The Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) has officially unveiled its lineup for its 19th edition of new horror, sci-fi and action movies. The festival will screen from October 14 –18, 2026 at the Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St W) and CineCycle (129 Spadina Ave). Across the five nights, Toronto audiences will enjoy a showcase of 14 feature premieres, as well as 33 genre short films from Canada and around the world.
Single tickets go on sale this Tuesday, September 29. TADFF passholders (both Cine-Maniac and All-Nighter tiers) can now begin reserving tickets during an exclusive window that ends tomorrow, September 28.
The festival kicks off with the Canadian Premiere of Brian Duffield’s ‘Whalefall.’ A tense and emotionally-charged survival thriller starring Austin Abrams (‘Resident Evil’) and Josh Brolin (‘Weapons’), the film depicts the harrowing story of a scuba-diver (Abrams) who finds himself swallowed whole by a sperm whale and trapped inside the animal’s stomach. With a dwindling supply of oxygen left in his tank, the young man turns to the nautical and life lessons his father passed on to him in a desperate bid to survive.
Two takes on the intersection of capitalism and body horror highlight the festival’s slate of International Programming: ‘Species’ (d. Marion Le Corroller, whose 2025 short ‘Melted Doll’ screened at last year’s edition) is an energetic, blood-soaked parable set within the life-or-death world of modern medicine. Edwin’s ‘Sleep No More’ follows two siblings travelling to Jakarta to investigate the grisly death of their mother while she was working at an old wig factory – only to discover that her “accident” was not an isolated incident.
Toronto After Dark’s Friday Vampire Night pairs the previously announced ‘I Love Paris’ with the Canadian Premiere of ‘Red Snow.’ Ilja Rautsi’s holiday ho-ho-horror about an angsty teen whose vampire fantasies are fractured when a horrifically violent undead creature dressed as Jolly Old St. Nick shows up at her family’s doorstep.
Two films that are punk in both form and ethos, ‘Matapanki’ (d. Diego “Mapache” Fuentes) follows a ground-level superhero whose powers are activated by alcohol. ‘Hallowarrior,’ meanwile, finds young Pumpkin (Milly Shapiro from ‘Hereditary’) on a post-apocalyptic Halloween defending her home from cannibalistic intruders.
Representing the festival’s Canadian Programming, Sam Scott’s ‘Turn It Up!’ offers the story of a struggling indie band turning to a cursed melody for fame, unaware that the melody opens up a dangerous portal between dimensions; and ‘No Longer Humans’ (directed by Toronto filmmaker Luca D’Andrea) is a queer coming-of-age love story about a world in which death no longer exists. Shot on 16mm film, D’Andrea’s debut feature will be making its North American Premiere in the festival’s Late Night Programme.
Canadian Filmmaking will be further represented across TADFF’s popular short film slate, which pairs a Canadian short with all feature films across the festival and includes dedicated sidebars for both Canadian and International selections.
The lineup also features the Ontario Premieres of ‘The Fox’ (d. Dario Russo) and ‘Drag’ (d. Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer). In ‘The Fox,’ a cunning fox (voiced by Olivia Colman) convinces an impressionable foxhunter (Jai Courtney) to turn his wife (Emily Browning) into the foxhunter’s idea of the perfect woman: a dark folktale built around the age-old adage “be careful what you wish for”.
In ‘Drag,’ two sisters (Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito) break into the secluded home of a wealthy artist (John Stamos) for a simple little robbery. When one of the sisters quickly throws out her back, escape becomes an immovable obstacle for the feuding duo – made worse when the artist comes home early.
Previously announced films include: ‘5 More Minutes,’ ‘Frogman Returns,’ ‘I Love Paris and ‘My Love For You Is Deep, but the Devil Loves Me Deeper.’
The 19th edition also marks an inaugural partnership between the festival and its new lead sponsor ScareScore. ScareScore is building the world’s first biometric reaction platform for entertainment. Connecting to the smartwatch audiences already wear, ScareScore measures physical reactions as they happen and transforms them into a personal score across movies, streaming, attractions, and adrenaline experiences that they can share, compare, and compete against friends with/ Select Toronto After Dark films will be ScareScore enabled.
TADFF’s late-night CineCycle Programming has been made possible this year thanks to the support of Branded to Film (B2F), Kingston’s hyperlocal studio for high-concept genre filmmaking. B2F provides resources, crew and producer support for independent filmmakers shooting in the region.
To view Toronto After Dark’s 2026 lineup, purchase passes and tickets, and for additional festival information, visit the festival’s official website.
