We searched for light, darkness came. Faith, colonisation, the perfect body, escaping everyday life for recovery, coming to terms with past traumas. Every horror film draws its power from the darkness, yet often horror movies are lenient with us; they torture us, but they offer ways out, and even happy endings. The selection of films in this year's midnight section is the opposite – inescapable situations, a futile effort to break out of a vicious circle. Gloomy stories of religious fanaticism, the destructive impact of colonisation on indigenous populations, an unhealthy pursuit of perfection, orphaned children surviving on the street, or the inability to break free from trauma. Shrouded in a veil of darkness, heavy and relentless, they offer no happy endings or redemption. They will stay in your head, refuse to let go, and haunt you.
Witchcraft
On the remote island of Chiloé in the late 19th century lives an indigenous girl named Rosa, who works alongside her father on the farm of a German Christian family. Following a massacre of sheep, the head of the family accuses the local indigenous people of witchcraft. When Rosa's father intervenes, he is brutally murdered. Rosa is denied the right to bury her father according to the Christian tradition she adopted from the farmers. Having lost her father and her faith, she sets out on a journey to her roots and for justice, seeking help from a powerful organisation of indigenous sorcerers.
Returning Home in the Dark
A family trip turns into a nightmare when teacher Alan, his wife Jill, and sons Maika and Jordon take a car journey to a remote New Zealand coast. During a hike, Maika spots two men in the distance watching them before disappearing. Later, their idyllic roadside family picnic is interrupted by a pair of drifters – the charismatic, mysterious Mandrake and his massive, silent accomplice Tubs. The family holiday turns into a journey into hell.
Good boy
Indy the dog and his best friend Todd leave city life behind, moving into an abandoned family home in the countryside. Indy is immediately unnerved by the empty corners, senses the presence of an unseen entity, receives warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant's gruesome death. When Todd starts to succumb to the dark forces circling the house, Indy must bravely fight for the life of his beloved Todd.
Saccharin
When first-year medical student Hana begins to lose weight after an inspiring encounter, she is drawn into a disturbing world of body obsession. Encouraged by her platonic crush, fitness influencer Alanya, she signs up for an intensive body transformation programme. She starts taking miracle weight-loss pills that really work instantly, but she cannot afford them. However, she discovers they contain human ashes, so she makes her own.
Saint Maud
Young nurse Katie couldn't save her patient's life, despite trying with all her might. She changed her name to Maud, turned to God and became a devout Christian. Now, as a private carer, she has been given the task of looking after Amanda, a bitter former dancer and choreographer who is suffering from a terminal illness. Maud becomes dangerously fixated on the idea that God has tasked her with saving the soul of the non-believing Amanda.
Tigers Are Not Afraid
Ten-year-old Estrella lives in a city plagued by a drug cartel war. People vanish without a trace and the police are merely passive observers. Her mother has disappeared, leaving no one to look after her. When Estrella returns from school to an empty house, she desperately wishes for her mother to return – she returns as a terrifying ghost, dragging a bloody trail behind her... Estrella runs away from home and joins a street gang of orphans – Pop, Tucsi, Morro, and their leader Shine.