Curry Barker’s Obsession, the Opening Night film of the 2026 Overlook Film Festival, walked away with the feature film Audience Award at the horror film fest.
“They say ‘be careful what you wish for’, but Obsession winning the Audience Award is beyond anything we could have wished for,” said Curry Barker. “We are truly grateful to everyone at the Overlook Film Festival for embracing our movie and are thrilled that audiences had as much fun watching the film as we had making it.”
The jury awarded Never After Dark, directed by Dave Boyle, the Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film, stating that “with fantastic performances, an eerie command of atmosphere and unexpected twists, this tautly-constructed ghost story burns slow before exploding into a uniquely chilling nightmare.” The film also received an Honorable Mention — Feature Film Audience Award.
“To receive this award, from a festival that truly represents what horror is all about, is such an honor, and our whole team is thrilled beyond words. My weekend at Overlook is one I’ll always remember — thanks to the entire programming staff, the volunteers, and to the jury for making this happen!” said Dave Boyle
The jury awarded the Scariest Feature Award to Taratoa Stappard’s Mārama, declaring that “the cruelty and violence of colonialism, its brutality seen through the eyes of Indigenous women, bring terrifying power and haunting imagery to Taratoa Stappard’s chilling Māori Gothic tale of reclamation, repatriation and retribution.”
“Ngā mihi nui” said Taratoa Stappard. “It’s a massive honour for Mārama to receive the Scariest Feature Film Award. I love this festival’s inclusive vibe! It was my first time in fabulous NOLA and I was able to meet and talk with passionate audience members, filmmakers, and critics. I’m already manifesting my return…”
New this year was the Side Shows film section, featuring upcoming genre films that may fall outside of horror but still feel tailor-made for the world of the Overlook. The Audience Award went to Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious, in which a desperate father teams up with a street-smart journalist as they fight their way through an international criminal network in a desperate bid to save his daughter.
Audience Awards
Winner — Feature 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.
Honorable Mention — Feature Film
Buddy
Director: Casper Kelly
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt
United States, 2026
From the unique and twisted mind of iconic writer-director Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks, Yule Log) comes the tale of a courageous girl and her friends who must fight to escape the sinister clutches of a kid’s television show.
Honorable Mention — Feature Film
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.
Winner — Side Shows
The Furious
Director: Kenji Tanigaki
Cast: Miao Xie, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Brian Le, Joey Iwanaga
Hong Kong SAR China, 2026
When his daughter Rainy is abducted, humble tradesman Wang Wei is thrust into a deadly underworld of corruption and violence. His only ally is Navin, a relentless journalist haunted by his own past. Together, they fight their way through an international criminal network in a desperate bid to save Rainy and uncover the truth.
Winner — Short Film
Scissors, dir. Hannah Alline, United States, 2025
A slasher with a grudge meets his match when a group of queer friends on a weekend getaway turns his killing spree into a bloody night he never saw coming.
Honorable Mention — Short Film
House Cat, dir. Kyle Spleiss, United States, 2026
Living out of her car and hustling gig to gig, a woman takes a last-ditch job house-sitting a cat, only to discover she isn’t there to care for the cat; she is the cat.
Juried Awards
Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film
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.
Scariest Feature Film Award
Mārama
Director: Taratoa Stappard
Cast: Ariana Osborne; Toby Stephens; Umi Myers
New Zealand, 2025
Set in on the moors of 1859 North Yorkshire, this gothic horror follows a Māori teacher who travels to the manor of a wealthy whaler in search of buried truths about her family. What she finds there is something far more threatening – dark secrets that define the grim legacy of the British empire in this bone-chilling Kiwi tale.
Special Jury Mention for Performance
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.
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film
Man Eating Pussy, dir. Lee Lawson, Canada, 2026
A dying man seeks comfort in a mysterious sex worker whose monstrous anatomy offers not just pleasure—but the ultimate release.
Scariest Short Film Award
Ghoststory, dir. Alex Jacobs, United States, 2026
A cursed artifact wrapped in static.
Honorable Mention for Best Kitty
House Cat, dir. Kyle Spleiss, United States, 2026
Living out of her car and hustling gig to gig, a woman takes a last-ditch job house-sitting a cat, only to discover she isn’t there to care for the cat; she is the cat.
Doomscroll Award for Most Harrowing Digital Nightmare
Homemade Gatorade, dir. Carter Amelia Davis, United States, 2025
A woman embarks on a road trip to deliver her creamy homemade sports drink to a mysterious online buyer.
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