Four screenings this year include ASL interpretation and open captions for the film, introduction and post-screening Q&A. All four take place at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
Wednesday, Nov 1892 min
Indigenous Shorts Program · 8 films
Bloody Spirits of Winter
Indigenous, Métis & Inuit
ASL Interpreted
Open Captions
Our showcase of Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit horror shorts exploring the supernatural, transformation, and survival through genre cinema.
Upon the failure of a previous web series about her half-Inuit identity as a white-passing actor, Toronto-based Anna finds that guilt is not the only thing following her. Rumbling in the walls are creatures threatening to crash in on her, even as she tries to earn her Indigeneity back. These are the Qallupilluit, the Inuit sea creatures, legendary for snatching naughty children who play too close to cracks in the ice, and one in particular, Qalley, has a distinct appetite for Anna. No longer trusting her own instincts, she tries all sorts of methods to keep Qalley at bay, to no avail. Only when she wades into Qalley’s own territory, does she learn to handle her demons.
Shades of Darkness
Dir. Robert Joe · 5:00
Toronto Premiere
A thriller-satire about how hurtful stereotypes can be.
Saturniids - ep4
Dir. Neegan Sioui Trudel · 14:50
Toronto Premiere
The sudden appearance of strange, glowing clouds over Montreal plunges the city into mass insomnia. Camille, an overprotective young mother, and Philippe, her blindly optimistic boyfriend, must distinguish reality from illusion as sleep deprivation, hallucinations, and paranoia turn their lives into a waking nightmare.
How to Summon A Demon
Dir. Eva Grant · 3:33
World Premiere
In this sweet and gothic "one-take super 8" short, a Magician attempts to summon a fearsome prince of Hell, to mixed results.
W7éyle (moon's wife)
Dir. Amanda Wandler · 15:00
In a near future where a pill for immortality exists, a Secwépemc woman must choose between living forever or having a child. But to choose immortality means to never return to her ancestors in the afterlife.
MIRTH CONTROL aka "Faking It"
Dir. Eva Grant & Yasmeen Grant · 5:06
Toronto Premiere
A facetious yet unsettling Super 8 film that frames mirth control as a tool of patriarchal compliance, weaponizing laughter into a top-down performance of pleasure. When the test subject defies the mainframe’s laugh-calibration protocols, a system-wide collapse challenges viewers to question their own sovereignty.
The Other Ones
Dir. Jamesie Fournier & Danny Christopher · 18:37
Winter has settled around a remote lakeside cabin, where a mother and daughter discover their fishing net torn beneath the ice. As night falls, the mother warns her daughter against playing string games after dark, fearing the Inuunngitut – ancient spiritual beings her grandmother once spoke of. Ignoring the warning awakens a terrifying presence. Forced to confront generations of buried trauma, the daughter must rely on her mother’s love and her grandmother’s teachings to face a spiritual reckoning that has finally come home.
Klee
Dir. Gavin Baird · 20:00
Klee follows an alien who is sent to earth and tasked with a mission to invade, seduce, and terminate a family of colonizers in 19th century Saskatchewan.
It’s 2125 in the post-apocalyptic arctic where a tenacious young teen lives in a remote cabin with her only companion; a humanoid A.I. she calls Mother. Following an attack, they’re forced to brave the vast northern tundra in search of life-saving plasma. LUMI is an arctic adventure that will prove some bonds can defy even the darkest of times.
Opening Short
Sick Bird
Dir. Gabriella Rigakos · 7:40
Roberta must finish her art school thesis amid an anthropomorphic crisis of self-actualization in Northern Ontario.
This docu-series explores the infamous 1878 paranormal case of Esther Cox in Amherst, Nova Scotia, one of history’s most well-documented hauntings. Esther was believed to be tormented by multiple entities, with unexplained banging sounds, spontaneous fires, and a chilling message above her bed: “Esther Cox, You Are Mine to Kill.” The series delves into the events that captivated investigators and skeptics alike.
Pro Model - What What Why
Dir. Riley Campbell · 2:09 · Music video
Music Video
Otherworldly drug dealers descend upon the city for a night of debauchery in this video for the Toronto-Based band, What What Why's new song "Pro Model".
Without a Trace: Ep 1-3
Dir. Hugo Belhassen · 16:00 · Web series
Toronto Premiere
Audréanne, the head of a cleaning crew, accepts a well-paying job and brings Maya, Hassan, and Léon along. Things quickly take a turn when Maya discovers traces of blood near the living room stairs. The team soon faces their first disagreement—and something seems to be lurking nearby.
Eyes In The Woods Ep 1
Dir. Morgan Ermter · 15:16 · Web series
Toronto Premiere
Deep in the woods, Sam and Brooklyn grapple with two vastly different secrets. One that feels inevitable. One that is too strange to ignore. As fractured histories, park rangers, and the pull of the unknown converge, they must decide whether to fear what waits in the dark unknown, or embrace it as the only truth left to trust.
Buzz Killer
Dir. Tom Erik Rossavik · 5:52 · Proof of concept
World Premiere
At a remote college house party, a group of friends chase euphoria with a risky new drug made from zombie saliva, only to discover the antidotes keeping them human have been tampered with.
Phantom Line Ep3: Echoes of Derailment
Dir. Piotr Skowroński · 18:00 · Web series
Toronto Premiere
In a winter-bound northern town, a string of disappearances fractures the quiet and drags journalist Sarah Beckett into a story she can’t shake - and visions she can’t explain. When Sam, a retired rail worker, brings Sarah a troubling lead, she turns to Max, an exacting historian leading a local rail revitalization project.
County Blooms After Dark: Poisonous Petals
Dir. Navin Ramaswaran · 16:00 · Web series
World Premiere
Floral host Jen arrives in charming Grimsby, Ontario, excited to film the perfect holiday special filled with festive floral segments, twinkling décor, and fabulous new flower friends. But when guests begin mysteriously dropping dead mid-scene, production spirals into full chaos and Jen finds herself at the centre of a small-town mystery. As panic spreads, Jen trades in her gardening snips for sleuthing, racing to uncover what – or who – is behind the bizarre string of botanical tragedies before the entire production (and the good flower folk of Grimsby) wilts for good.
A family's Christmas Eve dinner becomes a nightmare as Gino must protect his loved ones from his reanimated Nonna who crashes the celebration with murderous intent and a hard opinion about the sauce recipe. As tensions (and the body count) begin to rise, and old family secrets begin to surface, Gino and his family must figure out how to send Nonna and a growing army of undead ancestors and neighbours back to the grave before the end of this Unholy Night.
Writer/Director Michael Gabriele (whose short film Get Away did a major run through the 2023 festival circuit, winning many awards) weaves an exploration into Italian tradition and family dynamics with the true horror of having to host your entire family for Christmas dinner. In his first feature film, Gabriele uses atmosphere and special effects to turn the once loving Nonna into a terrifying, vengeful spirit.
Unholy Night stars Marc Bendavid (Reacher, Murdoch Mysteries) and Jacqueline Robbins (The Wicker Man, A Series of Unfortunate Events) as Gino and Nonna in this tale of ghosts, tradition, and most importantly, respecting your elders.
Opening Short
Heirloom
Dir. Dominic McDowell · 12:34
Toronto Premiere
After receiving an heirloom sauce recipe from his late father, a grieving son is consumed by his obsession with growing tomatoes.
As a horror film festival, some selections may include flashing lights, strobe effects, sudden loud sounds, or intense visual content. If you have questions about a specific film's content before attending, please contact us using the information below.
🎞️ Film Ratings & Content Advisories
Blood in the Snow programs independent horror, sci-fi, and genre films. Most of these titles have not been submitted for classification by a ratings board (e.g. the MPAA or Ontario's film classification system) — this is standard practice for independent and festival-circuit genre film, not an oversight on our part.
Because these films are unrated, we can't provide an official rating label. Here's what we can tell you:
Content may include graphic violence, gore, body horror, disturbing imagery, strong language, sexual content, and other mature themes.
Content advisories and viewing notes for every screening are listed below.
If you have questions about a specific screening's content, you're welcome to email us.
It's always okay to step out of a screening — exits are not monitored.
If you have specific sensitivities (photosensitivity/flashing lights, sexual violence, etc.), please reach out ahead of time using the contact information below and we'll do our best to give you a heads up.
🩸 Content Advisories by Screening
Every 2026 screening was reviewed by our programming team for content and accessibility. Advisories cover the whole screening, including the short that plays before a feature. If something you need to know about isn’t listed, please contact us before you attend.
Show advisories for all 13 screeningsHide advisories
HY3NA
with the opening short Women Calling (L’appel des sœurs)
⚡Photosensitivity warning: strobe or rapidly changing lighting
Content advisory Sexual assault (in Women Calling)
Viewing notes
Dark scenes
Overlapping and off-screen dialogue
Characters introduced quickly; some may be hard to tell apart
Key information conveyed through sound without a visual cue
Non-linear storytelling; fast-paced scenes
Frequent rapid scene changes that make sustained viewing demanding
Wheelchair and mobility device users and their guests are seated on the first floor, in the orchestra side boxes.
Please don't sit in a seat someone else has claimed, or in accessible seating, unless you or someone in your group is a wheelchair or mobility device user.
Transportation & Venue Access
Closest main intersection: Bloor St. and Queen's Park.
Passenger drop-off is possible in front of the theatre.
Bicycle locking posts and racks are available on-site.
An accessible parking lot is within 300 metres, with an accessible route to the venue.
The theatre is just east of Museum subway station; the closest accessible TTC station is St. George.
Green P municipal parking is located nearby on Charles Street West, St. Thomas Street, Bloor Street West (between St. Thomas and Queen's Park Crescent), and Bay Street.
Paid street parking is also available.
Elevator access and a curb ramp at the main entrance.
Washroom Access
One accessible gender neutral washroom is available on the main floor.
This washroom's door does not have an automatic button, so some patrons may need a caregiver's help opening or closing it.
A charging outlet is available near the washroom.
Service Animals & Support Persons
Service animals are welcome throughout the venue. A water bowl is available.
Support persons receive free entry to all screenings — visit the Front of House desk at the theatre entrance on the night of the screening to receive your complimentary ticket.
Quiet Space
A quiet sitting space is available on the 2nd floor of the Isabel Bader Theatre (elevator access).
Open Captions & ASL Screenings
Four screenings include ASL interpretation and open captions for the film, introduction, and post-screening Q&A: Bloody Spirits of Winter (Wednesday, Nov 18 at 7:00 PM), LUMI (Wednesday, Nov 18 at 9:30 PM), BITS and BYTES (Saturday, Nov 21 at 4:00 PM) and Unholy Night (Saturday, Nov 21 at 7:00 PM). All four are marked on the
festival schedule and listed with tickets at the top of this page.
After-parties follow every screening, nightly –. Everyone is welcome.
BITS Nightshift partner-hosted industry mixers run nightly 6–9 pm, –.
Also the daytime venue for the Deadly Exposure Industry Conference (–) and the Horror Development Lab.
🚪 Street-level powered entrance
🚶 Events on the main floor
🚻 Accessible washroom stalls
🐕🦺 Service animals welcome
💬 Live captioning (conference)
🎟️ Free support persons
Entrance: the main entrance is at street level with powered doors. Interior doors (to the washrooms and event spaces) are not powered.
Event spaces: all festival events are on the main floor. The second floor (Zine Library and office) is up 19 steps and is not fully accessible.
Washrooms: two communal washrooms on the main floor, each with a wheelchair-accessible stall. The hallway to one of them has two tight corners that can be difficult for larger mobility devices. Mirrors are not angled, and some fixtures (paper towels, hand dryer) are mounted high.
Bar: because the bar is high, Tranzac staff can bring table service on request, or bring the payment terminal to you.
Service animals are welcome when accompanying a visitor with a disability. Pets are not permitted in the building.
Deadly Exposure: all five panels include live captioning.
Support persons attend free of charge — visit the registration desk on-site to receive your complimentary ticket.
Getting to the Tranzac
Transit: a short walk from Spadina station (Lines 1 and 2) and Bathurst station (Line 2).
Parking: the Green P lot on the Tranzac property has one accessible parking spot. The next nearest accessible spot is in the Green P lot on Lippincott St, south of Bloor.
This accessibility page (): no WCAG 2.2 Level AA errors found with the axe accessibility checker.
bloodinthesnow.ca homepage (, WAVE): zero errors and zero contrast errors, AIM score 9.6 out of 10.
deadlyexposure.ca homepage (, WAVE): zero errors and zero contrast errors, AIM score 9.8 out of 10.
We’re extending this testing across the rest of both sites. Automated testing catches many issues but not all — if you encounter a barrier anywhere on this site, please let us know using the contact information below so we can address it as quickly as possible.
Tickets and festival passes are sold through goelevent (opens in new tab), a third-party ticketing service whose website we don’t control. If you have any trouble buying tickets there, contact us using the information below and we’ll help.
✉️ Accessibility Enquiries
For any accessibility questions or to request accommodations in advance, please contact:
Blood in the Snow Film Festival (Isabel Bader Theatre)
Sarah Parrish, Front of House — Sarah@bloodinthesnow.ca
After-parties, Nightshift, Deadly Exposure & Horror Development Lab (Tranzac Club)
Kelly Michael Stewart, Festival Director — info@bloodinthesnow.ca
·
416-995-5275
