TORONTO AFTER DARK ANNOUNCES ITS 2025 LINE-UP
Wickedly wild creature feature, Johannes Roberts’ PRIMATE, and a hotly anticipated action sequel, Jalmari Helander’s SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, headline Toronto After Dark’s 18th edition, alongside a thrilling slate that forays into realms of vampires, zombies, and the horror filmmakers themselves!
Sept. 24, 2025 - The Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) is excited to officially unveil its lineup of exciting new horror, sci-fi and action films that will screen this Oct 15-19, 2025 at the Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St W). Across five thrilling nights, Toronto audiences will enjoy a fantastic showcase of 10 feature premieres, as well as 29 brilliant and bizarre short films from Canada and around the world.
The festival’s Opening Night double feature is headlined by the Canadian Premiere of Paramount Pictures’ PRIMATE, a nerve-racking horror directed by Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night) produced by Walter Hamada (It, The Conjuring), John Hodges and Bradley Pilz. In PRIMATE, a group of friends’ tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival, as a rabid chimpanzee is pit against a cast that features Johnny Sequoyah (Dexter: New Blood) and Oscar® winner Troy Kotsur (Coda).
The 2025 edition further features the Canadian Premiere of SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, Jalmari Helandar’s furious follow-up to Sisu, his breakout 2022 action epic about a legendary commando-turned-gold prospector stoically portrayed by Jorma Tommila (Rare Exports, Big Game). In the sequel, the ex-soldier ventures into enemy territory to reclaim his family home by any means necessary and bloody bedlam ensues.
The festival’s longstanding affinity for the undead (both vampiric and zombified) will also be represented by another pair of Canadian Premieres: Adam MacDonald’s zombie thriller THIS IS NOT A TEST, based on Courtney Summers' popular post-apocalyptic YA novel, and Ed Shimborske’s ON GALLOWS HILL, which offers an inspired glimpse into a clandestine vampire community.
Toronto genre fans can also look forward to the Ontario Premieres of Tina Romero’s infectiously campy zombie comedy QUEENS OF THE DEAD, an epic martial arts saga from Gabriele Mainetti (Freaks Vs. The Reich, recipient of the TADFF ‘22 Audience Award) THE FORBIDDEN CITY, as well as REFLECTIONS IN A DEAD DIAMOND, a spellbinding experimental homage to Danger: Diabolik and European espionage films from Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani (Let The Corpses Tan). Also featured are some infectiously joyous celebrations of genre filmmaking courtesy of Sean Cisterna’s SILVER SCREAMERS, a delightful documentary about senior citizens banding together to make a horror film, and Ken’ichi Ugana’s endearing ode to the passion and camaraderie that blooms on a no-budget film set I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN. And finally there is William Bagley’s rousing supernatural action bonanza HOLD THE FORT, which features nearly the entire pantheon of creatures of the night.
Also announced is the festival’s popular short film slate, which pairs Canadian shorts with feature films, and includes dedicated sidebars for both Canadian and International titles. Showcased in this year’s lineup is the Canadian Premiere of THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM, the fiction debut of acclaimed writer and documentarian Kier-La Janisse (Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror), starring Don McKellar.
This year’s festival also marks the first time the festival will occur without the leadership of its former director and founder Adam Lopez, who tragically passed away last April after a heroic and public battle with cancer. Adam’s life and legacy will be commemorated during this 18th edition with the festival’s coveted audience award being retitled in his honor as the Adam Lopez Audience Award. Acclaimed Canadian artist Gary Pullin (Ghoulish Gary) has also been commissioned to create an illustrated tribute to Adam which will adorn t-shirts and prints that will be sold exclusively at the festival, and the proceeds of this year’s edition will go to Doctors Without Borders, a charity that was important to Adam.
The 2025 edition of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival was spearheaded by Interim Festival Director Peter Kuplowsky, with feature film curation by Justin McConnell and Christian Burgess, Canadian short film curation by Shannon Hanmer and International short film curation by Bridget Van Voorden. Further programming support was provided by Adam Bovoletis, Ikoro Sekai, Jay Clarke, Sonia Droulhiole, and Sophie Kohen.
2025 Toronto After Dark Lineup:
–FEATURES–
FORBIDDEN CITY, THE | Gabriele Mainetti | Italy
Ontario Premiere
HOLD THE FORT | William Bagley | USA
Ontario Premiere
I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN | Kenichi Ugana | Japan, USA
Ontario Premiere
ON GALLOWS HILL | Ed Shimborske | USA
Canadian Premiere
PRIMATE | Johannes Roberts | USA | Opening Night Headliner
Canadian Premiere
QUEENS OF THE DEAD | Tina Romero | USA | Opening Night
Ontario Premiere
REFLECTIONS IN A DEAD DIAMOND | Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani | Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France
Ontario Premiere
THIS IS NOT A TEST | Adam MacDonald | Canada
Canadian Premiere
SILVER SCREAMERS | Sean Cisterna | Canada
Ontario Premiere
SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE | Jalmari Helander | Finland/USA
Canadian Premiere
–SHORT FILMS–
BATH BOMB | Colin G. Cooper | Canada
CADABRA | Tiffany Wice | Canada
CLOWN SONG | Brady Dowad | Canada
CREEPING CHARLIE | Briana Templeton | Canada
DAMSEL IN GEEKSTRESS | Renaud Parra | France
DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A BLACK HOLE IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR? | Joseph McMurray, Leonard Farr | Canada
DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS | Imanol Ortiz López | Spain
DRIFTERS | Adrian Bobb | Canada
EPADUNK (TERROR NIGHT) | Jakob Arevärn | Sweden
EXIT THE ROOM: A DAVID LYNCH TRIBUTE | Corey Nikolaus | Canada
FOR SALE | Barney Pell Scholes, Thomas Harnett O'Meara | United Kingdom
GHOST THEFT AUTO | Kyle Dunbar | Canada
GIANT SKELETON | Austin Birtch | Canada
GRANDMA IS THIRSTY | Kris Carr | United Kingdom
LOUD | Adam Azimov | Canada
MEAT CRAYON | Richard Rotter | Canada
MELTED DOLL | Marion Le Corroller | France
NOT TODAY SATAN | Ayesha Sheikh | Canada
OUTSIDE NOISE | Ethan Evans | United Kingdom
PANDORA INC. | Joe Lueben | USA
PIMPLE | Fernando Alle | Portugal
SEISMIC BRAIN IMPLOSION | Alistair Quak | Singapore
SOMETHING BAD THAT HAPPENED IN MY PAST | Mike Mildon | Canada
STRIP MALL | Andrew Appelle | Canada
MANGITTATURAJUK - THE GNAWER OF ROCKS | Louise Flaherty | Canada
THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM | Kier-La Janisse | Canada
THE RUG | Sean Cistern | Canada
UNCLEAN | Simon Chouinard | Canada
WINDOWS TO THE SOUL | Martin Berthiaume | Canada