toronto after dark film festival recap

Toronto After Dark 2026: Reviews and Rankings

Our reviews and rankings from the 19th Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which ran October 14 to 18, 2026, at Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Toronto.

This was our second time at Toronto After Dark, and once again we had a blast! The festival, founded by Adam Lopez in 2006, came back for its 19th edition from October 14 to 18, 2026, at Scotiabank Theatre.

It is a very unique festival with a very recognizable atmosphere (think TIFF’s Midnight Madness, but even wackier!). Before each movie starts, you see ads that range from festival merch to other similar Canadian festivals (like Calgary Underground), while a synth score gets you in the mood for a truly strange and memorable screening.

Every screening is preceded by a Canadian short film, and often both the short and the feature are introduced by their filmmakers. If they can’t be there, they record a video message thanking the festival goers.

It is fun. It is weird. It is bloody. And it is worth your time.

Find below the films we watched:

Poster for the 19th Annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival, featuring a creepy figure with glowing eyes, set against a dark background with red accents. Event dates are October 14th - 18th, 2026.

The Full Ranking

Updated October 20, 2026

Still from The Fox
1. The Fox (2026) ★★★
Dario Russo • 90 min • Comedy, Fantasy • Germany, Australia, UK
Talking animals, terrible advice, and some very questionable relationship decisions. Dario Russo’s The Fox is a wonderfully strange Australian comedy that keeps finding new ways to surprise and entertain.
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Still from I Love Paris
2. I Love Paris (2026) ★★★
Nicky Murphy • 120 min • Horror, Comedy, Music, Drama • France, US
I Love Paris has a terrific opening, a charismatic lead, and an inventive premise that makes for some hilarious moments. Unfortunately, its improvisational approach eventually becomes a liability, resulting in an overlong and disjointed vampire comedy that never quite reaches its potential.
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Still from Whalefall
3. Whalefall (2026) ★★★
Brian Duffield • 106 min • Thriller • US
There is plenty to enjoy in Brian Duffield’s bizarre survival thriller, from its immersive sound design to Austin Abrams’ charismatic performance. The film struggles to sustain its premise for 106 minutes, but its best moments are genuinely thrilling.

Where to watch: In Theaters

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Still from Species
4. Species (2026) ★★★
Marion Le Corroller • 103 min • Science Fiction, Horror • France, Belgium
Species captures the cruelty of modern workplaces with surprising effectiveness, finding its strongest moments in the smaller moments of empathy between its characters. Its grotesque imagery, however, rarely adds much to those observations, leaving an entertaining but disappointingly conventional body horror film.
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More rankings

By year

2026 219 films 2025 256 films 2024 110 films 1977 40 films 1976 51 films 1975 51 films

By festival

Cannes 2026 · 34 films Fantasia 2026 · 8 films Sundance 2026 · 19 films TIFF 2026 · 52 films Cannes 2025 · 28 films Sundance 2025 · 27 films TIFF 2025 · 74 films Toronto After Dark 2025 · 3 films NYFF 2024 · 10 films TIFF 2024 · 50 films