The ultimate terror for any even half-decent parent is the unthinkable—yet perfectly plausible—concept of losing their child. That primal fear is even more profound in a mother, she who miraculously grew this tiny person inside her and whose connection to her charge is one of the most powerful bonds known.

Rarely do we chart true crime in the pages, virtual or otherwise, of FANGORIA, but in the case of Amy Berg’s new documentary (a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival) on an ongoing, painful and often detailed subject, it makes perfect sense. 18 years ago, in West Memphis, Arkansas, three little boys were found submerged in a ravine, bound, dead, their genitals apparently skinned, their bodies cut, torn, broken. In the small Bible belt community, human agony at the unspeakable crime was matched only by murmers of Satanic worship spreading like wildfire.

The RESIDENT EVIL movies have never been strong on story, but in its latest chapter, the series has abandoned all pretense of plot completely—which, if nothing else, at least makes it a sort of ne plus ultra of video-game flicks. RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION doesn’t have scenes, it has levels.

There isn’t much in the demonic-possession subgenre that screams “comedic potential,” and the few past attempts (SCARY MOVIE 2 and Linda Blair’s painfully moronic EXORCIST spoof REPOSSESSED come to mind) to try and find the funny in somber old Catholic rituals bears this out. So it’s a relief, and a credit to writer/director J.T. Petty’s skewed sensibilities, that he’s able to drag some very dark laughs out of this difficult premise with his new 3D film HELLBENDERS.

Love him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Rob Zombie made a major impact on screen terror since transitioning into directing. His characters from HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL’S REJECTS became the few new horror icons of the 2000s, while his HALLOWEEN duo were among the best projects to come out of the unfortunate remake trend. He’s clearly a horror-literate filmmaker with a deep love of the genre, something that THE LORDS OF SALEM serves to further emphasize.

In THE FIFTH SEASON (having its North American premiere at the current Toronto International Film Festival), writer/directors Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens have created a dark, scary vision of a world without spring.

At the Toronto International Film Festival, horror fans usually set their sights on the popular Midnight Madness program, but there is another showcase that covers all things dark and strange: the Vanguard section, or as programmer Colin Geddes likes to call it, “Midnight Madness’ smarter older sister.” One such sibling in this year’s lineup is Juan Carlos Medina’s allegorical horror-thriller PAINLESS (known as INSENSIBLES internationally). Set in Spain, the film follows two parallel storylines—one contemporary, and one taking place during the Spanish Civil War.