen.

To say you have to be a fan of CONAN to want to see this is ridiculous as what awaits audiences looks to be one of the largest scopes to ever grace the big screen at Midnight Madness. Much like the Spierig bros., Director Michael J. Bassett is another product of low budget indie filmmaking that has something to prove… can SOLOMON KANE deliver everything it promises? Star James Purefoy fills some massive shoes in this horror film loaded with swordplay and demons; I think it’s safe to say a great adventure is upon us.


…and the most anticipated Midnight Madness film is….

1: REC 2

While THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT may have reinvented the way to make a movie, Spanish directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza are probably the first to take it to new heights <i>and</i> execute it to perfection. REC, Filmax’s Spanish horror film from 2007, was so terrifying and so well made that Sony Screen Gems produced a nearly shot-for-shot remake in the States under the title QUARANTINE, which hit theaters before the original film. Thanks to the remake, REC now has full international awareness.

The reason REC 2 it on the top of my must see list is because it promises to take the original concept of REC to NEW heights. How can you up the ante of something that nears perfection? Well, that’s the promise and that’s what I’m expecting to see at Midnight Madness this month!


TIFF BRINGS THE HORROR (Bonus)

Midnight Madness isn’t the only place you’ll find the horror this year as the full festival carries a few titles that I’ll be going out of my way to see. The most exciting would be Joe Dante’s THE HOLE, his return to horror with a new children’s fantasy in 3-D. The director of GREMLINS returns to his roots bringing what I hope to be a fun horror film.

Speaking of sophomore projects (man, there are A LOT this year), director Jonathan King returns once again to TIFF with UNDER THE MOUNTAIN. The director of the hilarious and fun BLACK SHEEP takes this tale into a more serious tone and thickens the drama.

MOUNTAIN is a great film to pair up with THE HOLE as it also carries fantasy elements. In addition, the incredible Sam Neill (who will star in DAYBREAKERS) toplines.

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