The Toronto International Film Festival returns September 10–20, 2026, bringing another massive slate of premieres, awards hopefuls, and international discoveries […]
The Toronto International Film Festival returns September 10–20, 2026, bringing another massive slate of premieres, awards hopefuls, and international discoveries to Toronto. But if you’re a horror fan, there’s really only one section we obsess over every year: Midnight Madness.
An audience favorite with an “obsessed” following, Midnight Madness returns with 10 late-night screenings at the (allegedly) haunted Royal Alexandra Theatre, each beginning at 11:59 p.m.
Hosted by section curator Peter Kuplowsky, Midnight Madness invites TIFF’s most devoted and raucous audience to close out each night with some of the best in contemporary genre and underground cinema from both emerging and established filmmakers.
The Midnight Madness lineup expands this year with two special screenings before the section officially gets underway. On Sept. 9, the eve of the festival, TIFF will present Na Hong-jin‘s sci-fi action thriller Hope, starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Hoyeon. On Sept. 11, Midnight Madness returns “to where it all started” with a special screening of Curry Barker‘s breakout horror hit Obsession.
While horror, thrillers, and genre films are sprinkled throughout the festival, Midnight Madness has built its reputation on showcasing the wildest, bloodiest, strangest, and most crowd-pleasing movies from around the world. It’s where future cult classics are born, where audiences cheer, scream, laugh, and occasionally wonder what the hell they just watched.
Dread Central has learned the official lineup for this year’s Midnight Madness section at the Toronto International Film Festival. Here’s what we’re keeping our eyes on out of this year’s late-night slate.
The Face of Horror
Director:Anna Biller (The Love Witch)
One of the lineup’s biggest mysteries also happens to be one of its most exciting.
Previously known only as Anna Biller’s untitled Japanese-inspired gothic horror film, the project is now publicly known as The Face of Horror.
Loosely inspired by the classic Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan, the film is set in 14th-century England and follows a woman who returns from the dead seeking revenge after her husband abandons her for another woman. The cast includes Kristine Froseth, Jonah Hauer-King, Bella Heathcote, Ellie Bamber, Leo Suter, and Ben Radcliffe.
After the visual feast that was The Love Witch, Biller’s return to horror immediately becomes one of the most anticipated titles in the entire lineup.
Kick On
Public information remains scarce on Kick On, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the films we’re hearing the most excitement about.
The Australian thriller reportedly follows four friends whose night out leads them into the mansion of a mobster’s reckless son, where a simple party spirals into a brutal fight for survival.
The film has been described to us as small-scale, self-contained, and incredibly intense—essentially an Australian cousin to Green Room. That’s more than enough to earn a spot on our must-see list.
Rogue Trooper
Director:Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code)
While not horror, Rogue Trooper feels exactly like the kind of left-field genre film Midnight Madness loves to embrace.
Based on the legendary 2000 AD comic, the animated feature follows Rogue, a genetically engineered super soldier surviving on the poisoned battlefields of Nu-Earth alongside the personalities of his fallen comrades, who now live inside his rifle, helmet, and backpack.
The voice cast includes Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell, Sean Bean, Matt Berry, Jemaine Clement, Jack Lowden, and Asa Butterfield.
After premiering earlier this year at Annecy, Toronto feels like the perfect next stop.
Vintage Violence
Director:Eugene Kotlyarenko
Another wild card in the lineup, Vintage Violence appears to lean much more toward action-comedy than outright horror.
The Japanese-set film stars Cole Sprouse, Kiko Mizuhara, and Nijirō Murakami, with very few plot details revealed publicly, aside from its Japan setting and its following of the journey to Okayama Prefecture, a major jeans-producing region.
Knowing Kotlyarenko’s previous work, expect something strange, energetic, and unlike anything else playing at the festival.
Half
One of the few unmistakable horror films in the lineup, Samjad‘s Half is an upcoming Indian vampire movie starring Amala Paul, Ranjith Sajeev, and Aishwarya Raj.
Very little has been revealed, but early promotional material has already teased a blood-soaked vampire transformation.
The story will revolve around the “chronicles of two half-blooded vampires” and is described as a high-concept genre experiment in Malayalam cinema.
The Spiral
Director:Paolo Strippoli (A Classic Horror Story, Flowing)
Of everything we’ve heard so far, The Spiral may be the strongest traditional horror film in the lineup.
The Italian supernatural thriller follows a woman who discovers her family’s past is built upon a horrifying supernatural bargain made decades earlier. As long-buried secrets begin resurfacing, she finds herself confronting forces that should have remained forgotten.
Strippoli has already proven he knows how to craft unsettling horror, and everything we’ve heard suggests this one delivers another deeply atmospheric nightmare.
River
Director: Joshua Giuliano
One of the newest additions to TIFF’s lineup, River looks like a straightforward survival slasher with an effective high-concept hook.
The film follows three siblings who become stranded in a boat on a remote country river, only to find themselves hunted by a mysterious faceless killer with seemingly nowhere to escape.
With a contained setting, relentless premise, and classic slasher setup, River has all the ingredients to become one of the festival’s breakout horror discoveries.
Arrested Memory
Director:SABU (Miss Zombie)
Not every genre recommendation has to be straight-up horror, and Arrested Memory feels like exactly the kind of dark thriller that could end up being a hidden gem at TIFF.
The film follows a detective suffering from amnesia who is assigned to investigate the kidnapping of a powerful businessman’s son, forcing him to solve a case while struggling to trust his own memories.
SABU has long been known for blending crime, mystery, and psychological tension in unexpected ways, and with Miss Zombie already under his belt, we’re curious to see where this one lands. If it leans into its darker instincts, Arrested Memory could become one of the festival’s most talked-about thrillers.
Taken together, this year’s Midnight Madness lineup feels a little lighter on pure horror than some previous editions, but that’s hardly a complaint. Instead, it looks like TIFF is embracing exactly what has always made the section so special: genre cinema in all its forms. Whether it’s gothic ghost stories, Indian vampires, dystopian sci-fi, brutal survival thrillers, or offbeat action-comedies, Midnight Madness continues to be one of the festival’s most adventurous showcases.
We’ll have complete coverage once TIFF officially unveils this year’s Midnight Madness slate, but if these titles make the final cut, September is shaping up to be another unforgettable trip to Toronto.
