By: Heather Seebach
Well, I'm back home in the USA and already missing Toronto After Dark! For my final recap, I thought I would recap my favorite films and moments. If you'd like to read my individual recaps (with photos and video), click the links above!
Favorite Short: Remember Me
This short from closing night from director Jean-Francois Asselin was so great I wanted to find and watch it again immediately! It had some stiff competition - this year's TADFF was full of great shorts - but this one just ran away with my heart and funny bone. Here is a tease:
Favorite Q&A: The Battery with Jeremy Gardner
This one wins purely because it had that great live performance from Chris Eaton! But runners-up are the hilarious Motivational Growth and Willow Creek Q&As.
Favorite Filmmaker: Don Thacker
Not only did Don make a great film (Motivational Growth) but he's a hell of a lot of fun to talk to!
Scariest Feature: Solo
Banshee Chapter got all the hype but J-horror style scares just don't do it for me. Solo, one of the more underrated festival entries, is genuinely tense and creepy.
Funniest Feature: Eega
The humor may not always be intentional, but this movie is just wonderfully bonkers. Close runner-up is Motivational Growth (where the comedy of course is intentional). I just laughed out loud harder at how ridiculous Eega is.
Favorite Score/Soundtrack: The Battery
This is a strong competitor for best OST of the entire year.
This is a strong competitor for best OST of the entire year.
Favorite Actor: Adrian DiGiovanni, Motivational Growth
I've been in love with this performance since I first saw Growth and it's still my favorite of the fest (though The Battery's Jeremy Gardner is not far behind).
Favorite Actress: Caity Lotz, The Machine
I already liked Caity from Death Valley but she showed me a whole new level of depth as the vulnerable-yet-badass titular android in The Machine.
Best Gore: Found
Despite having one of the lowest budgets of all these films, the gore FX are top-notch, and Found also has the distinction of being the most fucked-up movie of TADFF hands-down.
Biggest Surprise: The Machine
This movie came out of left field and shocked me how goddamn good it is! This one is destined to be a sci-fi classic.
Favorite Feature: The Battery
Yes, this film just lives up to that hype. You could say it's one of the best zombie movies out there, but honestly, I keep forgetting it's even a zombie movie. It's just one goddamn great drama and low-key horror film. Do not miss it!
This movie came out of left field and shocked me how goddamn good it is! This one is destined to be a sci-fi classic.
Favorite Feature: The Battery
Yes, this film just lives up to that hype. You could say it's one of the best zombie movies out there, but honestly, I keep forgetting it's even a zombie movie. It's just one goddamn great drama and low-key horror film. Do not miss it!
