Tweets of the Day! #mmadnesstiff

There's been isopods in my internets for the past few days but I dumped a crapton of chlorine into my keyboard and it seems to be working now.  Which means it's time to check in with Twitter to see what the Midnight Madness audience has been saying about The Bay, Come Out And Play, and The ABCs of Death!

OMG WTF BBQ LOL!

Say hello next time! He doesn't bite (unless he catches you texting during a movie)!

Aw!

So very true.  Those beach balls are not to be messed with.

 The very last screening for Midnight Madness 2012 is TONIGHT! Don't miss John Dies At The End!

Remaining Midnight Madness Screening Times:

JOHN DIES AT THE END
Sat., Sept. 15th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 6:00 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7


THE ABCS OF DEATH
Sun., Sept. 16th, 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9


HELLBENDERS
Sat., Sept. 15th, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 2

AFTERSHOCK
Sun., Sept. 16th, 3:30 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 9

Pictures from THE BAY Premiere!

 MM Blogger Sachin Hingoo usually handles posting the premiere pictures, but frankly no one's seen him since the premiere of Barry Levinson's first horror movie, The Bay. Some say Sachin was overcome by horror while watching the film. Others say that, enraged by the sight of unruly isopods, he struck out to Charm City to stop the isopods before they start. I've even heard gossip that Sachin was 6 or 7 giant isopods wearing a trench coat and fedora all along. But that's crazy talk.

Regardless, the red carpet premiere pictures must be posted. And so, in Sachin's name, enjoy!

Director Barry Levinson on the red carpet

for the world premiere of The Bay!

The lovely Kether Donahue will save us all from isopods

using only her fancy spike heels.

Actor Frank Deal doffs his cap, demonstrating true gentlemanliness

in the face of unspeakable wrongness.

(Parasitic isopods--not MM Photographer Ian)

Frank Deal, Kether Donahue and Barry Levinson on the red carpet.

Parasitic isopods, whatcha gonna do?

Horrific parasites could be sitting in the back

of your throat--right now!

Barry Levinson on stage at The Ryerson theatre.

MM Programmer Colin Geddes looks on as Mr. Levinson explains 

there's no point in panicking, the isopods' victory is inevitable.

Who Wasn't On THE BAY Red Carpet? Isopods!

one of the faces of The Bay.

The real stars of Barry Levinson's The Bay couldn't make the premiere last night, isopods.  It's sad, but ease your disappointment with the knowledge that giant isopods are out there working hard for their fans.

Glamor shot for Sea Floor Vogue

Chilling on the set of The Bay.

Enjoying craft services.

Obviously, these isopods are also making a reference to Songs About Giant Isopods smash hit, "Giant Isopods Ate My Well-Known Brand of Corn Chip!"

Doing... that...

 

THE BAY screening times: 
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Barry Levinson Talks THE BAY. World Premiere Intro/Q&A Video.

Last night academy award winning director Barry Levinson (Good Morning Vietnam; Rain Man) took to the Midnight Madness stage to premiere the first horror film in his career.

THE BAY is an extremely well constructed found footage eco-horror of a tragedy that befalls a small American town. Levinson shows that he can adapt to the changing movie-making technology -- the film employed over twenty different digital cameras. He and his team took all of this footage and crafted a compelling and down right horrific story made even more scary when you find out that over 85% of the science featured in THE BAY is true.

The post-screening Q&A was more so a masterclass with a brilliant director. Here we present Robert A. Mitchell's video.



THE BAY
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

When Nature Attacks!

Aw, would this little guy hurt you? Yes, yes it would.

Isopods are set to attack tonight in Barry Levinson's The Bay, but they're not the swarming, eco-horror threat the world has faced.

You might think frogs and toads are just cute amphibious creatures who hop, eat insects and host variety shows. But there's more to them, much more.  Frogs are strategic geniuses marshaling all the forces of nature, as Ray Milland and Sam Elliott discovered to their horror in Frogs (1972).

Ray Milland's character is 12x scarier than
a giant frog with a taste for human flesh.

The ants of Phase IV (1974) are similarly sentient and they are supergeniuses. As the trailer proclaims, "How can you outsmart an enemy who knows your next move before you do?"  Also, it was directed by known ant-sympathizer, Saul Bass. Who can stand against the united powers of Saul Bass and ants?

Surrender, human, you cannot overcome ants or
awesome shots composed by  Saul Bass like this one.

In Squirm (1976), humanity faced the actually slithering, slow-moving, squicksome horror of... earthworms, possibly even nightcrawlers!

It is, definitely, squicksome.

It's impossible to know whether the spiders in Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) have a plan. They are definitely ticked off, though. They've had enough of humankind and have decided to cover everything in webs. Not even the dulcet tones William Shatner can soothe them.

Spiders seize control of our air defenses.

Sure, there are piranha in Piranha, but in James Cameron's Piranha 2: The Spawning, the piranha can fly!  Ask any military strategist, even a human one will tell you that's a serious situation. Especially when our air forces have been grounded by pissed off spiders. Aggravated by humans catching fish while the fish are spawning, flying mutant piranha attack humans while humans spawn at a resort!

I can fly, mofos.

The Long Weekend (1978) is probably the ultimate in nature trying to kill people films. It demonstrates that sometimes nature really, really hates people and will do everything it can to kill them. Especially really horrible jerks.

Sometimes people are so horrible
that you just want to help nature out.

So have fun at The Bay, and remember don't go in the water, or too close to the water, or the woods, or outside the theater.  And maybe try not to shoot nature.


THE BAY screening times:
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Songs About Giant Isopods! Really!

Kick back and groove!

Holy Bathynomus Gigantaeus! Check out this album of songs about giant isopods! Click through for the play list!

all these bands are beloved by isopods!

Also, there is a video for "Giant Isopods Ate My Well-Known Brand of Corn Chip!"





THE BAY screening times:
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

THE BAY Premieres Tonight!

Get out your best shrimp peelers, crab crackers and lobster mallets,* don your bib, and, maybe have that thing on your neck checked at the clinic, because the isopods invade Midnight Madness tonight at the world premiere of Barry Levinson's The Bay!

*I hear they work on isopods just as well.

THE BAY screening times:
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Midnight Madness at Trailers from Hell: HORROR ON PARTY BEACH

Today's Trailers From Hell video is so appropriate to this year's Midnight Madness.  John Landis comments on Horror Of Party Beach and I just know there will be resonances with Barry Levinson's The Bay.  Even if The Bay is East Coast and Horror Of Party Beach is West Coast.

East Coast style it's all parasitic isopods feasting on human flesh. West Coast style it's "Weird Atomic Beasts who Live off Human Blood!!!"

So pull on your swim suit and shimmy and shake to the Del-Aires while John Landis talks about schlock and fumetti, zombies and the living dead on Party Beach.





THE BAY
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Just Released Poster & Trailer for THE BAY!

The poster and trailer for Barry Levinson's The Bay have just been released. See the world premiere September 12th at Midnight Madness!



THE BAY
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Empire Magazine Picks Midnight Madness!

Empire readers plans their festival.

Empire Magazine picks six of programmer Colin Geddes' selections in, "22 Must Watch Movies From The Toronto Film Festival" --five from the Midnight Madness programme and one from the Vanguard programme. Although, by my count, there are only 20 films in the list. The last two must be secret and are surely two more Midnight Madness films.

Woman attempts to figure out what the last 2 films are...

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS screening times:
WORLD PREMIERE: Fri., Sept. 7 11:59PM:  RYERSON THEATRE
Sat., Sept. 8, 3:30PM:  SCOTIABANK 1 

 AFTERSHOCK
Tue., Sept. 11th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 6:15 PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 3
Sun., Sept. 16th, 3:30 PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 9

THE ABC'S OF DEATH
World Premiere: Fri., Sept. 14th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:15 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sun., Sept. 16th, 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

THE BAY

Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

JOHN DIES AT THE END
Canadian Premiere: Sat., Sept. 15th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 6:00 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Is THE BAY Packing Major Carnage?

The Bay is one of the more mysterious titles in this year's programme. We have no frame of reference for director Barry Levinson as a horror filmmaker. We've seen very few images from the film. The synopses let on a little bit about eco-horror themes, parasitic infections, and found-footage format, but they generally don't indicate how grisly the film gets. We can, however, get some sense of it from these gory concept images created for the filmmakers by artist Daniel Colón. You can view the entire gallery here.

Looks pretty juicy.

THE BAY
Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Greetings from Possum Holler

Greetings from Possum Holler, fellow midnight mavens! I’m April Snellings, and I have the unique and considerable honor of being the first recipient of the Kari’s Scaries bursary. One week from today, I will make my way from Knoxville, Tennessee to Toronto, where I will eat my weight in poutine* and indulge in the non-stop debauchery known as TIFF Midnight Madness.

If you’re unfamiliar with Kari’s Scaries, please allow me to explain. Kari Ramjattan was a TIFF volunteer and staffer whose passion for genre movies–horror flicks in particular–knew no bounds. Kari passed away in 2010, so her family, friends and colleagues created Kari’s Scaries in her honor. The idea is to remember Kari by giving a horror journalist the opportunity to travel to Toronto, attend the Midnight Madness screenings, meet with Festival delegates, enjoy special events hosted by Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes, and have one hell of a time at North America’s coolest film festival. (Incidentally, the lovely art you see at the top of this post was provided by Kari’s son, Kelvin Ramjattan Jr. I really hope I get to meet him soon.)

J.T. Petty's Hellbenders

Though this is my fourth trip to Toronto (I’m a contributing writer and online editor for Rue Morgue Magazine), it will be my first time at TIFF. I can’t imagine a better year to go–I’m crazy excited for several of the films on this year’s roster, including J.T. Petty’s Hellbenders, Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End and Drafthouse Films’ The ABCs of Death. I’m jazzed about The Bay, psyched for Come Out and Play and pumped about No One Lives (in these parts, I’m known as That Chick Who Liked Midnight Meat Train). In other words, I’m looking forward to everything.

Making the journey with me will be my close friend and Knoxville Horror Film Fest Director William Mahaffey. We’ll head out at ridiculous o’clock on the morning of September 6 to make sure we roll into Toronto in time to see people get shot in the face in slow-mo (and 3-D!) in Dredd. If you’ve never driven from Tennessee to Toronto, I ask you: Where’s your sense of adventure? And by “sense of adventure” I mean, of course, your complete disregard for your own sanity.

If you’re interested, keep an eye on this space; I’ll be blogging about our trip and about the movies I’m so excited to see. I never had the pleasure of meeting Kari, but I hope her family–both the one she was born into and the one she picked up along the way–knows how much this trip means to me. I intend to make the most of it, and to honor Kari by doing exactly what she’d do: watch movies until my eyeballs shrivel up, and enjoy every last bit of Midnight Madness that Colin and the gang can sling my way.

Cheers, Kari, and thank you.

* If you’re unfamiliar with poutine, it is a pile of French fries roughly the size of your head that has been slathered with gravy and buried beneath a mound of fresh cheese curds. It’s amazing. Fries, gravy and cheese–can you think of a reason we don’t have this in Tennessee? Me neither. 

HELLBENDERS screening times:
Sun., Sept. 9, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Tues., Sept. 11, 7PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7
Sat., Sept. 15, 9:15PM, SCOTIABANK 2

JOHN DIES AT THE END screening times:
Sat., Sept. 15, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16, 5PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 2

THE ABCS OF DEATH screening times:
Fri., Sept. 14, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 15, 3:15PM, SCOTIABANK 9
Sun., Sept. 16, 9PM, SCOTIABANK 9

THE BAY screening times:
Wed., Sept. 12, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13, 2:45PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

COME OUT AND PLAY screening times:
Thurs., Sept. 13, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Fri., Sept. 14, 3:15PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 10
Sat., Sept. 15, 6:45PM, SCOTIABANK 11

NO ONE LIVES screening times:
Sat., Sept. 8, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Mon., Sept. 10, 9:45PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7
Fri., Sept. 14, 4:45PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

DREDD screening times:
Thurs., Sept. 6, 11:59PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 8, 12:30PM, CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7

Aquatic Horror: A Brief, Particular History

Barry Levinson's The Bay and its army of invisible parasites is just the latest entrant in cinema's long, storied history of aquatic horror flicks. It's bad enough that fish do all kinds of debauched, disgusting things in the water to begin with, but then filmmakers have to go along and throw all other types of vicious nasties in there, too.

The tagline to Jaws was "Don't go in the water," and director Steven Spielberg and company meant it. But sometimes we find far scarier things under the sea then you're normal, everyday man-eating shark--like, for instance, genetically enhanced, super-intelligent sharks. That's case in Deep Blue Sea, a movie most best known for its out-of-nowhere Samuel L. Jackson death scene. But mutant sharks aren't this film's only horrors--you've also got a pretty silly, truly confounding (I've spent way too much of my life trying to figure out what "My hat is like a shark's fin" means) LL Cool J theme song to deal with, too.

The ocean is a truly vast, unknown world yet to be fully explored. One day, what kinds of things might we discover below the surface? If War-Gods of the Deep is to be believed (and I trust fully that it is), Vincent Price in a frilly neckerchief--complete with an "army of half-men, half-monster gill-men"-- isn't out of the question.

Really, if aquatic horror teaches us anything, it's that women are never safe in the water. Or really anywhere near a beach. Just look at Roger Corman's Humanoids from the Deep, as a race of intelligent sea-beasts invade our world for the sole--and quite rude, if you ask me--purpose of mating with human women as a means of advancing their species.

Truly, no one, and no beach is safe--not even Party Beach! Need proof? Check out The Horror of Party Beach, wher "an invasion of ghoulish atomic beasts who live off human blood" terrorizes fun-loving teens and cycle gangs alike.

And when Mother Nature isn't running amok, humanity's here to cause their own problems, like inventing "the most devistating device the mind of man has ever created," and then filling it with super-men with super weapons in Aragon.

THE BAY

Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Producer, Travis Stevens' Top 3 Midnight Madness Picks

This is the first in a series of posts where I asked some peeps what 3 Midnight Madness films they're most excited for this year.

First up is A Horrible Way to Die and The Aggression Scale producer, Travis Stevens' picks.

#1 - The Lords of Salem

 Who cares if an artist missteps every now and then as long as they're heading in an interesting direction? House of 1,000 Corpses is a bit juvenile--designed and executed like an elementary school halloween fundraiser for the children of an outlaw biker gang, but it was made with relish. The Halloween 1+2 reboot sacrificed what made the character iconic in order to make him "new" but who cares? At least he had the balls to actually "kill the cat" so to speak.

But the real reason to look forward to The Lords of Salem is because it appears that he's created another new world for us to explore. And the last time he did that we got a dusty masterpiece. The Devil's Rejects was an assembly of gore and exploitation as complex and as beautiful as a Faberge Egg...smashed against the skull of an unsuspecting audience.

He's going to push the sexuality. He's going to push the WTFness. And I could care less if he stumbles.

#2 - The Bay

Why, at the age 70, did Barry Levinson of Good Morning, Vietnam and Rain Man fame, decide to dip his toes in the dangerous waters of the high concept / low budget horror world? Was it crass commercialism? The desire to explore a looser approach to filmmaking, free of some of the restraints that big budgets and movie stars can shackle you with? Did he lose a bet?

Beyond the basic stomach turning appeal of a parasitic outbreak rampaging through the mouths and guts of a small coastal town, I just want to see what the hell Levinson does with the concept. Let's hope the end result is focused, funny and terrifying...and that Levinson tells the audience "why" during the Q&A.

#3 - The ABCs of Death

Taking an approach to anthology films that would have made Caligula proud, this orgy of gore is likely to cause the only death by excess recorded in the history of a cinema. But what a way to go! Gangbanged to death by some of the most inventive minds working in genre film today. I'll take it.

Bonus Non-MM Picks

 #4 - Passion

The hope is that Passion is to De Palma what Black Book was to Verhoeven.  Once last crack of the master's whip.  An indulgence of the man's personal fetishes, blossoming forth from the pavement of a really commercial script.  The fear is that it plays closer to Argento's Dracula 3D.  

#5 - The Hunt 
Thomas Vinterberg and Mads Mikkelsen.  A collaboration that appears just as delicate, cold and beautiful as an icicle hanging from your roof in winter.  I want to watch it shatter. 

Travis Stevens is the founder of Snowfort Pictures; a boutique production company specializing in the development, financing, production and sale of commercial genre films. Since founding the company in 2010 he's produced Adam Wingard's A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, Steven C Miller's THE AGGRESSION SCALE, The Butcher Brothers THE THOMPSONS, Frank Pavich's JODOROWSKY'S DUNE, Mike Mendez's MEGA SPIDER, Ravi Dhar's AMERICAN MUSCLE and Trent Haaga and E.L. Katz's upcoming CHEAP THRILLS.

None of which his wife shows any interest in seeing.

Screening Times:
THE LORDS OF SALEM
World Premiere: Mon., Sept. 10th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 12th, 5:00 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

THE BAY
World Premiere: Wed., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

THE ABCs OF DEATH
World Premiere: Fri., Sept. 14th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:15 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sun., Sept. 16th, 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

PASSION
Tues., Sept. 11th, 8:00 PM WINTER GARDEN THEATRE
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 8:30 PM SCOTIABANK 1
Fri., Sept. 14th, 9:30 AM SCOTIABANK 3

THE HUNT
Mon., Sept. 10th, 9:15 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 1
Wed., Sept. 12th, 3:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 2