It’s never too early to have fun with scary, creepy movies! With late night premiers as part of Midnight Madness, here are 9 horror and thriller movies premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival to look out for.
TIFF is back September 5 – 15, 2024 for its 49th edition — 11 days of Canadian and international cinema; special events and talks with some of the biggest names in film; and TIFF’s Industry Conference: a place to connect with film professionals and explore the art and business of cinema.
9 Horror & Thriller Movies to Watch at TIFF 2024
Cloud
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud is a suspenseful thriller in which a young internet reseller, Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda) ignites a cyber-fueled storm of malice. Blurring digital and physical threats, it’s a chilling dive into the dark side of modern connectivity.
Seeds
Kaniehtiio Horn (Alice, Darling, TIFF ’22) wrote, directed, and stars in Seeds. A tense thriller that weaves Kanienʼkehá꞉ka connections to the land with a cat-and-mouse game.
Else
Thibault Emin’s mesmerizing debut feature intimately depicts a body-horror romance in the wake of a strange epidemic that causes the infected to melt into their surroundings.
Dead Talents Society
A meek and newly dead teen (Gingle Wang) learns from an undead diva (Sandrine Pinna) how to haunt the living, in this bloody and hilarious supernatural comedy from writer-director John Hsu (Detention).
The Shadow Strays
From action auteur Timo Tjahjanto (Headshot, TIFF ’16, The Night Comes For Us), a young assassin breaks rank from her clandestine organization to rescue a young boy from gangsters with ultra-violent repercussions.
The Substance
Demi Moore portrays a fading Hollywood star feuding with the manifestation of her younger self (Margaret Qualley) in this award-winning body-horror satire from writer-director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge).
Presence
Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh shakes the horror genre to life by adopting the point of view of a housebound spirit. Granting us singular access to a family passing through troubled times — and casting an unforgettably eerie atmosphere.
Ick
In Joseph Kahn’s breakneck sci-fi/horror satire, a high school science teacher (Brandon Routh) does battle with a parasitic alien entity, as well as the apathy of the small town it has been gradually absorbing.
Hold Your Breath
Hold Your Breath perches between the supernatural and the psychological. Transplanting gothic horror to the story’s parched, midwest landscapes gives the film a deliciously disorienting feel. As if its spookiest elements could be dream or faded memory, or all too frighteningly real.
Check out our other TIFF movie roundups for Animation and Sci-Fi & Fantasy.
For showtimes and even more late night, scary stories, check out TIFF’s full list of Horror movies and Midnight Madness lineup.
