Carol Borden was editor of and a writer for the Toronto International Film Festival’s official Midnight Madness and Vanguard program blogs. She is currently an editor at and evil overlord for The Cultural Gutter, a website dedicated to thoughtful writing about disreputable art. She has written for Mezzanotte, Teleport City, Die Danger Die Die Kill, Popshifter and she has a bunch of short stories published by Fox Spirit Books including: Godzilla detective fiction, femme fatale mermaids, an adventurous translator/poet, and an x-ray tech having a bad day. Read and listen to her other shenanigans at Monstrous Industry. For her particular take on gutter culture, check out, “In the Sewer with the Alligators.”
You’ve seen and even more likely heard Peter Lorre, even if you don’t know the name. His large, sad eyes, soft voice, distinct accent live on exaggeratedly in Looney Tunes cartoons, episodes of old television series like Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, as the inspiration for Ren’s voice […]
There’s still some screenings today, but Fantastic Fest 2026 is over for me at least. I had a good festival this year. I didn’t get to watch all the films I hoped to, but it’s hard to be disappointed when I know I’ll see most of them eventually. […]
Kev Dooley’sTerms & Conditions (USA, 2026) was the only short–and the last film–I watched at Fantastic Fest this year and it was a delight. I enjoy translation and summoning based-humor. Fun, genderqueer demons are my favorite demons. And I enjoy seeing ironic, comedic justice done to people who […]
My last feature at this year’s Fantastic Fest was director Fergal Costello, co-director/action choreographer Lee Huang, and writer Paddy McDonald’s kung fu horror comedy, Kung Fu Deadly (Ireland/Australia, 2026). When Dublin is beset by a swarm of rats, well, one neighborhood in Dublin, exterminators Danny (actor/comedian Steven He […]
Girl In The Night (Slovenia, 2026) is a portrait of late night life in small cities or in city neighborhoods that seem empty except for the quiet yellow glow of street lights. It’s a deadpan comedy about how we change ourselves, hoping to be who the people we […]
My next movie at Fantastic Fest 2026 was Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña’s Donkey Princess (Chile / France / Netherlands / Uruguay / Germany) and I think I love it. Princess Diana (Antonia Giesen) grows up in a fairy tale world with her mother the Queen (Victoria Giesen) […]
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