Like a script from B-movie horror flick, the Toronto International Film Festival has dodged a bedbug scare on the eve of its 35th edition.

Exhibition giant Cineplex Entertainment was forced to call in exterminators and sniffer dogs late Monday afternoon at its Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Toronto after a series of Twitter feeds raised the spectre of a bedbug plague at the main venue for press and industry screenings at TIFF’s September 9 to 19 run.

“Bad, Bad news from Toronto re: #TIFF10. Torontonian Friend got, yes, bedbugs at the Scotiabank — aka where all press screenings are,” U.S. film critic James Rocchi wrote online.

That was followed by TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey springing into damage control via his own Twitter account: “Before bedbugs becomes today’s meme: we’re on it, we’re talking to Cineplex & are planning for an itch-free (festival).”

As talk of the bedbugs overrunning TIFF went viral on social media sites, Cineplex called in the experts to comb the Scotiabank for possible blood-suckers.

They came up empty, and laid TIFF’s online nightmare scenario to rest.

“Late yesterday afternoon, Cineplex contracted the services of Abell Pest Control, who are experts in their field, to investigate a claim,” Cineplex spokeswoman Pat Marshall said in statement.

“After a thorough investigation overnight, which involved a specially trained sniffing dog and a secondary visual inspection, Abell has confirmed that there were no bedbugs located within the Scotiabank theatre,” she added.