By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Half a dozen horrors from around the world are part of this event.
“The Dark Side” is a program of international genre features showing on six nights between July 5-21 at the outdoor cinema of Toronto’s haunted Distillery District. It’s part of the Lavazza IncluCity Festival, presented by ICFF, and curated by author/filmmaker Chris Alexander. “This year, we’ve selected a series of films that are as elegant and beautiful as they are hideous and horrific,” he says. “Six spine-tingling, elevated genre films from all over the globe that will take you to the brink of terror and beyond, all unspooling beneath the stars in our inimitable outdoor screening environment. Nightmares are guaranteed…”
The lineup consists of:
- Special advanced screening of Tilman Singer’s CUCKOO on July 5: “An American/German film that follows 17-year-old-Gretchen, played by Hunter Schafer (TV’s EUPHORIA), as she moves to the German Alps with her father (ABIGAIL’s Dan Stevens). There, she is forced to confront the secrets her family is trying to bury, and the presence of paranormal activity.”
- Special advanced screening of Jaco Bouwer’s BREATHING IN on July 6: “A wounded general seeks refuge in a stranger’s home; he will soon discover that his host’s intentions are far from innocent.”
- Canadian premiere of Carly May Borgstrom’s SPIRIT IN THE BLOOD on July 12: “After a young girl is found dead in a secluded religious mountain community, a tight-knit group of teenage girls are driven to uncover the girl’s murderer. The group, however, is not prepared for the evil spirits lurking among them.”
- Ontario premiere of Adrien Beau’s THE VOURDALAK on July 13: “Inspired by the classic Tolstoy horror story (previously adapted in Mario Bava’s landmark horror film BLACK SABBATH), THE VOURDALAK tells a vampire story like no other, daringly navigating between traditional folklore and innovative horror filmmaking.”
- Canadian premiere of Federico Zampaglione’s THE WELL (pictured above), starring TERRIFIER 2’s Lauren LaVera, on July 18: “A budding art restorer travels to a small Italian village to bring a medieval painting back to its former glory. Little does she know she is placing her life in danger from an evil curse and a monster born of myth and brutal pain.”
- Canadian premiere of Andrea Niada’s HOME EDUCATION on July 19: “After her father’s death, Rachel is forced by her mother (French actress Julia Ormond, in a commanding performance) to perform gruesome revival rituals on her father. This surreal, shocking film details the terrifying extremes that love can push people to.”
Also part of the fest are a special screening of Guillermo del Toro’s THE SHAPE OF WATER on June 28, preceded by a Q&A with producer J. Miles Dale and production designer Paul Austerberry, and an “Industry Days” panel discussion on the horror genre. Guests include actress Isabella Rossellini, THE WELL actress Claudia Gerini and HOME EDUCATION filmmaker Niada, with more to be announced. For tickets and more information, head over to the official website.
