If you’re into horror films (the weird, the creepy, the disturbingly beautiful kind), you’ll want to keep your July calendar wide open. Guillermo del Toro, yes, that Guillermo del Toro, is set to host Rabid Skinamar: Canadian Madness, a new horror film festival happening July 9–13 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.
The legendary director behind Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water will be leading a special lecture series during the event, diving deep into the eerie, often overlooked world of Canadian horror cinema. It’s kind of a full-circle moment: a filmmaker obsessed with monsters, mythology, and mood taking the stage in a city that’s played a supporting role in many of his greatest works.
Guillermo del Toro: A Match Made in Macabre Heaven
Guillermo del Toro is bringing a thrilling handpicked selection of Canadian horror to TIFF Lightbox 😱
From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness celebrates influential horror films from the north, featuring films such as GINGER SNAPS, CUBE, and PONTYPOOL. pic.twitter.com/dMswkmgi46
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) May 28, 2025
Guillermo del Toro isn’t just showing up to shake hands and introduce a few flicks. He’s curating and guiding an entire deep-dive experience into Canadian horror, think filmmaker talks, thematic dissections, and screenings of some seriously influential (and underrated) genre pieces.
Expect him to touch on David Cronenberg’s Rabid, a body-horror classic that still makes your skin crawl, plus Ginger Snaps, a coming-of-age werewolf tale that’s Lady Bird with fangs, and Cube, the original anxiety-inducing puzzle-box nightmare.
More recent entries like Skinamarink, the viral lo-fi horror that felt like a childhood fever dream, are also on the list. Guillermo del Toro will break down how these films work, visually, psychologically, emotionally, and what makes them uniquely Canadian in their fear.
Why Toronto Makes So Much Sense for This
Let’s not forget: Toronto’s practically Guillermo’s second home. He’s filmed here more than once, Mimic, The Shape of Water, and now his upcoming Frankenstein project for Netflix- and he’s no stranger to the TIFF scene. In fact, if you’ve been to the Bell Lightbox before, you might’ve caught one of his lectures on Hitchcock or gothic horror, where he packed the house and had cinephiles scribbling notes like students at Hogwarts.
So yeah, it’s not random that he’s back. It’s a continuation of an ongoing love affair between del Toro and the city, and we’re all invited.
50 Years of Fear (and Counting)
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the film festival’s founding, a big milestone, and one that TIFF is honoring with both brains and heart. In addition to the horror fest, they’re planning a free outdoor screening of The Shape of Water later this summer. No word yet on the exact location, but it’s expected to be one of those dreamy, open-air events where the whole city shows up with picnic blankets and popcorn.
It’s a very del Toro move — cinema as a shared, emotional, slightly magical experience.
Canada’s Quiet Takeover of the Horror Genre
While the U.S. usually hogs the horror spotlight, Canada has slowly carved out its chilling niche. From Cronenberg’s anatomical obsessions to the eerie minimalism of newer directors like Kyle Edward Ball, there’s a definite Canadian flavor to the fear, more psychological, more introspective, and often grounded in themes of identity, isolation, and the body.
Under Guillermo del Toro’s watchful eye, the Rabid Skinamar festival isn’t just a greatest-hits reel. It’s a conversation about how horror reflects a country’s anxieties, how it evolves, and why it still pulls us in, even when we know we’re about to be scared out of our minds.
How to Get In
Tickets for Rabid Skinamar: Canadian Madness are on sale now via the TIFF website. If history’s any indication, they won’t last long; events with del Toro tend to sell out fast, and for good reason. Each day promises a mix of screenings, Q&As, and deeper discussions with Guillermo del Toro and surprise guests from the Canadian film scene.
Whether you’re a lifelong horror buff, someone who still hasn’t recovered from Skinamarink, or just a fan of passionate, insightful storytelling, this one’s for you.
