The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced its entire 2026 program ending with one of its most popular series. Midnight Madness returns with an inventive lineup of horror, action, psychological thrillers, cult comedies, and genre-bending cinema that has become synonymous with late-night festival fun.
Opening Midnight Madness is Joshua Giuliano’s River, which is describe as a nerve-shredding horror film making its World Premiere. And, Duncan Jones’ Rogue Trooper, the filmmaker’s highly anticipated adaptation of the iconic British comic series, will bring the section to a close with its North American Premiere.
Curated by Peter Kuplowsky, this year’s selection features six world premieres spanning productions from 10 countries.
Among the biggest highlights is Anna Biller’s The Face of Horror, marking the filmmaker’s first feature since her beloved cult classic The Love Witch. Horror fans will also be eager to see Paolo Strippoli’s psychological thriller The Spiral, while Australian filmmaker Nick Kozakis premieres the action-packed Kick On.
Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin, known for The Twentieth Century and Universal Language, marks his first Midnight Madness appearance with the world premiere of the satirical documentary Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, bringing a dose of political absurdity to the festival’s late-night audience.
The complete lineup includes:
- Anchors Aweigh – Matt Barats (International Premiere)
- Arrested Memory – SABU (North American Premiere)
- HALF – Samjad (World Premiere)
- Kick On – Nick Kozakis (World Premiere)
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney – Matthew Rankin (World Premiere)
- River – Joshua Giuliano (World Premiere, Opening Night)
- Rogue Trooper – Duncan Jones (North American Premiere, Closing Night)
- The Face of Horror – Anna Biller (World Premiere)
- The Spiral – Paolo Strippoli (International Premiere)
- Vintage Violence – Eugene Kotlyarenko (World Premiere)
The Midnight Madness festivities begin even before the festival officially opens.
On Sept. 9, TIFF will host a special screening of Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi action thriller Hope, starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Hoyeon. Then, on Sept. 11, audiences can revisit Curry Barker’s breakout hit Obsession, which returns to TIFF as a special screening following its success on the festival circuit.
Few TIFF sections have built as passionate a following as Midnight Madness. Every screening begins at 11:59 p.m. inside Toronto’s historic—and allegedly haunted—Royal Alexandra Theatre.
The 2026 edition once again reinforces Midnight Madness as one of TIFF’s signature attractions—where audiences gather not just to watch movies, but to celebrate the strange, the shocking, and the unforgettable.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 10–20.
