The Overlook Film Festival has officially announced its first wave of the lineup for its momentous, tenth annual edition in […]
The Overlook Film Festival has officially announced its first wave of the lineup for its momentous, tenth annual edition in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 9-12, and it’s a doozy.
Taking place at the Prytania Theatres, this packed initial festival lineup includes 47 films (21 features and 26 shorts) from seven countries, as well as immersive experiences, live presentations and horror-themed celebrations, with many more exciting films and surprises to be announced as the festival approaches.
In true New Orleans fashion, the tenth anniversary festivities will kick off on April 9 with the return of the celebratory, horror-themed Second Line Parade through the streets of the city, presented by Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. Bigger and bolder than ever before, this parade will make its way through the French Quarter featuring a demonic brass band, creepy characters and plenty of surprises.
This will all lead to a screening of the Opening Night film, Obsession. Written and directed by Curry Barker, Obsession tells the story of a lovelorn 20-something whose wish upon a novelty toy turns more terrifying than he could have imagined.
The screenings continue throughout the weekend, including the Centerpiece showing of Leviticus. From director Adrian Chiarella, Leviticus is an equally terrifying and sensitive coming-of-age story in which two teenage boys must confront a violent entity that takes the form of what they desire the most: each other.
Bringing the celebration to an end will be the Closing Night screening of Hokum, from returning director Damien McCarthy, whose previous film Oddity took home the Overlook’s Audience Award in 2024. Adam Scott stars as a cynical writer who, upon traveling to an Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, finds himself consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite.
Additional festival highlights include the world premiere of Trauma, or Monsters All, the new film from Larry Fessenden and the final entry in his personal quadrilogy, bringing together the creatures from the previous films in the horror master’s long and varied career. As part of this premiere showcase, the Overlook will also be screening the three films from the Fessenden-verse which lead up to his new opus, including previous Overlook inclusions and , as well as his 1995 classic .
Other upcoming films include Chili Finger, from directors Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad and starring Judy Greer, Bryan Cranston, Sean Astin and John Goodman, about a blackmail plot that spins out of control in bloody, unpredictable ways; Drag, directed by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer and starring Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito and John Stamos in a twisty story of a simple burglary gone wrong thanks to a bad back; Daniel Goldhaber’sFaces of Death, filmed locally in New Orleans and starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery and Charli XCX, a thrilling take on the modern remake in which a social media moderator comes across visceral snuff videos which bear a shocking resemblance to a mythical cult film; and Boorman and the Devil, the star-studded documentary from David Kittredge about director John Boorman’s creation of the maligned sequel to The Exorcist, one of the most ambitious bombs in horror movie history.
Continuing the Overlook’s history of celebrating the films and icons that have elevated horror to where it is today, the legendary Rick Baker will be on hand to receive the festival’s prestigious Master of Horror award. A self-described “monster kid” who went on to create some of cinema’s most innovative characters, Baker turned his passion into a decades-long career that forever changed the art of movie makeup. The award presentation will include a 45th anniversary screening of An American Werewolf in London. Selected by the master himself, this is the film for which he was presented with the first ever Academy Award for makeup (an award which he has gone on to win a record seven times). Past recipients of the Master of Horror award include Roger Corman, Ernest Dickerson, Mick Garris, Mike Flanagan, Stuart Gordon and Joe Dante.
There will also be a special, 100th anniversary screening of Teinosuke Kinugasa’s classic horror film A Page of Madness. Considered the first Japanese horror film ever made, this masterpiece was believed lost for 45 years before being rediscovered by the director within a rice barrel he had kept in storage. The film will be screened with a live score composed by acclaimed New Orleans-based composer and musician Jeff Pagano and performed by a local six-piece orchestra.
“There’s no greater thrill than bestowing our dark carnival in the illustrious city of New Orleans to all the spirits who flock to it each year and bring it to terrifying undead life,” said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and Executive Director of The Overlook Film Festival. “At a time when it’s become so hard to simply exist in this world, it is truly a gift to be able to gather together in the dark with homespun nightmares and haunted tales with all the people who give this space meaning. We exist because of your dedication, and for that we will repay you in blood, rituals, sacrifices, curses, demons and creatures we dare not name. After all, life’s no fun without a good scare.”
In addition to the films, the Overlook Film Festival’s signature, one-of-a-kind immersive program, featuring interactive projects and experiences, returns this year with three mind-bending presentations. These include Eternal, an immersive audio experience created by Darkfield, where a single person, alone in their bed, is presented with a tempting offer of immortality; Hag, from The Queen’s Fools, where Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters lead a creepy and silly experience that asks audience members to help clear out some squatters by any means necessary; and The Mother of Nightmares, a surreal and darkly comedic one-on-one experience from returning Overlook creators E3W Productions and All of Them Witches, where you’re brought face to face with the mischievous figure who creates all of your worst dreams.
Opening Night Film Obsession Director: Curry Barker Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter United States, 2025 Hopelessly paralyzed by his unrequited crush on one of his closest friends, a lovelorn 20-something makes a wish on a mysterious novelty toy, only to find out that his dreams are far worse than any nightmare he could imagine in this bone-chilling relationship horror.
Centerpiece Film Leviticus Director: Adrian Chiarella Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie Australia, 2026 Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.
Closing Night Film Hokum Director: Damien McCarthy Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Siox C, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, Ezra Carlisle United States, Ireland, 2026 When novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.
Feature Film Presentations International Titles Presented by MUBI
Boorman and the Devil Director: David Kittredge Featuring: John Boorman, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Mike Flanagan, Joe Dante United States, 2025 Hot off the success of his genre defining film, Deliverance, John Boorman takes on his biggest challenge yet – a sequel to one of the most successful horror movies in history, The Exorcist. What could go wrong? This insightful documentary delves deep into the making of one of the biggest bombs in horror history.
Chili Finger Directors: Edd Benda, Stephen Helstad Cast: Judy Greer, Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Madeline Wise, Paul Stanko, Sarah Herrman, Sara Sevigny, Dann Florek United States, 2025 When a down on their luck couple find a gruesome surprise at their favorite fast food chain, they hatch a simple blackmail plot that quickly spins their lives out of control in this bloody, Coen Brothers-esque thriller featuring an all-star cast.
Drag Directors: Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito, John Stamos, Christine Ko United States, 2025 Two sisters. One empty house. A simple burglary plan. If only one of them didn’t throw their back out… Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer’s hilarious and twisty horror comedy is a ticking clock crawl to survival as the sibling duo must find a way out or face the dangers of being caught when the owner returns home.
Exit 8 Director: Genki Kawamura Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu Japan, 2026 Based on the global hit video game, a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?
Faces of Death Director: Daniel Goldhaber Cast: Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Charli XCX United States, 2026 A moderator at a social media platform gets thrown face-first into a macabre mystery when she uncovers a series of visceral snuff videos bearing resemblance to a mythical 1978 cult film. Starring Barbie Ferreira, this New Orleans shot slasher is a thrilling twist on the modern remake.
Goody Goody WORLD PREMIERE Director: Raymond Creamer Cast: Colleen Foy, Samantha Robinson, Zoe Renee, Colby Hollman United States, 2026 Lulled into a necessary sense of comfort during a long home birth process, expecting parents and their midwife begin to realize that something may be horribly wrong. As labor complications ensue, a blizzard rages outside trapping the family in their home – sitting ducks for whatever sinister presence might be in there with them.
The Holy Boy Director: Paolo Strippoli Cast: Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri Italy, 2026 Deep in the Italian mountains lives a village of some of the happiest people on earth. Their serenity is about to be broken by the arrival of the new PE teacher who is haunted by his past and determined to uncover the secret of how all of the townspeople are healed weekly by the touch of a 15-year-old boy with special powers.
Never After Dark Director: Dave Boyle Cast: Moeka Hoshi, Kento Kaku, Kurumi Inagaki, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Bokuzo Masana, Tae Kimura Japan, 2025 A medium for hire, assisted by the spirit of her deceased sister, takes on the case of a grotesque apparition that haunts an isolated country home. As she peels back the layers of the spine-tingling investigation, she realizes that the greatest threats don’t lie in the world of the dead, but rather in with the living people around her.
New Group Director: Yûta Shimotsu Cast: Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki Japan, 2026 From the director of the OFF 2025 winner for Scariest Feature, Best Wishes to All, comes a terrifying new vision of youth, conformity, and authoritarianism as the students inside a modern high school are violently forced to become part of increasingly disturbing, physically demanding and surreal tasks in order to assimilate.
Parasomnia Director: James Ross II Cast: Jasmine Mathews, RJ Brown, Sally Stewart, Stephen Barrington, Danny Brown, Simon Longnight United States, 2025 When one of her closest friends goes missing, Riley, a young woman haunted by a lifelong battle with debilitating night terrors, must come to terms with the fact that the demonic entity that’s been stalking her dreams since childhood may have followed her home into the real world.
Saccharine Director: Natalie Erika James Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden Australia, 2026 Looking for a quick weight loss fix, a medical student accepts a mysterious drug, setting her off on a path of unwanted transformation in this goopy, sickening, violent body-horror from the director of Relic.
Trauma, or Monsters All WORLD PREMIERE Director: Larry Fessenden Cast: Alex Breaux, Joseph Castillo-Midyett, Barbara Crampton, Aitana Doyle, Larry Fessenden, Rigo Garay, Steve Heller, Laetitia Hollard, Alex Hurt, Cody Kostro, James Le Gros United States, 2026 An aspiring author gets more than she bargained for when she writes an article for the local paper about her small town’s dark history, prompting unwanted speculation on what monsters may lie within. Overlook mainstay Larry Fessenden returns with the thrilling conclusion to his quadrilogy, a thoughtful and fiercely independent monster mash that can be enjoyed on its own or marathoned with his three origin stories – Habit, Depraved and Blackout.
Ugly Cry Director: Emily Robinson Cast: Emily Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Aaron Domínguez, Robin Tunney, Andrew Leeds, Heather Morris, Chalia La Tour, Ray Abruzzo, Sophie Von Haselberg, Josh Ruben, Melinda McGraw United States, 2026 An actor’s desperate determination to break in Hollywood leads her down a frightening spiral of obsession, delusion and augmentation in this darkly comedic, Repulsion-esque thriller from first-time writer-director and star Emily Robinson.
Retrospective Film Presentations
An American Werewolf in London 45th Anniversary Screening 2026 Master of Horror Award Recipient Rick Baker in Person Director: John Landis Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine United States, 1981 Beware the moon! Witness the most monstrous of monster transformations, one that cemented Rick Baker‘s legacy and earned him his first Academy Award, unfurl on the big screen before your very eyes. Chosen by our 2026 Master of Horror recipient Rick Baker, the screening will precede a conversation with the legend himself.
Blackout Directors: Larry Fessenden Cast: Alex Hurt, Addison Timlin, Motell Gyn Foster, Joseph Castillo-Midyett, John Speredakos, Michael Buscemi, Joe Swanberg, Barbara Crampton, James Le Gros, Marshall Bell United States, 2023 Not your typical werewolf story, Blackout follows a painter, haunted by guilt, who becomes convinced that he is transforming at night and wreaking havoc in his small town in the third of Larry Fessenden’s four-part monsterverse series.
Depraved Director: Larry Fessenden Cast: David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux, Ana Kayne, Maria Dizzia, Chloë Levine United States, 2019 The second in Larry Fessenden’s genre-bending four movie monsterverse is a millennial take on the Frankenstein myth in which a PTSD-riddled field surgeon deep in the heart of Brooklyn decides to reconstruct an unsuspecting man out of spare body parts.
Habit Director: Larry Fessenden Cast: Larry Fessenden, Meredith Snaider, Aaron Beall United States, 1995 Indie icon Larry Fessenden’s first feature, about an alcoholic New Yorker who falls for a mysterious woman with vampiric qualities, is as groundbreaking now as it was when it debuted over 20 years ago, inspiring generations of young horror filmmakers to this day.
A Page of Madness 100th Anniversary Screening with Live Score Composed by Jeff Pagano Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa Cast: Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa Japan, 1926 A completely original avant-garde masterpiece once thought lost to time for 45 years, Japan’s first ever horror film simply must be seen. A rarity in sight and sound, this work of art will be presented with an original composition from Nola’s own Jeff Pagano (Marigny Opera House) and performed by a six piece orchestra handpicked by the maestro.
Immersive Presentations
Presented by American Immersion Theater The festival’s unique interactive live theatrical horror experiences for small audiences return with fresh offerings for the brave and mysterious.
ETERNAL Creator: Darkfield You have been chosen and we thank you for your sacrifice. In return we offer you the opportunity for eternal life, but there are conditions. ETERNAL is a 25 minute immersive audio experience for one person, alone in their bed. It explores the temptation of eternal life and wonders what price you would pay to achieve it. ETERNAL was commissioned by the 2020 Bram Stoker Festival, Dublin.
HAG Presented by Charming Stranger Creator: The Queen’s Fools The Weird Sisters have gotten even weirder. You have responded to a Craigslist ad from a disgruntled Landlord needing help clearing out some squatters from his recently purchased property. Pack up their things & do what you’ve gotta do to get ‘em out. Simple. Only, some squatters are better left alone. HAG is a 35-minute spooky & silly immersive experience for four audience members, led through the chaos and charm of Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters.
THE MOTHER OF NIGHTMARES Creators: EW3 Productions and AOTW Step into the dream world and come face to face with The Mother of Nightmares, the mysteriously mischievous figure who creates and controls all of your worst dreams, as she guides you through this surreal and darkly comedic 1-on-1 experience from returning Overlook creators E3W Productions (IN ANOTHER ROOM). Originally performed as part of ‘The Shape of the Night’, a full-length immersive experience exploring the world of dreams and nightmares created by Overlook veteran group All Of Them Witches (AOTW).
