Toronto After Dark Film Festival runs October 14–18, 2026 with 14 feature premieres, 33 genre shorts and ScareScore screenings. Individual tickets are now on sale for $16.99.
Toronto’s October movie calendar now has its genre line-up and published schedule. The Toronto After Dark Film Festival’s 19th edition runs October 14–18, 2026, bringing horror, sci-fi, action and cult films to two downtown venues.
Festival passes were listed for purchase on the official page when checked September 27; prices and availability can change.
Toronto After Dark 2026 event details → — Open the festival listing for the venues, ticket link and event details.
The five-day festival features 14 feature premieres and 33 genre shorts, with screenings at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, 259 Richmond St W, and CineCycle, 129 Spadina Ave. The lineup announcement groups the films by premiere status and late-night programming.
The festival opens with the Canadian premiere of Whalefall, directed by Brian Duffield and starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin. It follows a scuba diver trapped inside a sperm whale, with dwindling oxygen and lessons from his father shaping his attempt to survive.
How scary was the movie? Toronto After Dark wants participating audience members’ smartwatches to help answer that. Selected screenings will use ScareScore, a biometric audience-reaction experience that connects to participating viewers’ watches and measures physical reactions during the film. The organizer has not named specific measurements, so this guide does not guess at them or frame the system as medical technology.
The festival’s 14-film feature slate includes Canadian premieres of 5 More Minutes, Hallowarrior, Red Snow and Whalefall; Ontario premieres of Drag, The Fox, Frogman Returns, Sleep No More, Species and Turn It Up!; and Toronto premieres of I Love Paris and Matapanki. My Love for You Is Deep but the Devil Loves Me Deeper is a world premiere, while No Longer Humans is a North American premiere.
Canadian Premiere · Javier Ruiz Caldera · Spain
Ontario Premiere · Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer · USA
Two sisters’ attempted break-in at a wealthy artist’s home gets more complicated when one is injured and the owner returns early.
Ontario Premiere · Dario Russo · Australia
A dark folktale about a fox who persuades a hunter to reshape his wife to fit a disturbing ideal.
Ontario Premiere · Anthony Cousins · USA
Canadian Premiere · Ben Sottak · USA
On a post-apocalyptic Halloween, young Pumpkin defends her home from cannibal intruders.
Toronto Premiere · Nicky Murphy · Australia, France
Canadian Premiere · Ilja Rautsi · Finland
A vampire-obsessed teen’s holiday takes a darker turn when an undead visitor dressed as Santa arrives at her family’s door.
Ontario Premiere · Edwin · Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Germany and France
Two siblings investigate their mother’s death in Jakarta and discover that the accident may be connected to other victims.
Ontario Premiere · Marion Le Corroller · France
A body-horror story set in the high-stakes world of modern medicine.
Ontario Premiere · Sam Scott · Canada
A struggling indie band turns to a cursed melody for fame, unaware that it opens a dangerous portal.
Canadian Premiere · Brian Duffield · USA
A scuba diver trapped inside a sperm whale has little oxygen left and draws on lessons from his father in a fight to survive.
Toronto Premiere · Diego “Mapache” Fuentes · Chile
A ground-level superhero’s powers are activated by alcohol.
World Premiere · Casey Donahue · USA
North American Premiere · Luca D’Andrea · Canada
A queer coming-of-age love story set in a world where death no longer exists; the film was shot on 16mm.
The official Eventive schedule is live. The sessions below were checked against it on September 27, 2026. All times are Toronto local time; the Scotiabank room labels follow the festival’s listing. Screening details can change, so confirm on the official portal before you go.
7:00 p.m. — Whalefall (preceded by The Old Gods) · Scotiabank 1
9:45 p.m. — Hallowarrior (preceded by Run From It) · Scotiabank 1
6:45 p.m. — 5 More Minutes (preceded by Perennial) · Scotiabank 1
9:30 p.m. — Species (preceded by The Portrait) · Scotiabank 1
11:59 p.m. — Matapanki (preceded by Pick It Till It Bleeds) · CineCycle
6:30 p.m. — I Love Paris (preceded by Blood Sweat & Tears) · Scotiabank 1
9:45 p.m. — Red Snow (preceded by The Double) · Scotiabank 1
11:59 p.m. — My Love for You Is Deep but the Devil Loves Me Deeper (preceded by Shitting a Penis) · CineCycle
3:30 p.m. — Canada After Dark Short Film Showcase · Scotiabank 3
6:45 p.m. — Turn It Up! (preceded by A Mighty Poison) · Scotiabank 1
9:45 p.m. — Sleep No More (preceded by My Dinner With Victor) · Scotiabank 1
11:59 p.m. — No Longer Humans (preceded by Melt Music) · CineCycle
1:00 p.m. — International After Dark Short Film Showcase · Scotiabank 1
4:15 p.m. — The Fox (preceded by Purge) · Scotiabank 1
7:00 p.m. — Drag (preceded by Frequency) · Scotiabank 1
9:30 p.m. — Frogman Returns (preceded by Grim vs Greys) · Scotiabank 1
Check the official festival schedule ↗ — The festival portal is the source for current screening times, ticket availability and pass information.
The program also includes 33 genre shorts. The festival says a Canadian short is paired with each feature, alongside dedicated Canadian and international short-film selections. One named highlight is Man Eating Pussy, directed by Emily Lawson and starring Grace Glowicki, an Audience Award winner at Fantasia.
The official Opening Night Party is at Escape Manor Toronto, 383 King St W, a few blocks from the festival venues. Entry is free for Toronto After Dark passholders; the festival has not described it as free general admission.
Toronto After Dark’s focus on horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema gives October moviegoers a different route through the city’s festival calendar. The premieres, genre shorts, passholder party and selected ScareScore screenings offer more than a standard theatrical run, while the two-venue setup makes checking the location for each session essential.
View Toronto After Dark 2026 → — Explore the festival event record for both venues, current ticket information and date-driven Toronto event discovery.
Official lineup and tickets ↗ — Toronto After Dark’s official lineup and pass pages are the primary sources for program and ticket updates.
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