The Tom Hiddleston-led drama The Life of Chuck is the surprise winner of this year’s Toronto film festival audience award.

The under-the-radar adaptation of Stephen King’s novella beat out competition from higher-profile titles to gain the majority of attendees’ votes. The film entered the festival without distribution.

The unusual genre-bending story of the life of an accountant was adapted by Mike Flanagan, whose previous King adaptations include Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game. He is also known for the hit Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. The cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan.

The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager wrote that it was “as sweet as it is scary” while, in comparing it with Flanagan’s more horror-heavy King adaptations, the Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen claimed that it “makes for an oddball if less ideal fit”.

After the announcement, King tweeted congratulations to the “dark horse” winner. “I’m so blissed out for Mike Flanagan and his talented troupe of actors,” he wrote.

In previous years the winner of the award has tended to receive a best picture nomination or win at the Oscars. Past winners have included Green Book, La La Land, Jojo Rabbit, The Fabelmans and American Fiction.

The first runner-up was Emilia Pérez, the Jacques Audiard-directed crime musical comedy that premiered to acclaim at this year’s Cannes film festival where it picked up best actress awards for its three stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez.

The second runner-up was Sean Baker’s Anora, a comedy drama about a sex worker, that won this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Other winners includes the Demi Moore-led horror The Substance, which topped the Midnight Madness section, and the music documentary The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal which won the documentary section.

The awards come after this year’s Venice film festival’s Golden Lion award was handed to Pedro Almodóvar’s first full-length English-language movie, The Room Next Door.