Following The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers completes his cinematic hat trick by stamping his stylish verve upon a violent, metal as hell revenge odyssey. Breathing new life into sword and sorcery, The Northman returns Hamlet back to its Nordic roots with an epic scope, a bigger budget, and a thirstier bloodlust. Powerful visuals and searing performances combine with atavistic, otherworldly details for one of the best films of 2022 so far. Minor spoilers ahead…

One of only three titles in TIFF’s Midnight Madness slate this year, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s Violation is a haunting and disturbing deconstruction of the rape-revenge genre. Exacting to watch and remarkably complex, the film eschews formula and withholds catharsis to chilling effect, delivering a horror experience that is as harrowing as it is challenging. Minor spoilers ahead…