Horror Facts
Grab your parkas gorehounds because Canada’s premier showcase of contemporary horror, Blood in the Snow Film Festival, is back with an icily exciting lineup for its fully in-person 12th edition November 20-25. Hosted within the darkly elegant confines of Toronto’s historic Isabel Bader Theatre, this year’s festival summons 13 programs of creepy features, macabre shorts, and boundary-pushing genre fare guaranteed to make audiences shiver with delight.
After two years of pandemic disruptions that forced the festival online and into hybrid formats, Blood in the Snow returns with chilling tales to savor in the communal darkness of a theater surrounded by fellow freaks and fiends. Kicking off the terror November 20th is the always hotly anticipated “Dark Visions” shorts program, plunging us into an abyss of dread with ten short films ready to fray nerves and hold a twisted funhouse mirror to the human condition.
Closing out opening night is the intense feature “Last County” about a woman forced to violently defend her home from a siege of corrupt cops. Director Barret Mulholland and team will be on hand for a Q&A, giving fans an inside look into the creation of this pressure cooker of a thriller.
Other sinister highlights include the mind-melting psychedelic cannibalism romp “Do Not Disturb”, the indigenous horror-comedy anthology series “Tales from the Rez”, and creepy AI tech-gone-wrong fright flick “Romi” starring the brilliant Kristen Hager. Horror veterans are also represented with the latest from celebrated director Jesse Thomas Cook titled “The Hyperborean”.
Of course, no Blood in the Snow would be complete without showcasing breakout new voices and future masters of horror. The “Emerging Screams” shorts program collects chilling tales from brilliant first-time directors and student filmmakers, providing a blood-spattered canvas for the next generation to paint their darkest visions.
While tales of terror take center stage, the festival also carves out space for surreal sights and lighter genre fare with the “Funny Frights and Unusual Sights” program. And the “BITS and BYTES” slate shines a spotlight on boundary-pushing web series, music videos, and proof-of-concept films made for digital spaces.
By exhibiting diverse indie genre cinema, supporting daring artistic visions, and building community, Blood in the Snow continues to stand out as a uniquely exciting winter tradition for hardcore horror aficionados. Brave the icy Toronto streets and take in the best of bleeding-edge Canadian horror November 20-25…if you dare.
With in-person screenings, parties, and spooky atmosphere back on full blood-spilling display, this year’s lineup proves that even after 12 years, Blood in the Snow still has fresh, frostbitten scares lying in wait behind every shadowy corner.
Don’t miss the chance to join Canada’s leading genre creatives and fans for a week of fearsome features, shorts, and events sure to leave your bone marrow frozen. The full festival schedule and tickets can be found at www.bloodinthesnow.ca. See you on the ice! Want to see last years BiTS?
