The 2024 Overlook Film Festival honored the winners of the audience and juried prizes, with the feature film Audience Award, voted on by festival attendees, going to Damian Mc Carthy’s Oddity, a terrifying creepfest in which a blind medium resorts to desperate measures in an effort to find out the truth behind what happened to her sister.
In the juried prizes, Grand Jury Prize for Short Film was awarded to Some Day All This Will Be Yours by Cricket Arrison, a film the jury describes as “an original and fearless new voice that explores the relationship between gender and horror in playful and profound ways.”
The award for Scariest Short went to Carlos A.F. Lopez’s Dream Creep, which the jury calls “a film exploring the profound horror of intimacy that immediately hooks the viewer with an unexpected and shocking premise.” Additionally, the jury announced an Honorable Mention for Performance was awarded to Joseph Lopez of The Looming from director Masha Ko, stating that “Lopez’s vulnerable performance is key to conveying both the horror and the empathy of this powerful short.”
In awarding these films, the jury stated: “It was a delight to serve on the jury for a slate of films that expand the definition of horror with breadth and dynamic range that exceeded our already high expectations.”
Among the highlights of this year’s festival was the world premiere of Abigail, the new film from the celebrated filmmaking collective Radio Silence, which played at the historic Prytania Uptown theater on April 6 as the festival’s Closing Night film.
“Screening Abigail with such an incredible audience at the Overlook Film Festival was an amazing experience,” said Radio Silence. “The dedication and love that Overlook fans have for the horror and vampire genres is unmatched and it was a thrill to be in a theater with people that love this genre as much as we do. Especially in a city as special as New Orleans.”
Horror auteur Mike Flanagan was on hand for the festival to present a special 10th anniversary screening of his breakout film Oculus, while also receiving the festival’s prestigious Master of Horror Award. Previous recipients of the award include Roger Corman, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon and Joe Dante.
“I had an absolute blast at the Overlook Film Festival,” said Mike Flanagan. “The audience, the festival staff and the fantastic New Orleans locations are just brimming with spirit, and I loved being so swept away. The anniversary screening of Oculus will remain one of the most surreal and satisfying screenings of my career, and I just can’t wait to find my way back for more. I left New Orleans with a smile on my face and swing in my step.”
The award-winning films of the 2024 Overlook Film Festival:
Audience Awards
Winner — Feature Film
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.
Runner-Up — Feature Film
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.
Winner — Short Film
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.
Runner-Up — Short Film
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.
Juried Awards
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film
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.
Honorable Mention for Cinematography
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.
Scariest Short
Dream Creep, Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez, United States, 2024
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
Honorable Mention for Performance
Awarded to Joseph Lopez
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.