TORONTO — A body horror flick led by Demi Moore and a dark comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson are among the films bound for Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival.
This year's lineup of 10 unusual Hollywood star turns and obscure oddities will open with the North American premiere of Coralie Fargeat’s "The Substance," which features Moore as an aging celebrity who signs onto a mysterious body-enhancement program to juice up her fading career.
"The Substance" premiered at this year's Cannes festival with some critics likening it to a vibrant Jekyll and Hyde story with plenty of stomach-churning moments.
Sure to elicit its share of nervous laughter is "Friendship," which has Netflix sketch comic Robinson in the role of an ordinary guy whose suburban lifestyle is upended by a new neighbour, played by Rudd, which sets off a chain of escalating events. The film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, known for his work on "Shrill" and "PEN15."
Another title bound to attract attention is "It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This," a found-footage film starring its real-life directors Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti who buy a creepy duplex with plans to shoot a horror movie inside.
The atmospheric horror flick, which has been likened to "The Blair Witch Project," should be a major draw at the festival since Kempf and Toti have said they see it as a theatrical-only release and don't plan to issue it on physical media or streaming services.
Other titles set to unspool in the late-night festival program include Joseph Kahn’s "Ick," a creature feature with "Superman" star Brandon Routh and "American Pie" actress Mena Suvari. Kahn helmed music videos from Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Maroon 5, and directed "Bodied," a rap battle satire that became a cult favourite at TIFF seven years ago.
Also on the Midnight Madness schedule is "Escape from the 21st Century," a time-travelling adventure from Chinese director Yang Li. Set in 1999, three unsuspecting teenagers discover they can jump 20 years ahead with a mere sneeze. Soon, they're on a quest to save the world from its apocalyptic future.
"Else" is director Thibault Emin's feature-length expansion of his mind-bending 2007 short film, which follows a strange epidemic that causes people to fuse into their surroundings.
"Dead Mail" is a retro thriller from co-directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy, about a blood-stained letter that lands on the desk of a dead letter investigator.
Rounding out the slate is Taiwanese director John Hsu's "Dead Talents Society," Japanese "punk" director Kenichi Ugana's "The Gesuidouz," and "The Shadow Strays," the latest from Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto, who earned acclaim for his 2018 crime-thriller "The Night Comes For Us."
TIFF runs from Sept. 5 to 15.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
