Horror fans won’t have to wait until Halloween for their next scare. As part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF’s) lineup of summer programming, acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro is returning to the city to curate a Canadian horror film series!
‘From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness’, running July 9-13 at TIFF Lightbox, will take audiences on a spooky journey through the history of Canadian horror, celebrating iconic and boundary-pushing horror flicks from the likes of David Cronenberg, Bruce McDonald and Vincenzo Natali. Expect a slate of brand new 4K film restorations, including Rabid (1977), Cube (1997), Ginger Snaps (2000), Pontypool (2008) and Skinamarink (2022).
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The Oscar-winning director has a deep love for Toronto and often films throughout the city when possible. Parts of the 2017 fantasy hit The Shape of Water were filmed right downtown at Massey Hall, Trinity-Bellwoods Park and the Elgin Theatre! Last year, del Toro visited the city to film his latest masterpiece for Netflix, Frankenstein. During his downtime, he opened up about his favourite bookstores in the city.
And in July, he took to social media to advocate for the preservation of the beloved Revue Cinema, which was facing closure at the time, but has since reached a new lease agreement.
@MayorOliviaChow Can you help save the REVUE, one of Canada’s most beloved, non-profit, cultural landmarks? https://t.co/59TrOEgoqB Almost 20k signatures have been added https://t.co/uvT0DalW6d
If not you, WHO can help? Or HOW can I help? @BhutilaKarpoche @viraniarif @gordperks— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) July 4, 2024
Oh, and if you haven’t seen del Toro’s The Shape of Water, TIFF is hosting a free, outdoor screening of this romantic dark fantasy on July 8 at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay W).
Click here for TIFF’s full slate of summer programming.