The Overlook Film Festival 2022 will open with the North American premiere of Ana Lily Amirpour’s Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, which features a stellar cast including Jeon Jong-soo, Kate Hudson and Craig Robinson. Shot in New Orleans, this fantastical boundary pushing tale marks the third feature from acclaimed director Amirpour.
“It’s not every year that we get a crowd-pleasing, horror-fueled adventure through the streets of NOLA from a major independent director,” said festival co-director Michael Lerman of the opening night film. “This is a film that demands to be seen in a theater, in New Orleans, with a rowdy audience and we can think of no better way for us to be coming back to an in-person festival.” Festival co-director Landon Zakheim added, “Live performance and immersive experiences are essential to the foundation of The Overlook, so it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to showcase these artists and events in such transitory times.”
Additional premieres revealed for the upcoming edition include Mark Meir’s feature debut, The Summoned. The Overlook stacks its lineup with fresh discoveries and festival favorites, such as Roger Corman, The Pope of Pop Cinema, with Joe Dante, Peter Bogdonavich and Ron Howard, as well as Eli Horowitz’s The Cow, starring Winona Ryder and John Gallagher Jr., legendary FX guru Phil Tippet’s visionary opus Mad God, Carlota Pereda’s striking first feature Piggy, and SXSW sensation Hypochondriac, starring Zach Villa.
The opening night film and second wave of titles join previously announced films and events, including closing night film The Black Phone, for a total of 23 feature films and 25 short films from 16 countries, with 3 World Premieres and 1 North American premiere, along with 10 live events taking place at the Prytania Theatres At Canal Place in New Orleans June 2-5, 2022.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon
North American Premiere
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Cast: Jeon Jong-seo, Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson, Evan Whitten, Ed Skrein
United States, 2022
The pulsating, raucous, vibrant new fantasy from auteur Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch) sees a mental asylum escapee with unusual powers setting off on a thrilling adventure through the NOLA streets as she tries to make it on her own while on the run from the cops. An incredible cast including Jeon Jong-soo, Kate Hudson and Craig Robinson make this violent, surreal, homegrown crowd-pleaser glow with the character of the city.
FEATURE FILMS
The Cow
Director: Eli Horowitz
Cast: Winona Ryder; John Gallagher, Jr.
USA, 2022
Kath (Winona Ryder) and her boyfriend Max (John Gallagher Jr.) head off to the Redwoods for a getaway, only to discover that their Airbnb has been double booked by another couple. Out of viable options, the four decide to share the house for the night. When Kath wakes up in the morning, only to find Max has disappeared, it sends her on a dangerous and surreal journey in this creepy, twisty thriller.
Good Madam
Director: Jenna Cato Bass
Cast: Chumisa Cosa, Nosipho Mtebe
South Africa, 2021
South African director Jenna Bass ingeniously riffs on the haunted house and folk horror tropes in the chilling tale of a woman who begins to discover oppressive, supernatural echoes from the Apartheid era when she is forced to move in with her mother, a live-in servant at an affluent Cape Town estate.
Hypochondriac
Director: Addison Heimann
Cast: Zach Villa, Devon Graye, Madeline Zima, Yumarie Morales, Marlene Forte
USA, 2022
The life of a young, gay potter begins to spin out of control when he realizes he’s losing control of his bodily functions while being haunted by an unknown presence tied to his past in this blistering, erotic spookfest.
Mad God
Director: Phil Tippet
Cast: Alex Cox, Niketa Roman, Satish Ratakonda, Harper Taylor, Brynn Taylor
USA, 2021
Legendary animator and VFX wizard Phil Tippett makes his long awaited feature directorial debut with a stop-motion, Miltonesque fever dream that follows an assassin into a labyrinthian city full of monster and creeps.
Piggy
Director: Carlota Pereda
Cast: Laura Galán
Spain/France, 2022
An awkward teenager’s uncomfortable existence of being picked on daily is thrown into ethical turmoil when a mysterious stranger begins to kidnap and kill her bullies in this brutal Spanish morality tale.
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
Director: Bertrand Tessier
Cast: Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdonavich, Ron Howard
France, 2021
Told with all the heart and bluster of one of his own films, this loving documentary about the trailblazer and 2017 Overlook honoree himself bursts with endearing, incredible stories from both on and off set.
She Will
Director: Charlotte Colbert
Cast: Alice Krige, Malcolm McDowell, John McCrea, Rupert Everett, Amy Manson, Johnathan Aris, Daniel Lapaine, Kota Eberhardt
UK, 2021
Already garnering awards internationally, this psychological (and often psychedelic), existential horror film follows an aging actress who, having undergone a double mastectomy, journeys to a rural Scottish healing retreat, a place where women were once burned for witchcraft. It is there that she learns the power to enact revenge in her dreams…
Sissy
Directors: Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes
Cast: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett, Shaun Martindale, Amelia Lule, April Blasdall, Camille Cumpston
Australia, 2022
When successful social media influencer Cecilia gets invited to a destination bachelorette party by her childhood best friend, she finds herself face to face with her high school bully in this grisly, inventive slasher.
The Summoned
World Premiere
Director: Mark Meir
Cast: J. Quinton Johnson, Emma Fitzpatrick, Angela Gulner
USA, 2022
Two high profile couples learn the true price of success and inheritance when they discover just how exclusive the self-help seminar they’ve attended is in this nasty piece of evil business from newcomer Mark Meir.
Zalava
Director: Arsalan Amiri
Cast: Navid Pourfaraj, Pouria Rahimi Sam, Hoda Zeinolabedin, Baset Rezaei, Fereydoun Hamedi, Shaho Rostami
Iran, 2021
A military official’s skepticism gets a rude awakening when he travels to a rural village reportedly possessed by a demon in this chilling, critically acclaimed Iranian tale of the line between faith and paranoia.
RETROSPECTIVES
Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla
With Special Video Introduction by Leonard & Jessie Maltin
70th Anniversary
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Duke Mitchell, Sammy Petrillo
USA, 1952
Marvel at the thrilling adventure that Martin Landau is said to have once called “so bad that it made Ed Wood’s films look like Gone with the Wind.” Swoon over the knock-off Martin & Lewis act of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, whose impersonation is thought to have caused Jerry Lewis to demand the film’s destruction. Gaze in wonder at a motion picture shot in 7 days on a budget of less than $50,000 by a director famous for filming only one take. Don’t miss the experience Leonard Maltin has promised “will only cost viewers an hour and a quarter of their lives, but once seen, it will never be forgotten”.
Häxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages – with live score by Think Less, Hear More
100th Anniversary
Presented By Daily Dead
Director: Benjamin Christensen
Cast: Benjamin Christensen, Clara Pontoppidan, Oscar Stribolt, Astrid Holm, Marin Pedersen
Sweden, 1922
The groundbreaking silent classic featuring graphic depictions of torture, demonic orgies, and an appearance by Satan himself remains one of cinema’s boldest artistic achievements. Celebrate the centennial of this pioneer hybrid documentary in horror history with an all new live score from NOLA favorites Think Less, Hear More.
Sleepwalkers
30th Anniversary
Presented by THE KINGCAST
Director: Mick Garris
Cast: Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick, Alice Krige, Jim Haynie, Ron Perlman, Cindy Pickett
USA, 1992
Behold the first of many collaborations between Stephen King, in his first original story written explicitly for the screen no less, and master of horror — and 2020 festival honoree — Mick Garris. Come for the finely-aged cult classic of a shape-shifting, cat-fearing, blood-sucking, incest-loving mother and son’s run-in with Mädchen Amick and a slew of genre hero cameos. Stay for the live recording of THE KINGCAST with director Mick Garris immediately following the screening.
SPECIAL EVENT AND IMMERSIVE PRESENTATIONS
Presented by the University of New Orleans
Accursed Arrangement: The Overlook Immersive Game
Creators: Escape My Room
A staple of the festival since its inception, this year’s re-imagined weekend long immersive storytelling experience offers a gripping story told through text messages, phone calls and real world investigations that can be played at your convenience throughout the fest, in groups or alone, in and around the festival hub. A local music historian who has uncovered a demonic connection between a series of unexplained deaths summons you to discover the truth. Will you be able to put a rest to the chaos? Or will discord continue to ring out?
Halloween In June
It’s no trick! Everyone deserves an excellent Halloween. We lost out on our most sacred holiday in 2020, so this year we’re making it up in style with a second one in June. Costumes are mandatory: bring your masks, hoard all the candy, make contact with the beyond, watch out for pranks, and dance the night away to your favorite spooky tunes to keep the spirits at bay at this fiendish immersive gathering. Hey, it’s All Hallows Eve somewhere.
Horror Trivia
Presented By Shudder.
Free Event
Test your fright. Shudder’s Sam Zimmerman & Midnight Madness’s Peter Kuplowsky team up to host Overlook’s annual bout of horror trivia. Prizes, drinks and four ghoulish rounds of only mildly obscure nuggets you’ll definitely know and all of those sequel subtitles you’ll definitely wish you didn’t. Scare yourself with how much you actually know about horror.
A Little Fright Music
Free Event
Performer: Ace Marcellin
Come and see one of New Orleans’ most storied musicians, Ace Marcellin, as the world-famous yet reclusive artist plays numbers from his 1967 classic album of Horror theme reimaginings for the PoBoMoMu opening! No tubular bells here, just Ace and his clarinet taking you on a haunting jaunt down Memory Lane at the Po Boy Music Museum. For more information text (833) 451-3067.
Norco
Developer: Geography of Robots
“A masterpiece of interactive storytelling”, developers Geography of Robots and indie publisher Raw Fury present NORCO: a Southern Gothic point & click narrative adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of a distorted South Louisiana. In the hopes of finding your missing brother, you must follow a fugitive security android through the refineries, strip malls, and drainage ditches of suburban New Orleans. Play a demo of the winner of the Tribeca 2021 Games Award, that the LA Times has already called “the video game of 2022.”
Sharper Teeth Catalog
Creators: Dream Video Division
Tired all the time? Up all night? Sun blinding your eyes? Garlic revolting? We’re here to help. Dream Video Division presents The Sharper Teeth Catalog, a cure-all multi-media installation displaying the latest in self-help products with a vampiric twist. Customers can step right up and use a special filter from the @dreamvideodivision Instagram account to scan various objects using the latest AR technology to reveal the truth behind their bloodlust.
Welcome Home
Creators: Shine On Collective
Welcome to your new home! The moving van has just pulled away and a friendly welcome package from your neighbors is waiting on your front porch. But there is something ominous about this place. Someone needs your help. Journey into a ghost story as you unravel secrets, solve mysteries and listen in on phone conversations with this carefully crafted at-home immersive story box experience through letters, audio and found objects.
SHORT FILMS
Presented by ALTER
Breathe, Dir. Stephen Kang, New Zealand, 2021
Jaehee is a twelve year old girl with a special yet unorthodox gift that enables her to heal those who claim to be possessed. Her uneasiness with the deception grows putting her on a collision course with her domineering father.
Chaperone, Dir. Sam Max, United States, 2021
An unnamed figure (Quinto) picks up a young man (Kahn) in his car. As the two drive together, and settle into an austere rental house in the country, the details of their arrangement become guttingly clear.
Day Trippers, Dir. Erin Broussard, United States 2021
A couple on route to a Day Trip getaway find themselves lost after taking a sudden detour that is not part of their weekend plans. What they don’t realize is that some detours lead to dead ends.
Digital Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro: The Real-World Guide to Set Up and Workflow, Dir. Seong-Yoon Hong, South Korea, 2020
We see a scene from a typical romance film when suddenly, a horrendous error occurs.
Dystopia, Dir. Laura Ugolini, Norway, 2020
In this twisted neon fashion fantasy, a gang of women set out to create their perfect man, no matter where the body parts come from.
Everybody Goes To the Hospital, Dir. Tiffany Kimmel, United States, 2021
A stop motion animated exploration of physical, psychological, and familial trauma, telling the tale of 4-year-old Little Mata (writer/director Tiffany Kimmel’s mother) as she’s taken to the hospital in late 1963 with appendicitis.
Expectancy, Dir. Juho Fossi, Finland, 2020
Alex is left alone for the weekend to renovate a room for his and his wife’s unborn child. Soon, a baby monitor starts to transmit horrifying sounds about his future failures as a father.
Freebirth, Dir. Juan Avella, United States, 2021
A lesbian couple’s all-natural birth in the woods turns into a nightmare.
Huella, Dir. Gabriela Ortega, United States, 2022
When the death of her grandmother unleashes a generational curse, a disenchanted flamenco dancer resigned to a desk job is forced to experience the five stages of grief through a visit from her female ancestors, pushing her to finally break the cycle.
Itch, Dir. Susannah Farrugia, Malta, 2021
A novice nun develops a severe skin condition which continues to worsen along with her mental state as she struggles with her feelings for another nun.
Love You, Mama, Dir. Alexandra Magistro, Canada, 2022
After the sudden death of her father, a young woman becomes haunted by the uncertainty of the world around her.
Rated R, Dir. Reid Antin, United States, 2021
A dark-as-midnight comedy in which an 8-year-old boy plots a heist to see his first R-Rated movie…
Red is the Color of Beauty, Dir. Beck Kitsis, United States, 2021
Just before the mall closes, two women fight over a special necklace.
Smile, Dir. Joanna Tsanis, Canada, United States, 2021
When a young woman struggles to smile, her depression becomes something truly monstrous.
Spa Day, Dir. Kevin Armento, Jaki Bradley, United States, 2021
An overworked woman cashes in a groupon for an anti-aging body wrap treatment, but soon suspects this spa has nefarious intentions.
Swallow the Universe, Dir. Luis Nieto, France, 2021
The grandiloquent blood-and-thunder saga of a young child lost in Manchuria’s deep jungles. His sudden presence creates complete anarchy in the fauna’s primitive world, which was until-then perfectly organized.
Swept Under, Dir. Ethan Soo, United States, 2022
When a Cambodian adoptee receives a housewarming rug from his American sister, the dark history hidden underneath its surface is revealed.
They See You, Dir. Tory Jones, United States, 2022
When Robin visits her paranoid sister in their family cabin, she discovers a dark secret.
They’re Here, Dir. Sid Zanforlin, Canada, 2021
A twelve-year-old girl becomes convinced that her grandmother has been invaded by an alien and will stop at nothing to prove she is right… before it’s too late.
Tistlebu, Dir. Simon Matthew Valentine, Norway, 2022
As a young urban couple on a working holiday hopes to connect with nature at Tistlebu farm, a primordial power comes into play, changing them both forever.
Under the Ice, Dir. Alvaro Rodriguez Areny, Spain, 2021
After losing his father in an accident, Edur wakes up in the middle of a nightmare. A presence will haunt him with his worst memories.
While Mortals Sleep, Dir. Alex Fofonoff, USA, 2022
When a cold case novelist’s career implodes, she seeks refuge in her friend’s remote vacation home. Upon arrival, she encounters a strange couple who claim to be the caretakers. As tensions build, a dark secret begins to emerge.
White Devil, Dir. Mariama Diallo, Benjamin Dickenson, United States, 2021
A Black woman’s quarantine experience takes a disturbing turn when the dynamic she has with her white partner is impacted by events happening outside their cozy brownstone.
Wild Bitch, Dir. Rebekka Johnson, Kate Nash, United States, 2022
A quirky thriller about a local reporter’s interview with a mousy housewife about her life-changing encounter with a coyote that leaves them forever bonded with each other… and the beast.
You’ve Never Been Completely Honest, Dir. Joey Izzo, United States, 2022
A hybrid-documentary using animation and reenactment footage to bring to life Gene Church’s never before heard audio interview, recounting the harrowing physical torture and brainwashing at a secretive 4-day leadership seminar in California, 1970.
2021 Shorts – A selection of shorts previously co-programmed for Nightstream 2021
Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss, Dir. Sonny Calvento, The Philippines, 2019
Ghost Dogs, Dir. Joe Cappa, United States, 2020
Guts, Dir. Chris McInroy, United States, 2021
Inheritance, Dir. Annalise Lockhart, United States, 2021
Munkie, Dir. Steven Chow, New Zealand, 2021
The Vandal, Dir. Eddie Alcazar, United States, 2021