If you want to make sure that the State of the Genre Union is strong then you’ll definitely want to grab a ticket for any of this year’s Midnight Madness titles during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Peter Kuplowsky, who has been leading the Midnight Madness program since 2017, has pulled together a stellar slate of horror, action, and comedy that has something for every type of genre aficionado. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us as we all prepare to gather at the witching hour for 10 rollicking nights from September 5-15, 2024.
BBP: For MM newbies, which film(s) this year would be the best entry point that shows what MM is all about?
PK: I think John Hsu’s DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY is such an infectious feel-good horror comedy that it will not only make a great Midnight Madness experience, but also be a great gateway into horror for those who are potentially intimidated by the genre. It’s about a shy newly dead ghost learning how to scare the living, and so while there’s a lot of referential humour to be appreciated by veterans of Asian horror cinema, its characters are quite relatable, and much of their comedy is rooted in crowd-pleasing slapstick that will elicit uproarious reactions from the audience. It also get so bloody by the climax, I was reminded a bit of the Midnight Madness audience award winner WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL, which I consider a kind of platonic ideal Midnight Madness experience.
The buzz will also be palpable on opening night with Coralie Fargeat’s THE SUBSTANCE. Even with its gargantuan runtime the movie is positively electric, barreling along with propulsive style, wicked humour and body-horror effects that will have the entire room oscillating between infectious laughter and incredulous shrieking.
BBP: On the flipside: Which film(s) are going to blow away the veterans who’ve been showing up at every screening for the last 20+ years?
PK: I’ll reiterate that THE SUBSTANCE lives up to the hype. When I saw it in Cannes, I saw things that had me slack-jawed for almost the entire running time. REVENGE had prepared me for Coralie’s twisted vision and predilection for gory excess, and yet I was truly stupified by how she escalates what is otherwise a pretty simple and straightforward premise.
However, I am really excited for veterans to see ESCAPE FROM THE 21ST CENTURY. Yang Li delivers an over-the-top genre blender on the order of Midnight Madness films like SAVE THE GREEN PLANET, WICKED CITY, or ELECTRIC DRAGON 80,000 VOLTS. It really brought me back to the feeling of watching a Stephen Chow or Tsui Hark film for the first time. I was just overwhelmed by its sheer imagination.
BBP: MM films always start with a strong opening scene. Was there a film you saw this year that you knew within the first 15 minutes that it would strike a chord with the MM audience?
PK: ESCAPE FROM THE 21ST CENTURY definitely features some incredible spectacle in its first 15 minutes – so much wild stuff happens that I actually watched it multiple times before continuing on with the screener.
However, I want to highlight Joseph Kahn’s ICK as I think the first fifteen minutes are some of the director’s best work. Its prologue brilliantly encapsulates the personal history of Brandon Routh’s character across more than a decade, and it is such a rousing and emotionally charged way to start the film. It’s sort of like Kahn is doing a perverse version of the opening of Pixar’s UP, only set to an incredible 2000s-era playlist of music and featuring Kahn’s signature breakneck style and sardonic humour.
BBP: What’s this year’s dark horse MM title? The one that nobody is going to see coming and everyone will be talking about the next morning.
PK: I think THE GESUIDOUZ will endear audiences much like RIDDLE OF FIRE did last year. It’s such an earnest portrait of the creative process and it culminates in a really soulful (and rocking) musical performance that deeply moved me as a midnight movie fan. Like last year’s RIDDLE OF THE FIRE, the film is a bit measured in its pacing, but it’s also infectiously silly throughout, so I am very curious to see how the Midnight crowd interacts with it as it builds to its climax. Those who join its wavelength will have a new favourite cult film and cult filmmaker.
IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS will already be coming in with some hype from its screenings at regional festivals throughout the US, but the reason I wanted it at TIFF was because I really wanted to experience the film with the Midnight Madness audience in particular. I think the filmmakers make so many shrewd choices for the found-footage genre; choices that had me both freaking out and also just feeling inspired by their achievement. I really think it will cast a unique spell on the Midnight audience and be one of the most exhilarating screenings of the whole section.Â
BBP: Is there anything else outside of MM that you’d recommend checking out?
PK: I only selected one film outside the Midnight programme this year, Nacho Vigalondo’s DANIELA FOREVER. For anyone who saw TIMECRIMES or COLOSSAL, I expect the mere mention of Nacho is reason enough to make this film a must-see. Few genre filmmakers are as adept in deploying high-concept science-fiction to so cannily probe the human condition. It’s a really beautiful film; both funny, sad and the kind of sci-fi that expands your mental bandwidth with its provocative ideas.
Another romantic sci-fi genre blender that should be on the radar of Midnighters is YOU ARE NOT ALONE (D. Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien). The leads have such terrific chemistry and I just found the execution of its deceptively simple premise to be so entrancing. A very cool and auspicious feature debut.
I will also be hosting another edition of my MIDNIGHT DANKNESS series on Sept. 4th [at The Royal Cinema in Toronto]. This year’s lineup celebrates the outsider filmmaker Matt Farley and alt-comedian Conner O’Malley with an all-night marathon that includes the Canadian premiere of RAP WORLD (directed by O’Malley and Danny Scharar) and the World Premiere of Farley’s LOCAL LEGENDS: BLOOD BATH. You can get tickets here:Â https://universe.com/dankness2024
BBP: What’s the vibe like between the midnight screenings vs 2nd screenings?
PK: I’ll be honest there truly is nothing like the midnight screenings. There’s such an infectious energy from the crowd, many of whom are likely loopy from binging on cinema all day, that really heightens the experience. I’ve had filmmakers tell me that they feel spoiled by how enthusiastic the reactions are, and it motivates them to make something that can earn them another chance to feed off that particular energy that the audience cultivates and exudes. It’s why I look forward to sitting through each and every premiere. I’m one of the few programmers with the privilege to be able to do that!
The repeat screenings rarely match those vibes, and part of that is simply the venue often being a more conventional multiplex setting. That being said, when I have the opportunity to introduce a second screening, I always try to bring high energy that hopefully encourages the audience to loosen up and have fun with the madness they’re about to see.
I will also add that when talent is able to attend the repeat screenings they tend to be a lot less nervous and this often results in a far more in depth Q&A. At Midnight, it’s easy for the talent to be overwhelmed by the pressures of the premiere, and they’re far more relaxed once that’s behind them. Some of my favourite Q&A moments have actually happened in the repeat screenings, and there tends to be more time for audience questions.
Regardless, the movie itself is what is paramount, and I really think that all 10 of these films are going to be wonderfully maddening and memorable no matter the hour.
Find information about the Festival, including schedule and ticket information at TIFF.net ! The Festival runs from September 5-15, 2024 and you can find coverage right here at Biff Bam Pop!
