One of my favourite things about the Toronto After Dark Film Festival is not just the features that are hand-picked and meticulously curated for the Toronto audience, or the community of filmgoers it attracts, though both are deeply important to me. What keeps me coming back to support After Dark, now in its 18th year, is its commitment to incubating up and coming talent through its Shorts program. Each year, After Dark pairs each of its feature presentations with a Canadian short film, guaranteeing that film and its filmmakers a much larger audience than they’d normally be exposed to. After Dark also runs screenings of a series of curated Canadian and International short films on their own, and hands out awards for the best Canadian and International shorts as well.
Tomas Morrison’s Mystery Box
Jack (Daniel Sullivan) orders a mysterious package over the Dark Web, despite the protests of his friend (Marko Pandza). The exhilaration of clicking ‘Buy Now’ on a website while online shopping is complicated with the anticipation of receiving something entirely mysterious at your door. But the mystery unfolds, at first, in the form of a curious bruise on his arm, immediately followed by the package itself. Our anticipation builds along with Jack’s, as he unboxes the item in a sinister version of the content so many YouTube videos trade on. Inside is a series of photos, a vial of blood, and most frightening of all, a note simply saying ‘ENJOY BOX 1/10’. Like all great shorts, it leaves you wanting more, and wondering what you just saw.
Ellie Stewart’s Pool Party
A short horror about being the only (?) queer girl at a 17th birthday party, Pool Party taps into the cruelty that only teenagers of that stage of life can cultivate. If I could re-score this film with Emily Haines’ ‘Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl’ I would, but as it is, it takes an uncomfortable premise and turns it into true horror that brushes up against something Lovecraftian. Stewart threads together DNA from all the best teen films, like Clueless, But I’m A Cheerleader, and Jawbreaker, while crafting something entirely her own. Remarkable.
Scott Riopelle’s Soul Proprietor
Of all the shorts that played at After Dark this year, Scott Riopelle’s Soul Proprietor is the one I’d most love to see expanded to a feature. This is an exorcism tale that goes nowhere you’d expect, and features two outstanding performances by Blair Williams, a priest and Tehya Silbermann who plays his daughter. Silbermann especially gets to do her best Regan interpretation as she’s inhabited by multiple demons. Williams, as well, gets to spring the trap on one of the most inventive twists I’ve seen in either a short or a feature-length project. I’d happily watch these two in a full-length film in the future.
Bronson Allen’s Camp
Three adolescent girls try to summon a spirit from beyond with a Ouija board, but there’s more than meets the eye. A pitch-perfect short horror comedy that hits its punch line with record speed, not wasting a second of it’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 3 minute runtime. This is one of those shorts that does a lot with a little, and never feels like it’s cutting corners.
Paul Furminger’s XTemplar
Using stunning, ambitious animation that feels both hand-drawn and slickly computer-generated, a futuristic soldier on a seemingly-deserted planet encounters a shapeshifting nightmare that looks to harvest him. Employing his unique brand of weaponry that seems to operate on faith, he fights back against this existential threat. The level of detail in just this short work is breathtaking, and works beautifully on a big screen. The sound design and score are perfectly in sync with the action too. Furminger develops an intriguing world in only a few minutes that leaves you begging for more.
Sam Fox’s Fck’n Nuts
Bringing together vibes from John Waters, Gregg Araki, Troma, and a style all her own, Sam Fox’s bubblegum horror depicts Sandy (Maddie Nichols), who struggles to find a boyfriend that her parents would approve of. If he can get past the macabre decor, the taxidermy on the walls, and the smell, will Dan (Vincent Stalba) be the one to win the affection of Sandy and her “fuckin nuts” family? Especially if he’s got a nut allergy? This one’s hilarious and gross in the best way.
Andrew Rutter’s The Heritage
Rutter picked up a Bronze award for Best International Short at this year’s After Dark, and it’s easy to see why. Body horror is very much on the menu in this film about Dylan Brooks, a young man who comes to meet his biological father for the first time following his mother’s suicide. Dylan must confront the very real horror of the literal monster before him, and a film that might feel funny or at least horrifying in a gross-out way takes on a deep sadness instead. It’s a remarkable piece, and well worth the accolade.
Lauren Andrews’ Bird Hostage
There’s a lot to love in this short film about a housesitting gig gone horribly wrong, but the dialogue and writing really shine through. There’s also the fact that Bird Hostage features a weirdly-endearing and foul-mouthed Grey African parrot named Reggie (voiced by Jay Baruchel!) who is one of my favourite film characters of the year. There’s a lot of love behind this one, from the performances to the meticulous production design, and it’s clear as day why Bird Hostage won the Gold award for Canadian Shorts. I hope to see Lauren Andrews back at TAD with a feature very soon.
