November 7, 2026
WRITTEN BY: NICK
Toronto After Dark is back with a selection of feature-length and short films that are bound to make you second guess turning the lights out at night. With a slate of 14 features and 33 shorts, this year's headliner was 20th Century Studios' Whalefall. However, it's the crowd, which I often refer to as Midnight Madness-lite, that really elevates this particular festival.
As I've mentioned before, reviewing short films is always a difficult task, but I enjoy watching them. Although nothing this year reached the heights of Meat Crayon or Clown Song from last year’s festival, there were still some creative, creepy, and unique titles on the slate this year.
Here are my rankings:
15. SHITTING A PENIS — Director: Sam Morgan
14. MELT MUSIC — Director: Evan Rivard
13. THE OLD GODS — Director: Noah Van Buhren
12. BAD TOOTH — Director: M. Dara Alavi
11. PICK IT TILL IT BLEEDS — Directors: Christina Dovolis & Tavis Putnam
10. ICE COLD BEER — Directors: Devon Mussett & Joey Lopez
9. THE PORTRAIT — Director: Julia Hogg
8. PURGE — Director: Andrew Hamilton
7. RUN FROM IT — Directors: Kory Kongsommart & Jun Jeung
6. MY DINNER WITH VICTOR — Director: Andrew Chiu
5. FREQUENCY — Director: Lauren Andrews
4. SOMETHING BORROWED — Director: Findlay Ironside
3. MAN EATING PUSSY — Director: Lee Lawson
2. PAPER CUTS — Directors: Ross Ozarka & Alice Gatland
1. MEAT MYLK — Director: Lucy Luscombe
And now for the feature films:
5. HALLOWARRIOR
After a memorable role in Hereditary, Milly Shapiro is back in the world of horror with Ben Sottak’s Hallowarrior. Unfortunately, this film tries to be too many things at once: a post-apocalyptic survivalist story, a tale of grief, and an homage to Home Alone. It's also hampered by Pumpkin’s (Shapiro) lack of charisma. This feels like more of a character choice than a critique on Shapiro, but it undermines Pumpkin's potential to be the cult hero Sottak is aiming for when everyone else in the film leaves a more lasting impression. This will fit well on Shudder, but it is nonetheless underwhelming.
4. MY LOVE FOR YOU IS DEEP BUT THE DEVIL LOVES ME DEEPER
My Love for You is Deep but The Devil Loves Me Deeper is so deliciously 80s that it opens with a retro promotional ad to prepare you for what’s about to come. On the vintage front, it's terrific. Unfortunately, for the most part, it lacks eroticism, which hurts the lead premise and performance of star Emily Whittemore; she never feels like an inevitably desirable threat. The final scene gives you a glimpse of what this film could have been had director Casey Donahue leaned into the erotic horror concept more, but unfortunately, that's a long time to wait.
3. DRAG
There is a great short film in the beginning of Drag because Lizzie Kaplan and Lucy DeVito make for highly entertaining siblings, with their comedic dynamic carrying a clever idea. Though not his fault, once John Stamos — who is entertaining in his own right — is introduced, the story takes an unnecessary turn that takes away from the early charm. There are still moments of hilarity layered throughout, but the flow is never quite as seamless as it was at the beginning, which makes what was starting out as a great film to land as only a good one.
2. WHALEFALL
Austin Abrams has found himself in a precarious position yet again in Whalefall. Although there are clearly horror elements to watching a man get swallowed by a whale, it's the father/son story and dynamic that takes centre stage. As Abrams’ Jay struggles for survival, he harkens back to memories of his late father (Josh Brolin) and his tough love. It’s emotionally affecting but can be a little heavy-handed to the point that it can come across a touch cheesy. Despite that, the whale content is visually impressive, and Abrams continues to showcase his unconventional leading-man qualities. Just avoid swimming any time soon.
1. THE FOX
To be clear, The Fox is bonkers, and it demands you get on its wavelength early. If you commit to the outrageous idea — one that becomes even more so as it goes on — it is highly entertaining. Much like Dangerous Animals, Jai Courtney finds a character that sticks out amongst the insanity as he continues to excel at roles in his native Australian. It’s Olivia Colman and the late Sam Neill, however, who really take things over the top with their tremendous voice-over performances. At times, the bizarreness can push the comedy to the back seat, but I still had a bunch of fun with this one.