Since I moved back to Southern Ontario I’ve been bragging about all the excellent horror and cult film events that I’m once again able to partake in. From Trash Palace to Toronto After Dark to the upcoming Festival of Fear and everything in-between, I’m spoiled for choice. One event that I haven’t mentioned yet which everyone keeps reminding me of is the Toronto International Film Festival Midnight Madness programming. With the debuts of Diary of the Dead, Mother Of All Tears and Sukiyaki Western Django you’d think I would have brought it up already. The truth is, I’m hesitant to go.

I’ve heard things.

I’m one of those people who bristles at the idea that genre films should be shown seperately from other, supposedly classier fare. I felt that it was unfair that Midnight Madness was segregated from the main event. As it turns out, it’s the regular festival that’s kept out of the Midnight Madness portion, for its own safety. Rumour has it that random, private screenings at Midnight Madness devolve into a cross between 42nd Street and Caligula. Even before the curtains go up you’ll find ushers pissing on the first three rows, and certain well-connected patrons of the Arts pay top dollar for the opportunity to watch. After everyone is seated, toting their gift bags full of lube and heroin, the debauchery truly begins. A Black Mass is staged down front. Prostitutes imported from Copenhagen flaggelate celebrities. The entire theatre becomes a whirlpool of sticky flesh and cigarette butts, and at its centre is Colin Geddes, born with eyes like dying embers and a 14-inch cock trapped in a rusty cage. His Satanic laughter echoes throughout the theatre, spurring the participants on to greater depths of depravity until the screen is covered with so much blood and semen that it’s almost impossible to make out the film. Almost.

And don’t even get me started about the after parties.

So, yeah, I’m going this year. They’re finally sucking me in with films like Frontière(s) and Stuck. Say a prayer for me.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 8:36 pm and is filed under Events, Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.