The Film Corner Accolades of the 2014 Toronto After Dark Film Festival as selected by Greg Klymkiw

I've been attending the magnificent Toronto After Dark Film Festival for 5 years of its 9-year-long history and I have to say that I have no idea what I would do if I ever had to miss a year. It's unique amongst genre festivals (and festivals period) in that its head honcho Adam Lopez set out to create an event that was by fans and for fans of all things macabre and this is what makes it so special. The audience-response is always lively, but respectful and you'll get no better on-a-big-screen experience anywhere in Canada - perhaps even the world. Lopez and his lively team (including, but not limited to) Peter Kuplowsky and Christian Burgess, have consistently presented more than just a film festival - it's a pure atmosphere of genre adoration. It's all about . . . . . LOVE!!! And believe me, it has nothing to do with the love between a man and a woman, a man and a man, a woman and a woman, a parent and their child or a boy and his dog. It is, in fact, the special love between those of humankind and the colour of red - BLOOD RED!!! This is a beautiful thing.


This year, I reviewed EVERY SINGLE FEATURE FILM and a selection of first-rate short films. Below, you will find my annual accolades for this year's edition of the festival. Without further delay, here they are:

BEST OVERALL FILM OF THE FESTIVAL:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST HORROR FILM:
Hellmouth

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM:
Time Lapse

BEST THRILLER:
Open Windows

BEST HORROR COMEDY:
Suburban Gothic

BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE:
Late Phases

BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE:
Wyrmwood

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM:
Hellmouth

BEST SHORT FILM:
He Took His Skin Off For Me

BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM:
Migration

BEST DIRECTOR:
David Zellner, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Nathan and David Zellner, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST ACTOR:
Stephen McHattie, Hellmouth

BEST ACTRESS:
Rinko Kikuchi, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Jason Spisak, Time Lapse

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Siobhan Murphy, Hellmouth

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST EDITING:
Wyrmwood

BEST SOUND:
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST ART DIRECTION:
Time Lapse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Hellmouth

BEST MAKEUP EFFECTS:
He Took His Skin Off For Me

Here are links to every single Film Corner review from TADFF 2014:

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Let Us Prey

Late Phases

Hellmouth

The Babadook

Canadian Shorts at TADFF 2014

Why Horror?

Refuge

The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014

Wyrmwood

Wolves

The ABCs of Death 2

Dead Snow 2: Red VS. Dead

Shorts After Dark

Suburban Gothic

Time Lapse

The Drownsman

Zombeavers

Predestination

Housebound

Open Windows