From April 4 – 7, New Orleans is honored to once again host the horror and genre film extravaganza, The Overlook Film Festival. Named for Stephen King’s insidious hotel from ‘The Shining,’ this festival has grown from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential film festivals in the nation, an annual celebration of gore, grime, ghosts, and goblins in the middle of the spookiest city in the world. A perfect balm for the Halfway to Halloween blues, The Overlook Film Festival is both retrospective and innovative, offering screenings of (and with) scream screen legends alongside the most exciting modern horror masters.
The Overlook Film Festival has pulled all the stops to make this their biggest year yet, with 28 feature films, 24 short films, four live presentations, six immersive experiences, and six special events over a four-day weekend.
As your humble guide to all things cinema, here are just a few films and experiences that I am most excited for…
Thursday
To start things off, the festival’s Opening Night film is set to be Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo”.
Coming to NOLA from its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, Cuckoo follows the story of 17-year-old Gretchen, who reluctantly moves to the German Alps with her family. Soon, however, she is attacked by terrifying visions and the stalking presence of a mysterious woman.
Built upon a star-making performance from Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria”) and support from genre mainstays Dan Stevens (“The Guest”) and Jessica Henwick (“Glass Onion”, “Love and Monsters”), Cuckoo is primed to kick the festival off with a bang.
Friday
A full day of incredible movies offers something for everyone. There’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person”, a touching tale of friendship, loyalty, and bloody death, “Blackout”, a new werewolf film from genre legend Larry Fessenden (“Killers of the Flower Moon”, “Brooklyn 45”), and “In A Violent Nature”, the classic slasher story you know but told in a way you have never seen before, entirely from the killer’s POV.
But the golden ticket event of the day is undoubtedly the 10th anniversary screening of “Oculus”, with writer/director Mike Flanagan in attendance. This classic story of siblings at war with a murderous, mind-warping mirror was Flanagan’s wrecking ball entrance to becoming a modern horror master (“Ouija: Origin of Evil”, “Gerald’s Game”, “Doctor Sleep”, “The Haunting of Hill House”, “Midnight Mass”). This screening at the Prytania Theater Uptown is sure to sell out quickly. So get your tickets NOW!
Saturday
Saturday, this writer’s birthday ironically enough, is packed to the brim with more exciting screenings and experiences. You can check out a retrospective on the generation defining cartoon series “Over The Garden Wall” or check out a live episode of the Scream Dreams Podcast, brought to you by your friends at FANGORIA. This podcast hosted by Catherine Corcoran (“Terrifier”), James A Janisse (Dead Meat and Kill Count YouTube shows), and horror royalty Barbara Crampton (“Re-Animator”, “You’re Next”, “The Beyond”, “Castle Freak”, “Suitable Flesh”) dives fear first into the real-life nightmares of one of the festival’s filmmakers.
On the film front, Saturday is a murderers row of genre excellence, including Jane’s Schoenbrunn’s Sundance smash, “I Saw The TV Glow”. This universally acclaimed film from the writer/director of 2021’s breakout “We’re All Going To The World’s Fair”, tells the story of how two teenagers bond over their love for a supernatural TV show that was cancelled under mysterious circumstances. Bathed in longing, this coming of age film about self-identity, liberation, and the relationship we have with screens and each other represents all the norm shattering possibilities that modern genre can offer.Â
Saturday night at Prytania Uptown is the World Premiere of “Abigail”,the latest offering from the writer/director/producer collective known as Radio Silence (“Scream 6”, “Ready or Not”). This film about a group of kidnappers who end up snatching, and being trapped overnight with, the wrong little girl looks to be a rollicking good time. With performances from Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, and Giancarlo Esposito, this big screen blood bath has everything we love about horror packed into one pint sized package.
Following that, The Overlook Film Festival is offering a unique presentation by premiering the 4K restoration of “The Beyond”, Lucio Fulci’s bayou Giallo from 1981. This blood soaked classic, shot in and around New Orleans, is a big screen time capsule of NOLA’s gorgeous past and a testament to the finest in Italian Horror filmmaking.
Sunday
Though Closing Night is behind us, the party is nowhere near stopping. Sunday promises additional screenings of festival favorites like “I Saw The TV Glow” and “Azrael” (starring modern horror icon Samara Weaving). But over at Prytania Uptown, there are a pair of big ticket screenings that you won’t want to miss.
First, a 50th anniversary screening of “Phantom of the Paradise”, Brian DePalma’s psychedelic rock opera retelling of “Phantom of the Opera” featuring iconic original songs by Paul Willams. Williams, a cinematic legend in his own right, will be in attendance for a Q&A to shed new light on this newly reclaimed, unloved in its time, masterpiece.
And finally, the Prytania Uptown is proud to present “Creature From the Black Lagoon”, the Universal Monster classic, as it was originally shown to audiences in 1954, in stunning 35mm 3D projection. Hosted by horror aficionado “Dr. Fearless”, modern genre icon David Dastmalchian (“Last Voyage of the Demeter”, “Dune”), this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this film in this format that you are not going to want to miss.
As you can see here, The Overlook Film Festival doesn’t come to play and this article barely scratches the surface of what the wealth of experiences and offerings they are bringing to New Orleans this year. Visit the 2024 Overlook Film Festival site to learn more about passes, tickets, and schedules.
Then join us in the dark where the monsters come out.
You’ll be glad you did.
