Overlook 2026: First Wave Announced, Feat. OBSESSION, LEVITICUS, HOKUM, And The Films of Larry Fessenden

THE OVERLOOK FILM FESTIVAL KICKS OFF 

TENTH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS HORROR 

WITH FIRST WAVE LINEUP 

 

Focus Features’ Obsession, NEON’s Leviticus and Hokum Highlight Festival Full of 2026’s Most Eagerly Anticipated Horror Films and New Discoveries

 

Master of Horror Award to be Presented to the Legendary Rick Baker

With More Surprises to Come!

 

The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, today announced the first wave of the lineup for its momentous, tenth annual edition in New Orleans, Louisiana. Taking place April 9 – April 12 at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival welcomes audiences back to America’s most haunted city with a terrifying selection of new and classic films as well as the extensive offscreen offerings, including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming, and special guests for which the annual horror staple has become known.

 

“It somehow seems appropriate that our tenth year features a plethora of nerve-rattling tales, many of which touch upon the theme of identity,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and Director of Film Programming of The Overlook Film Festival. “This program is an equal mix of returning beloved filmmakers and staggeringly talented new voices, showcasing the heart of what we ourselves identify as: an ever-growing community with a shared love of being terrified.” 

 

This packed initial festival lineup includes 47 films (21 features and 26 shorts) from seven countries, as well as immersive experiences, live presentations, and horror-themed celebrations, with many more exciting films and surprises to be announced as the festival approaches.

 

In true New Orleans fashion, the tenth anniversary festivities will kick off on April 9 with the return of the celebratory, horror-themed Second Line Parade through the streets of the city, presented by Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. Bigger and bolder than ever before, this parade will make its way through the French Quarter, featuring a demonic brass band, creepy characters, and plenty of surprises!

 

This will all lead to a screening of the Opening Night film, Obsession, Focus Features’ upcoming story of wish-fulfillment-gone-wrong. Written and directed by Curry Barker, Obsession tells the story of a lovelorn 20-something whose wish upon a novelty toy turns more terrifying than he could have imagined.

 

The screenings continue throughout the weekend, including the Centerpiece showing of NEON’s highly anticipated story of terror and desire, Leviticus. From director Adrian Chiarella, Leviticus is an equally terrifying and sensitive coming-of-age story in which two teenage boys must confront a violent entity that takes the form of what they desire the most: each other. 

 

Bringing the celebration to an end will be the Closing Night screening of Hokum, from returning director Damien McCarthy, whose previous film, Oddity, took home the Overlook Audience Award in 2024. Adam Scott stars as a cynical writer who, upon traveling to an Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, finds himself consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite.  

 

Additional festival highlights include the world premiere of Larry Fessenden’s new film, Trauma, or Monsters All, the final film of his personal quadrilogy, bringing together the creatures from the previous films in the horror master’s long and varied career. As part of this premiere showcase, the Overlook will also be screening the first three films from the Fessenden-verse which lead up to his new opus, including previous Overlook inclusions Blackout and Depraved, as well as his 1995 classic Habit.  

 

Other upcoming films include Chili Finger, from directors Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad and starring Judy Greer, Bryan Cranston, Sean Astin and John Goodman, about a blackmail plot that spins out of control in bloody, unpredictable ways; Drag, directed by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer and starring Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito and John Stamos in a twisty story of a simple burglary gone wrong thanks to a bad back; Daniel Goldhaber’s Faces of Death, filmed locally in New Orleans and starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery and Charli XCX, is a thrilling take on the modern remake in which a social media moderator comes across visceral snuff videos which bear a shocking resemblance to a mythical cult film; and David Kittredge’s star-studded documentary, Boorman and the Devil, about director John Boorman’s creation of the maligned sequel to The Exorcist, one of the most ambitious bombs in horror movie history. 

 

Continuing the Overlook’s history of celebrating the films and icons that have elevated horror to where it is today, the legendary Rick Baker will be on hand to receive the festival’s prestigious Master of Horror Award. A self-described “monster kid” who went on to create some of cinema’s most innovative characters, Baker turned his passion into a decades-long career that forever changed the art of movie makeup. The award presentation will include a 45th anniversary screening of An American Werewolf in London. Selected by the master himself, this is the film for which he was presented with the first ever Academy Award for makeup (an award which he has gone on to win a record seven times). Past recipients of the Master of Horror Award include Roger Corman, Ernest Dickerson, Mick Garris, Mike Flanagan, Stuart Gordon and Joe Dante. 

 

There will also be a special, 100th anniversary screening of Teinosuke Kinugasa’s classic horror film, A Page of Madness. Considered the first Japanese horror film ever made, this masterpiece was believed lost for 45 years before being rediscovered by the director within a rice barrel he had kept in storage. The film will be screened with a live score composed by acclaimed New Orleans-based composer and musician Jeff Pagano and performed by a local six-piece orchestra.

 

"There's no greater thrill than bestowing our dark carnival in the illustrious city of New Orleans to all the spirits who flock to it each year and bring it to terrifying undead life,” said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and Executive Director of the Overlook Film Festival. “At a time when it's become so hard to simply exist in this world, it is truly a gift to be able to gather together in the dark with homespun nightmares and haunted tales with all the people who give this space meaning. We exist because of your dedication, and for that we will repay you in blood, rituals, sacrifices, curses, demons and creatures we dare not name. After all, life's no fun without a good scare."

 

In addition to the films, the Overlook Film Festival's signature, one-of-a-kind immersive program, featuring interactive projects and experiences, returns this year with three mind-bending presentations. These include Eternal, an immersive audio experience created by Darkfield, where a single person, alone in their bed, is presented with a tempting offer of immortality; Hag, from The Queen’s Fools, where Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters lead a creepy and silly experience that asks audience members to help clear out some squatters by any means necessary; and The Mother of Nightmares, a surreal and darkly comedic one-on-one experience from returning Overlook creators E3W Productions and All of Them Witches, where you’re brought face to face with the mischievous figure who creates all of your worst dreams.

 

The festival is programmed by Co-Founders Landon Zakheim & Michael Lerman; Programmer Daniel Crooke; Short Film Programmer Katie Rife; and Programming Manager Cameron Asharian.

 

The current lineup of films, experiences, live events and immersive content is included below, with additional programming to be announced as the festival approaches. 

 

Opening Night 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.

 

Centerpiece Film

Leviticus

Director: Adrian Chiarella

Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie

Australia, 2026

Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.

 

Closing Night Film

Hokum

Director: Damian McCarthy

Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O'Connell, Michael Patric, Siox C, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, Ezra Carlisle

United States, Ireland, 2026

When novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.

 

Feature Film Presentations

 

International Titles Presented by MUBI 

 

 

Boorman and the Devil

Director: David Kittredge

Featuring: John Boorman, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Mike Flanagan, Joe Dante

United States, 2025

Hot off the success of his genre defining film, Deliverance, John Boorman takes on his biggest challenge yet – a sequel to one of the most successful horror movies in history, The Exorcist. What could go wrong? This insightful documentary delves deep into the making of one of the biggest bombs in horror history.

 

Chili Finger

Directors: Edd Benda, Stephen Helstad

Cast: Judy Greer, Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Madeline Wise, Paul Stanko, Sarah Herrman, Sara Sevigny, Dann Florek

United States, 2025

When a down on their luck couple find a gruesome surprise at their favorite fast food chain, they hatch a simple blackmail plot that quickly spins their lives out of control in this bloody, Coen Brothers-esque thriller featuring an all-star cast.

 

Drag

Directors: Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer

Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito, John Stamos, Christine Ko

United States, 2025

Two sisters. One empty house. A simple burglary plan. If only one of them didn’t throw their back out… Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer’s hilarious and twisty horror comedy is a ticking clock crawl to survival as the sibling duo must find a way out or face the dangers of being caught when the owner returns home.

 

Exit 8

Director: Genki Kawamura

Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu

Japan, 2026

Based on the global hit video game, a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?

 

Faces of Death

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Cast: Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Charli XCX

United States, 2026

A moderator at a social media platform gets thrown face-first into a macabre mystery when she uncovers a series of visceral snuff videos bearing resemblance to a mythical 1978 cult film. Starring Barbie Ferreira, this New Orleans shot slasher is a thrilling twist on the modern remake.

 

Goody Goody

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Raymond Creamer

Cast: Colleen Foy, Samantha Robinson, Zoe Renee, Colby Hollman

United States, 2026

Lulled into a necessary sense of comfort during a long home birth process, expecting parents and their midwife begin to realize that something may be horribly wrong. As labor complications ensue, a blizzard rages outside trapping the family in their home - sitting ducks for whatever sinister presence might be in there with them. 

 

The Holy Boy

Director: Paolo Strippoli

Cast: Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri

Italy, 2026

Deep in the Italian mountains lives a village of some of the happiest people on earth. Their serenity is about to be broken by the arrival of the new PE teacher who is haunted by his past and determined to uncover the secret of how all of the townspeople are healed weekly by the touch of a 15-year-old boy with special powers.  

 

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.

 

New Group

Directors: Yûta Shimotsu

Cast: Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki

Japan, 2026

From the director of the Overlook 2025 winner for Scariest Feature, Best Wishes to All, comes a terrifying new vision of youth, conformity, and authoritarianism as the students inside a modern high school are violently forced to become part of increasingly disturbing, physically demanding and surreal tasks in order to assimilate. 

 

Parasomnia

Directors: James Ross II

Cast: Jasmine Mathews, RJ Brown, Sally Stewart, Stephen Barrington, Danny Brown, Simon Longnight

United States, 2025

When one of her closest friends goes missing, Riley, a young woman haunted by a lifelong battle with debilitating night terrors, must come to terms with the fact that the demonic entity that’s been stalking her dreams since childhood may have followed her home into the real world.

 

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. 

 

Trauma, or Monsters All

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Larry Fessenden

Cast: Alex Breaux, Joseph Castillo-Midyett, Barbara Crampton, Aitana Doyle, Larry Fessenden, Rigo Garay, Steve Heller, Laetitia Hollard, Alex Hurt, Cody Kostro, James Le Gros

United States, 2026

An aspiring author gets more than she bargained for when she writes an article for the local paper about her small town’s dark history, prompting unwanted speculation on what monsters may lie within. Overlook mainstay Larry Fessenden returns with the thrilling conclusion to his quadrilogy, a thoughtful and fiercely independent monster mash that can be enjoyed on its own or marathoned with his three origin stories – Habit, Depraved and Blackout.

 

Ugly Cry

Director: Emily Robinson

Cast: Emily Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Aaron Domínguez, Robin Tunney, Andrew Leeds, Heather Morris, Chalia La Tour, Ray Abruzzo, Sophie Von Haselberg, Josh Ruben, and Melinda McGraw

United States, 2026

An actor's desperate determination to break in Hollywood leads her down a frightening spiral of obsession, delusion and augmentation in this darkly comedic, Repulsion-esque thriller from first time writer-director and star Emily Robinson.

 

Retrospective Film Presentations

 

An American Werewolf in London

45th Anniversary Screening

2026 Master of Horror Award Recipient Rick Baker in Person

Director: John Landis

Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine

United States, 1981

Beware the moon! Witness the most monstrous of monster transformations, one that cemented Rick Baker's legacy and earned him his first Academy Award, unfurl on the big screen before your very eyes. Chosen by our 2026 Master of Horror recipient Rick Baker, the screening will precede a conversation with the legend himself. 

 

Blackout

Directors: 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 the third of Larry Fessenden’s four-part monsterverse series. 

 

Depraved

Director: Larry Fessenden

Cast: David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux, Ana Kayne, Maria Dizzia, Chloë Levine

United States, 2019

The second in Larry Fessenden’s genre-bending four movie monsterverse is a millennial take on the Frankenstein myth in which a PTSD-riddled field surgeon deep in the heart of Brooklyn decides to reconstruct an unsuspecting man out of spare body parts.

 

Habit

Director: Larry Fessenden

Cast: Larry Fessenden, Meredith Snaider, Aaron Beall

United States, 1995

Indie icon Larry Fessenden’s first feature, about an alcoholic New Yorker who falls for a mysterious woman with vampiric qualities, is as groundbreaking now as it was when it debuted over 20 years ago, inspiring generations of young horror filmmakers to this day.

 

A Page of Madness

100th Anniversary Screening with Live Score Composed by Jeff Pagano

Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa

Cast: Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa

Japan, 1926

A completely original avant-garde masterpiece once thought lost to time for 45 years, Japan's first ever horror film simply must be seen. A rarity in sight and sound, this work of art will be presented with an original composition from Nola's own Jeff Pagano (Marigny Opera House) and performed by a six piece orchestra handpicked by the maestro.

 

Live Events and Special Presentations

 

SHUDDER SECOND LINE PARADE 

Presented by SHUDDER

 

The quintessential New Orleans art form returns with our signature horror twist courtesy of the scariest streamer around. Bigger and bolder, this year's second line will kick off the entire festival on Opening Night. Make your way to our festival headquarters before the screenings begin, strutting through the French Quarter in style behind a demonic brass band, creepy characters both familiar and unknown, and you. We roll at 5pm. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

Immersive Presentations

Presented by American Immersion Theater

 

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

 

ETERNAL

Creator: Darkfield 

You have been chosen and we thank you for your sacrifice. In return we offer you the opportunity for eternal life, but there are conditions. ETERNAL is a 25 minute immersive audio experience for one person, alone in their bed. It explores the temptation of eternal life and wonders what price you would pay to achieve it. ETERNAL was commissioned by the 2020 Bram Stoker Festival, Dublin.

 

HAG

Presented by Charming Stranger

Creator: The Queen's Fools

The Weird Sisters have gotten even weirder. You have responded to a Craigslist ad from a disgruntled Landlord needing help clearing out some squatters from his recently purchased property. Pack up their things & do what you’ve gotta do to get ‘em out. Simple. Only, some squatters are better left alone. HAG is a 35-minute spooky & silly immersive experience for four audience members, led through the chaos and charm of Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters.

 

THE MOTHER OF NIGHTMARES

Creators: E3W Productions and AOTW

Step into the dream world and come face to face with the Mother of Nightmares, the mysteriously mischievous figure who creates and controls all of your worst dreams, as she guides you through this surreal and darkly comedic 1-on-1 experience from returning Overlook creators E3W Productions (IN ANOTHER ROOM). Originally performed as part of ‘The Shape of the Night’, a full-length immersive experience exploring the world of dreams and nightmares created by Overlook veteran group All Of Them Witches (AOTW).

 

Short Film Presentations

Short films will be presented in three themed programs: Feral, Freaky and Static.

 

Blister, dir. Olivia Simon, United States, 2025, WORLD PREMIERE

Trapped alone in a haunted room, a paranormal researcher's experiment goes horrifically wrong.

 

Breeder, dir, Sapphire Sandalo, United States, 2025, WORLD PREMIERE

A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man.

 

Carousel, dir. Christopher Kosakowski, United States, 2025

A circus clown celebrating his birthday alone receives a mysterious gift box harboring an antique zoetrope that spins his world into mayhem. 

 

The Creature of Darkness, dir. Lisa Marie Malloy, Roy Whitaker, United States, 2026

Darkness settles over Little Egypt. Brielle, Karri, and Nunu wander among the limestone outcrops and sandstone spires. In a cave that sheltered freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, their uncle shares a story of a creature that stirs at night.

 

Darkroom, dir. Matthew Black, United States, 2025

In his home darkroom, a crime scene photographer develops pictures of a gruesome murder, and each new print comes out more unsettling than the last.

 

The Dysphoria, dir. Kylie Aoibheann, Australia, 2025

A trans woman performs a Satanic ritual to get a vagina, but unwittingly invites a demonic presence into her home which demands a terrible sacrifice.

 

F**k Face, dir. Dean Puckett, United Kingdom, 2025

A single mother and her child are put through a nightmarish ordeal when a politician knocks on their door.

 

Ghoststory, dir. Alex Jacobs, United States, 2026

A cursed artifact wrapped in static.

 

Haint, dir. Jahmil Eady, United States, 2025

When gentrifiers begin to mysteriously die, a Gullah Geechee handywoman who recently lost her home, must decide whether to help them or leave the newcomers to their fate.

 

Has Anyone Else Lost Their Body?, dir. Randall Snare, United States, 2026, WORLD PREMIERE 

The comments on a reluctant influencer’s first viral dance video overflow with people claiming to lose their bodies after watching it.

 

He, dir. Hira Vin, Canada, 2025

A facility monetizes the ability of a shapeshifting entity to become the lover of their patrons' dreams. Nancy, a woman desperate for love and affection, jumps into the rabbit hole and meets her fate when she decides not to follow facility rules.

 

Hickeys, dir. Ella Rhodes, United States, 2025

While performing at her first concert on the hottest day of 1983, a queer runaway is horrified to discover that her bandmates are rapacious vampires preying on her vulnerability.

 

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.

 

Hot Water, dir. Miles Gunter, Cassie Kramer, United States, 2025, WORLD PREMIERE

A corrupt kidnapped judge has until a pot of water boils to admit to wrongdoing — or his head goes into the scalding water.

 

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.

 

It's Not Me, dir. Cameron Veitch, Robert J Kemp, Canada, 2025

After finding a girl that looks to be her exact double, Hannah decides to take over her life. But a presence seems to threaten Hannah's ambitions.

 

Last Call, dir. Winnie Cheung, United States, 2025

A motorcycle rebel spirals deeper into her erotic hallucinations in order to escape the grip of a sultry serpent woman.

 

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.

 

Men (Lok), dir. Mahmuda Sultana Rima, Bangladesh, 2025

In a very rural village of Bangladesh, men suddenly start to disappear. The villagers start blaming the recluse 'witch' of the village who is known to practice black magic. But why is she making these men disappear? 

 

Mother Mary, dir. Playdoh Kolo, United States, 2025

A shadow puppet music video for the song by Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, blending Creole jazz, spiritual folk imagery, and hand-cut animation. 

 

Nail-Biter, dir. Joseph Burch, United States, 2025, WORLD PREMIERE

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, anxious nail-biter Amy Heller confronts her mother about their so-called family curse, just as the monster arrives to claim her as its next victim.

 

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.

 

Spanked by a Ghost, dir. Katelyn Douglass, United States, 2025

Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.

 

Steak Dinner, dir. Nathan Mark Ginter, United States, 2025

Casey’s attempted surprise dinner date gets derailed when Taylor, her girlfriend, reveals she has brought home a strange, wounded creature she intends to nurse back to health.

 

Superconscious, dir. Christianne Hedtke, United States, 2025

Amidst a simmering Cold War and the dawn of the Age of Aquarius, Cybil G. journeys to a far-flung human potential center to join a scientific study on so-called “psi energy.”

 

Vlog Cam, dir. Danilo Rafael Parra, United States, 2025

New to the city and searching for connection, May stumbles upon a discarded vlog camera in the park.