The Overlook Film Festival returns for its 8th edition from April 4 – April 7, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres.

The horror festival initial lineup includes 45 films (22 features and 23 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences.

Kicking off the festivities as the Opening Night film will be NEON’s upcoming Cuckoo. Directed by Tilman Singer and starring Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick, this beautiful and terrifying giallo-esque nightmare tells the story of a reluctant 17-year-old who moves with her family to a resort in the German Alps. There she finds herself the subject of terrifying visions and aggressive stalking by a mysterious woman who may or may not be linked to the town’s past.

Closing Night of the festival will feature the world premiere screening of Universal Pictures’ new Radio Silence film, Abigail, from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream). Starring an ensemble cast led by Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens, Abigail is a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, about a group of criminals who get more than they bargained for when they kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. As they watch Abigail overnight in an isolated mansion, the captors discover that they’re locked inside with no ordinary little girl. The directors and their Radio Silence partner Chad Villella will be in attendance for the film.

Highlighting the lineup of new and upcoming films is A24’s Sundance breakout hit I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun’s story of an awkward teenager whose suburban life is rattled when his classmate introduces him to a strangely absorbing, supernatural TV show. Other notable features include Blackout, directed by horror icon Larry Fessenden and featuring the legendary Barbara Crampton; E.L. Katz’s Azrael, written by Simon Barrett (The Guest) and starring Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as a woman desperate to escape imprisonment; and Shudder’s slasher film In a Violent Nature, directed by Chris Nash.

In addition to the new features, this year’s festival will include an expanded selection of retrospective screenings, starting with a tenth anniversary showing of Oculus, the breakout film from the prolific horror filmmaker and showrunner Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House), who will be on hand, with actress Kate Siegel, to receive the festival’s Master of Horror Award. Past recipients of this award include Roger Corman, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon and Joe Dante. There will also be a world premiere screening of the brand new 4K restoration, overseen by Grindhouse Releasing, of the 1981 New Orleans-shot giallo classic The Beyond from Italian horror master Lucio Fulci.

Composer/singer/actor and all around legend Paul Williams will be the guest of honor at a special 50th anniversary screening of Brian De Palma’s cult classic Phantom of the Paradise, for which he served as composer and star. The retro lineup will round out with a 70th anniversary 3-D screening of 1954’s Creature from the Black Lagoon in 35mm and a 100th anniversary showing of the silent film classic The Hands of Orlac, which will be accompanied by a live score from New Orleans’ own Think Less, Hear More.

The 2024 Overlook Film Festival’s one-of-a-kind immersive program, featuring interactive projects and experiences, will once again be anchored by the secret and mysterious appointments created through the festival’s continuing partnership with the Academy of Magical Arts, the organization that resides in the world famous Magic Castle®. These programs include three world premieres: A Freak Encounter, a trip through the darkest corners of your own mind guided by the infamous Todd Robbins; The Most Dangerous Man in America, an unforgettable meeting with the greatest card cheat in the country, created by Mark Calabrese; and Regrets From the Dead, a ghostly guided journey through our decisions and regrets materialized by Jared Kopf; along with a special presentation of The Dark Séance, an attempt to part the veil and manifest the dead from the renowned Zabrecky. Rounding out this wave of the larger immersive program will be a sneak preview of The Grand Hall, presented by local favorites Escape My Room, a self-directed journey where guests explore an ancestral home to uncover the deepest mysteries of a family’s long-buried past.

The 2024 Overlook Film Festival is dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague Doug Jones (1970-2023).

The current lineup of films, experiences, live events and immersive content is included below.

Opening Night Film

Cuckoo
Director: Tilman Singer
Cast: Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick
Germany, United States, 2024
When 17-year-old Gretchen reluctantly moves with her family to a resort in the German Alps, she finds herself the subject of terrifying visions and aggressive stalking by a mysterious woman who may or may not be linked to the town’s past. Featuring audacious performances from Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick, this beautiful and terrifying Giallo-esque nightmare is sure to make you think twice about going into the woods at night.

Closing Night Film

Abigail
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud and Giancarlo Esposito
United States, 2024
From Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and Scream VI comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, about a group of criminals who get more than they bargained for when they kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. As they watch Abigail overnight in an isolated mansion, the captors discover that they’re locked inside with no ordinary little girl.

Feature Film Presentations

International Titles Presented by MUBI

All You Need is Death
Director: Paul Duane
Cast: Simone Collins, Charlie Maher, Olwen Fouéré, Gary Whelan
Ireland, 2023
Set in the world of Irish folk ballads and brimming with lure, this creepy tale follows a young couple who collect rare songs. Hired by a mysterious man to track down and translate an ancient, taboo tune, they unlock something that was best left undisturbed.

Azrael
Director: E.L. Katz
Cast: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Sebastian Bull Sarning
United States, 2024
Survivalist horror is alive and well in this pulse-pounding, dialog-less, post-apocalyptic vision from director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (You’re Next) that follows Azrael (Samara Weaving), a desperate woman who is being hunted by a tenacious cult of mutes determined to use her in a sadistic ritual.

Birdeater
Director: Jack Clark, Jim Weir
Cast: Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez
Australia, 2023
Engaged couple Louie and Irene are as close as two people could be. So close, in fact, that Irene is attending Louie’s bachelor party, all set for a night of fun and debauchery. But, as uncomfortable details about their relationship start to come to the surface, it becomes clear that Louie’s friends may have other plans in this unnerving and shockingly unforgettable first feature.

Blackout
Director: 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 this genre-bending and often hilarious portrait from the legendary Larry Fessenden (Habit, Wendigo).

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Director: Ariane Louis-Seize
Cast: Sara Montpetit, Félix-Antoine Bénard, Steve Laplante, Sophie Cadieux, Noémie O’Farrell, Marie Brassard, Patrick Hivon, Marc Beaupré
Canada, 2023
Struggling with her own personal ethics, a teenage vampire makes a pact with a suicidal boy after her family cuts off her blood supply in this sweet and touching tale of friendship and loyalty.

I Saw the TV Glow
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, with Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler
United States, 2023
Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going to the World’s Fair) returns with a searingly beautiful and evocative story of an awkward teenager whose suburban life is rattled when his classmate introduces him to a strangely absorbing, supernatural TV show that is abruptly canceled.

In a Violent Nature
Director: Chris Nash
Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Lauren Taylor
Canada, 2023
The story is familiar: a savage, undead monster stalks a group of unsuspecting teenagers in the woods. But filmmaker Chris Nash turns this brutal slasher on its head, following the creature in his relentless pursuit.

Infested
Directors: Sébastien Vaniček
Cast: Théo Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jérôme Niel, Lisa Nyarko, Finnegan Oldfield, Marie-Philomène Nga, Mahamadou Sangaré, Abdellah Moundy
France, 2023
Packed full of jump scares and sure to be every arachnophobes’ worst nightmare, this spine-tingling chiller sees the residents in the French projects go to war with a group of deadly spiders who are rapidly reproducing through each floor of their apartment building.

Kill Your Lover
Directors: Alix Austin, Keir Siewert
Cast: Paige Gilmour, Shane Quigley Murphy, May Kelly, Chloe Wigmore, Joshua Whincup
United Kingdom, 2023
Breaking up is hard to do, but when Dakota finally decides to end her relationship with Axel, the toxicity she is trying to escape begins to manifest in insidious ways, threatening to consume her as well, in this devastatingly relatable monster movie that highlights the struggle between love and destruction.

Look Into My Eyes
Directors: Lana Wilson
United States, 2024
The intimate relationship between psychics, their clients, and the loved ones they are trying to contact from the beyond is explored in this hilarious and heartbreaking new documentary from filmmaker Lana Wilson.

New Life
Director: John Rosman
Cast: Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Tony Amendola
United States, 2023
A tense game of cat-and-mouse unfolds as a young woman flees a mysterious facility, evading a savvy agent with nothing to lose, as the stakes rise to apocalyptic proportions in this nasty, genre-bending, and surprisingly intimate thriller.

Oddity
Director: Damian Mc Carthy
Cast: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Johnny French, Joe Rooney, Shane Whisker, Ivan de Wergifosse
Ireland, 2023
A blind medium resorts to desperate measures in an effort to find out the truth behind what happened to her sister in this mystical, terrifying creepfest that will burn its lasting, nightmarish imagery into your brain.

Red Rooms
Director: Pascal Plante
Cast: Juliette Gariépy
Canada, 2023
Canadian auteur-in-the-making Pascal Plante presents a disturbingly engaging tale of a model’s obsession with a child murderer who is on trial and her dark web search for evidence of his innocence.

Sleep
Director: Jason Yu
Cast: Jung Yu-mi, Lee Sun-kyun
South Korea, 2023
An expectant wife desperately tries to break her loving husband from his deranged sleepwalking patterns in this cleverly scripted, razor-edged thriller from Bong Joon-ho’s protégé Jason Yu.

Things Will Be Different
Director: Michael Felker
Cast: Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy, Chloe Skoczen, Justin Benson, Sarah Bolger
United States, 2023
Executive produced by veteran filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, this twisty time travel story follows two siblings, fresh off a robbery, who hide out on a remote farm in a different time period than their own, only to find themselves reckoning with a mysterious entity that does not like being there.

Retrospective Film Presentations

The Beyond
World Premiere of 4K Restoration
Director: Lucio Fulci
Cast: Katherine MacColl, David Warbeck, Sarah Keller, Antoine Saint-John, Veronica Lazar
Italy, 1981
Lucio Fulci, the Giallo maestro himself, sets his sights on the bayou with his propulsive, brain-melting nightmare of psychedelia. Shot entirely in and around New Orleans, and driven by one of the all-time great Fabio Frizzi scores, Grindhouse Releasing’s brand new restoration is mandatory big-screen viewing.

Creature From the Black Lagoon 3-D
70th Anniversary Screening in 35mm
Director: Jack Arnold
Cast: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, Whit Bissell, Ben Chapman, Ricou Browning
United States, 1954
Not since the beginning of time, has the world known terror like this. Science couldn’t explain it, but there it was: the last of the old Universal movie monsters. An inspiration to countless generations of fans and filmmakers, don’t miss this absolute classic as it was meant to be seen, in its original 3-D and on 35mm!

The Hands of Orlac
100th Anniversary Screening with New Live Score by Think Less, Hear More
Director: Robert Wiene
Cast: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Kortner, Carmen Cartellieri, Fritz Strassny, Paul Askonas
Austria, 1924
From the director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari comes this expressionist-tinted pulp tale of the macabre starring the sinister somnambulist himself, Conrad Veidt (The Man Who Laughs). Watch in horror as a concert pianist’s hands are replaced by those of a murderer and hear the all new score by returning NOLA artists Think Less, Hear More.

Phantom of the Paradise
50th Anniversary Screening
Actor, Composer and Music Producer Paul Williams in Person
Preceded by Swan Archives Lecture
Presented by FANGORIA
Director: Brian de Palma
Cast: Paul Williams, William Finley, George Memmoli, Harold Oblong, Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor, Gerrit Graham, Jessica Harper
United States, 1974
The Swan Archives and its Principal Archivist Ari Kahan will introduce a very special screening of Brian De Palma’s faustian, fantastical opera of rock and roll composed by, and starring, the legendary Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie, Bugsy Malone) that has rightfully taken its place as one of the genre’s finest cult masterpieces. See it as you never have before!

Oculus
10th Anniversary Screening
Mike Flanagan in person
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane
United States, 2014
Before he took on Hill House, Bly Manor, the House of Usher and the halls of King, there was the supernatural thrawl of the Lasser Glass. Adapted from his own short film of the same name, auteur Mike Flanagan cemented his reputation as a modern master of the art of the scare with his breakthrough second film.

Live Event Presentations

Presented by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Gun Interactive

FASTERPIECE THEATER
Presented by The Museum Of Home Video
Creator/Host: Bret Berg
What if you could binge-watch a weekend’s worth of wild vintage horror movies all at the same time? You’ll know the feeling once you step into Fasterpiece Theater: a service of found footage livestream channel Museum of Home Video, airing every Tuesday. Made with modern attention spans in mind, as well as the cult movie canon’s sheer depth, this tightly-edited blast of horrors past serves up ten feature films you’ve never heard of, sautéed and shattered ’til only the spicy parts remain, all guided by Museum of Home Video VJ Bret Berg.

LOOKING OVER THE GARDEN WALL: A 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Panelists: Patrick McHale, Nick Cross
Ten years ago this fall, the world was introduced to two travelers who became lost in the unknown on Halloween night, and embarked on a series of adventures both wonderful and strange. Join Patrick McHale (co-writer of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio), the creator of gateway horror-tinged animated miniseries Over The Garden Wall, along with art director Nick Cross, for a look back on the creation of this modern cult classic that will include screenings of behind-the-scenes rarities and some of their own shorts that inspired this stunning accomplishment. That’s a rock fact!

SCREAM DREAMS: THE NIGHTMARES THAT SHAPED US
Presented by AMP
Hosts: Catherine Corcoran, Barbara Crampton
Creators: Catherine Corcoran, James A Janisse, Barbara Crampton
Venture into the shadows with Catherine Corcoran and Barbara Crampton as they dive into the real nightmares of the best minds in genre entertainment in this special live episode recording of the Scream Dreams podcast where the subconscious of a festival filmmaker will be revealed. You have been warned!

THE SWAN ARCHIVES
Presented by FANGORIA
Host: Ari Kahan
Join Ari Kahan, Principal Archivist at the Swan Archives, as he takes you on a wild and fascinating journey through the tumultuous history behind the making and release of Brian De Palma’s iconic collaboration with Paul Williams that resulted in the creation of one of horror’s most exalted works. This presentation will precede a 50th anniversary screening of Phantom Of The Paradise.

Immersive Presentations

The festival’s unique interactive live theatrical horror experiences for small audiences return with fresh offerings for the brave and mysterious.

THE DARK SÉANCE
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
Creator: Zabrecky
Stray into the darkness with notorious séance medium Zabrecky: he will attempt to part the veil and manifest the dead, whose messages may bring solace, silence, or terrifying signals from unknown reaches. Success is not guaranteed, but there is one simple rule to the séance: if you believe, you will receive.

A FREAK ENCOUNTER
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
WORLD PREMIERE
Creator: Todd Robbins
Book a therapy session with the iconic Todd Robbins and let a very strange stranger into your subconscious. Venture as deep into hypnosis as you’re willing to go, but be ready to encounter the darkest corners of your own mind… some things there you may rather forget, but they must be confronted right now, because it’s later than you think.

THE GRAND HALL
Presented by Escape My Room
SNEAK PREVIEW
Creators: Cyrus Cooper, Rachel Dunphy, Sam Moodey, Andrew Preble, Kali Russell
After decades of misfortune, the Delaporte Family has finally regained possession of their ancestral home and the family archivists have wasted no time digging up the darkest, deepest mysteries from the family’s storied past. To celebrate this victory, the mansion’s Grand Hall will be previewed to guests for the first time in over a century. We invite you to join us for a self-directed journey of your choosing. Explore the halls, uncover secrets, and help the family find truths once lost to time.

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
WORLD PREMIERE
Creator: Mark Calabrese
An unforgettable meeting with the greatest card cheat in America. You’ll find a questionable character who will simultaneously expose some of his secret scams and cons, while taking from you what you never wanted to give up.

REGRETS FROM THE DEAD
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
WORLD PREMIERE
Creator: Jared Kopf
A necessary encounter for the dead. We carry around ghosts: our past, our regrets, and all our forgotten selves. The Oracle, an ambiguously friendly guide — and a person you have unsuspectingly met many, many times over — will assist you in coming to terms with the final step of the experience in a decision that will change the course of your life or death.

Short Film Presentations

Short films will be presented in three themed programs: Rise & Grind, Haunted and Overlook Shorts.

Benediction, Dir. Zandashé Brown, United States, 2022
A broken woman’s search for solace lands her at a black baptist church in rural Mississippi, where an eerie encounter leads her to unsettling truths.

Bits, Dir. Lilliya Scarlett Reid, United States, 2023
A story of a young woman in small town Montana who catches the attention of a serial killer on the hunt. When his pursuit ends abruptly, the young woman is overcome with rejection. Pining for closure, she struggles to untangle feelings of neglect and desire.

Bookworm, Dir. Javier Yanez Sanz, Spain, 2023
Irene is an aspiring writer who obsesses over the delicate ghost at the library where she works.

Chomp, Dir. Suki-Rose and Cricket Arrison, United States, 2023
A news studio is the perfect breeding ground for a new kind of monster.

Dark Mommy, Dir. Courtney Eck, United States, 2023
Ben is the only night shift 911 operator in a small town. His bubble of self-isolation is only ever punctured by drunks or prank calling kids, but tonight Dark Mommy has her own intentions for Ben…and the rest of the town.

Dream Creep, Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez, United States, 2024
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.

Dream Factory, Dir. Alex Matraxia, United Kingdom, 2023, International Premiere
An experimental short that explores the historical role of cinemas as cruising sites, as well as the relations between nostalgia and fetish when navigating queer history, cultural memory, and the tactility of the past.

Hevel, Dir. David Grace, United States, 2023
When a devout Jewish woman begins her Friday night Shabbat service, a demonic presence will do whatever it takes to have her break with biblical tradition.

Hypoxia, Dir. Brian Imakura, United States, 2023, WORLD PREMIERE
A man fantasizes about becoming a terrorist.

I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright, Dir. A.K. Espada, United States, 2023
Trying to end her life, a woman offers herself as a meal to the monster in the woods near her house. But her plan backfires when she wakes up with a thirst for blood and realizes she has joined the ranks of the immortal undead.

The Influencer, Dir.Lael Rogers, United States, 2023
A social media influencer describes her perfect day harvesting the eyes and minds of her followers to achieve immortality.

Kombucha!, Dir. Jake Myers, United States, 2023
A short film that gives new meaning to being consumed by your work.

The Looming, Dir. Masha Ko, United States, 2023
A beautiful and emotional film that touches upon the difficulties that come with aging, mental illness, and the fear of being forgotten by those we love.

MLM, Dir. Brea Grant, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE
When Sarah joins a multi-level marketing company called La La Leggings, she isn’t ready for the horrific consequences of not selling.

Mosquito Lady, Dir. Kristine Gerolaga, United States, 2023
Terrified of telling her parents that she’s pregnant as restrictions to abortion access worsen, a desperate teenager seeks the help of a reclusive neighbor who her parents warned her about.

Nap, Dir. Alicia Albares, Spain, 2023
Four people are about to undergo a dangerous experiment. The rules are simple: you will have to sleep if you want to live.

Powder, Dir. Ham Tran, Vietnam 2023
After his grandmother dies, Sang is tasked to keep watch by himself. He calls his best friend, Loc, to keep him company, but both will be haunted for life by what they see on the powder-covered floor.

The Red Room, Dir. Alex Liu, New Zealand, 2023, WORLD PREMIERE
A timid office worker’s life unravels after he fails to read the terms and conditions at a pseudo-health clinic.

Some Day All This Will Be Yours, Dir. Cricket Arrison, United States, 2023
A queer autofiction comedy/horror short shot entirely in the filmmaker’s childhood home. Amidst a riot of crumbling 1970s interior design, Some Day uncannily twists the tropes of motherhood, home, and family legacy.

Souling, Dir. Jacquelyn Ferguson, United States, 2023
An unsuspecting woman finds herself at the center of an ancient Pagan tradition.

Spooky Crew, Dir. Erin Broussard, United States, 2023
The Spooky Crew take on the urban legend of Mary Jane. Will they be able to debunk the myth, or will they discover that ghosts may actually be real? Tune in to their Patron livestream to find out!

Three Baths, Dir. Rafael De Leon Jr., United States, 2023
A spiritualist instructs Loreen to give her distraught younger sister, Rosa, three baths to get rid of a malevolent spirit that appears to be moving closer and closer to her.

Zit, Dir. Amber Neukum, United States, 2024
A film on anxiety, Zit tells the story of Gertrude as she prepares to ask her boss for a promotion at work, all while a tiny zit on her forehead slowly grows to become larger than life.