TIFF has officially dropped all of its other program lineups, saving the wildest for last with the reveal of its 2026 Midnight Madness slate.

The festival is capping off its section-specific rollouts with a ten-film slate set for Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre. Curated by Peter Kuplowsky, this year’s Midnight Madness features six World Premieres across 10 countries, blending traditional horror, action, alt-comedy, and non-fiction.

Joshua Giuliano’s thriller River opens the section, while Duncan Jones closes the run with his comic-book adaptation Rogue Trooper. Highlights include the World Premiere of Anna Biller’s The Face of Horror, her follow-up to The Love Witch, and Paolo Strippoli’s psychological thriller The Spiral.

The rest of the lineup promises plenty of variety, featuring everything from martial artist vampires and interstellar infantrymen to an infamous talking pineapple. Canadian director Matthew Rankin also returns to TIFF with his latest project, Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney.

The midnight mayhem expands beyond the standard late-night slots, too. A pre-festival special screening on Wednesday, September 9 features Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi action thriller Hope, starring Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hoyeon. Meanwhile, director Curry Barker will head back to where it all began with a special screening of breakout hit Obsession on September 11.

Moviegoers can start planning their festival runs when the full TIFF 2026 schedule drops on Tuesday, August 11.

2026 Midnight Madness Lineup

Anchors Aweigh | Matt Barats | USA (International Premiere)

Arrested Memory | SABU | Taiwan, Japan (North American Premiere)

HALF | Samjad | India (World Premiere)

Kick On | Nick Kozakis | Australia (World Premiere)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney | Matthew Rankin | Canada (World Premiere)

River | Joshua Giuliano | USA (World Premiere — Opening Night)

Rogue Trooper | Duncan Jones | United Kingdom (North American Premiere — Closing Night)

The Face of Horror | Anna Biller | United Kingdom (World Premiere)

The Spiral | Paolo Strippoli | Italy, France, Belgium (International Premiere)

Vintage Violence | Eugene Kotlyarenko | USA, Japan (World Premiere)