Event Report: Celebrating the Must-See Movies, Wonderful Friendships, and Immersive Experiences of the 2026 Overlook Film Festival!

The voice on the other end of the phone was frantic, stressed, and above all else… scared. Sixteen-year-old Danny trapped what he believed to be a monster in his bedroom closet. It was a monster that looked—and sounded—like Danny. And now he’d called me, his only link to the outside world, for help. It was, after all, my duty to help Danny, as it was the beginning of my shift on The Etcetera Helpline, a shift that I signed up for through Candle House Collective’s immersive experience Claws, one of the many eclectic offerings at the 2026 Overlook Film Festival.

Listening to Danny scream on the phone as something thudded loudly against his closet door, I caught a glimpse of my already wide eyes in the mirror of my dimly lit hotel room, my windblown skin still tingling from the riverboat tour that morning. Although I had arrived in New Orleans the night before, it was just then sinking in that another exciting edition of “summer camp for genre fans” had truly begun once again. The excitement of what was to come was almost enough to make me smile, but the intensifying screams on the phone brought me back to the important predicament of the present.

For the next 40 minutes I was locked in, trying my best to guide Danny through his deadly situation while also reflecting on pivotal moments from my own past, as Claws expertly holds a mirror up to the participant’s life and deftly incorporates those personal details into the experience. By the time my chilling phone call with Danny ended and I finally exhaled, I felt like I had faced a monster of my own (while probably also raising a few eyebrows among the hotel staff in the hallway who heard me yelling about a creature in the closet). Although I was nervous about checking my own closet after experiencing Claws, I had no time to waste, as it was time to grab my RSVLTS Goosebumps shirt off the hanger and head to The Double Club for the Second Line Parade presented by Shudder and featuring the voice of the Crypt Keeper himself, John Kassir, as the grand marshal (especially fitting since that was the same day it was announced that Tales from the Crypt will begin streaming on Shudder May 1st).

Meeting up with my friends Rob, Christy, and Jonathan (whom you may also know as the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead), I joined the throng of festival enthusiasts who had gathered in the streets for our own horror-themed Mardi Gras to kick off the Overlook Film Festival, complete with a brass band, plenty of blood-red beads, and Kassir’s trademark Crypt Keeper cackle. Fueled by a love for horror and the infectious energy of Overlook, the parade marched steadily toward the Canal Place Shopping Center, giving me a chance to see some familiar faces (shoutout to Angel, B.J., and Collins) and meet new fright-loving friends (shoutout to the guy who photobombed our selfie and chatted about ’90s Nickelodeon shows afterward), all while onlookers stared in awe, wonder, and (occasionally) delightful confusion from the cobblestone sidewalks. Suffice to say that it was the perfect way to usher in the tenth edition of the Overlook Film Festival.

Although the parade culminated at the mall where the Prytania Theatres awaited horror fans on the third floor, the Daily Dead crew instead had our sights set on the Prytania Theatre Uptown for the opening night screening of Obsession. A funny, horrifying, and downright disturbing look at unrequited love gone wrong through the use of a One Wish Willow novelty toy, Obsession is the most unnerving viewing experience I’ve had in a long time, and I fully expect this film to go viral for at least five unforgettable scenes (and especially one in particular that really gets in your head, IYKYK) when it’s released in theaters on May 15th. Reminiscent of It Follows and Talk To Me and playing as if it were the bloodiest episode ever of The Twilight Zone, Obsession showcases writer/director Curry Barker’s masterful approach to both horror and comedy—as well as the difficult skill to blend them together seamlessly. I’ll never think of the phrase “be careful what you wish for” quite the same way after seeing this one. I’ll never look at a brick the same way, either.

But something I wished for was indeed about to come true, because as the end credits rolled on Obsession, it was time to go back to the mall to see Tales from Tales from the Crypt, a panel featuring the aforementioned Crypt Keeper himself, John Kassir. Moderated by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff and Daily Dead’s Matt Donato, who co-host The Merri Hour podcast and absolutely slayed hosting the panel, the career-encompassing conversation with Kassir was insightful, entertaining, and altogether endearing. I came away learning a lot about not only Tales from the Crypt but also Kassir’s eclectic career, including how he won the comedy category on Star Search in 1985. Meeting Kassir after the panel was a real treat, too, as I had previously interviewed him back in 2017 but had never met him in person until that night. People who say to never meet your heroes have clearly never encountered the Crypt Keeper, as he was an absolute joy. After meeting Kassir, I told the Daily Dead crew that I’d see them in Hell… the “Welcome to Hell” opening night party at Toulouse Theatre to be exact, which was another great opportunity to catch up with our fellow Overlook campers from years gone by and new friends as well (shoutout to Brian, Alexa, and Molly)!

After venturing to Hell and getting a few hours of shuteye, it was time to hit the ground running (or at least shambling until the caffeine kicked in) and put our fright-loving IQs to a terrifying test in free horror trivia at B Mac’s, one of my favorite events at Overlook each year both for the questions and the camaraderie (and the chance to catch your breath and quench your thirst in between screenings and immersive experiences). Sponsored by Daily Dead and hosted by my very own Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James, this year’s horror trivia was an absolute blast, comprising four rounds of increasingly difficult questions on all facets of horror cinema (including a special category celebrating films that have screened throughout Overlook’s decade-long history). Blu-ray prizes were handed out, drinks were consumed, and Jonathan kept the energy up and the questions flowing. Yes, I may be biased, but this year’s horror trivia was a bloody good time!

After trivia, we headed back to Prytania Theatre Uptown for a double feature that I was excited for but in no way could have prepared myself for. Up first was Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus, an intense coming-of-age story about two teenagers (Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen) who long to be with each other but must instead face a violent entity that looks like them after their disapproving families and church force them into a suppressive religious ritual. Another film that is reminiscent of It Follows (while still being very much its own unique movie), Leviticus balances a tender love story with a vicious supernatural side that had me on edge throughout the film. As deadly as the paranormal killer is in Leviticus, the real villains of the film are the community members who stand between two young men who just want to be left alone to explore their love for one another without judgment and death waiting for them around every corner.

Following Leviticus and a delicious round of apps and old fashioneds at a nearby restaurant nestled in the middle of a cozy residential street in uptown (it blended in so perfectly with the surrounding houses that I almost wonder if it was a mirage), it was time to return to the Prytania Theatre for a screening of Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious. Presented as part of The Overlook’s new film category Side Shows (films that are technically not horror but are still right at home with the vibe of the festival), The Furious is a jaw-dropping spectacle of stunning martial arts choreography and “holy hell, did they really just do that?!” moments, with the stunning story following a determined father (Mo Tse in a phenomenal performance) hunting down the human traffickers who kidnapped his daughter (Yang Enyou). Watching this with a late-night crowd that was game for the carnage was one of the biggest highlights of the week. We laughed, we cheered, we creeped ever closer to the edges of our seats as the story unfolded with an increasingly kinetic energy onscreen. As someone who was fortunate enough to train in Tae Kwon Do while growing up and earn a black belt along with my sister and dad, The Furious rekindled my love of martial arts and made me remember why it was once such an integral part of my life (and always will be to some extent). The fact that it co-stars two alumni from The Raid (Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian) is icing on the blood-soaked cake. If you like martial arts, I highly recommend you check out The Furious when Lionsgate unleashes it in theaters on May 29th.

It was admittedly difficult to fall asleep after The Furious got my adrenaline flowing faster than the Mississippi River, but the next day was going to be a busy one, so I managed to get a few winks in before getting up Saturday morning to meet the Mother of Nightmares… at least I think I woke up, because the immersive experience created by E3W Productions and AOTW (All of Them Witches) is so good at bringing a haunting nightmare to life, it felt like I was still dreaming. I wasn’t the only one, either, as Daily Dead Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James also took part in The Mother of Nightmares and shared his thoughts on the experience:

“From E3W Productions and AOTW, The Mother of Nightmares is an apt title, placing an audience of one in the center of a dream they can’t easily escape. Especially given the location and setup time constraints, I was blown away by the surreal dreamscape they created. Throughout the performance, multiple guides lead through this dream, utilizing hallucinatory sights, eerie sounds, disturbing props, and an impossible-to-succeed pop quiz. Telling you exactly what happens ruins the surprise, so seek this out if The Mother of Nightmares appears in your area. Equal parts inventive, scary, and humorous, it was an experience I won’t soon forget.”

Ditto. The Mother of Nightmares is as close as I’ll ever feel to being trapped in a dream sequence akin to something out of A Nightmare on Elm Street (I was so startled at one point that I backed into a wall and quite literally walked on eggshells). Anchored by a powerful performance by Derya Derman as the eponymous character and featuring plenty of hair-raising surprises along the way, The Mother of Nightmares is an absolute must for anyone who wants to live a real-life dream that you might survive, but you will never truly wake up from. I was already a big fan of E3W Productions from their In Another Room experience at the 2023 Overlook Film Festival, and after meeting the Mother of Nightmares, I’m now firmly a lifelong fan of whatever they do in the future.

Blinking as I stepped out of the shadowy realm of haunted dreams and into the brightly lit corridor of the mall, I only had a few minutes to recover before heading to my next immersive experience: Eternal. All of the in-person immersive experiences were at the Canal Place mall this year, conveniently intertwining the immersive side of Overlook with nearby film screenings and making for plenty of quick and easy commutes (while also making me take a closer look at Banana Republic just to make sure it wasn’t part of a secret immersive game). Located right next to The Mother of Nightmares and created by Darkfield, Eternal was a wholly different experience than its next-door neighbor but still captivating all the same.

Upon walking into the dimly lit room cloaked by black curtains, I was guided to one of six beds and given a blindfold and a set of headphones. Laying back on the bed with my weary feet off the floor and my eyes covered, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would fall asleep after a couple of late nights in New Orleans, but as soon as the audible story began to hauntingly unfurl from my headphones and into my ears, I was entranced by a terrifying tale of sanguine sacrifice and bloodlust for the next 20 minutes. Listening to Eternal was like taking part in a soothing and scary ASMR experience. It calmed me, it chilled me, and as an added bonus, it made my feet a little less tired for the rest of the day.

While I was absorbing the audible eeriness of Eternal in a darkened room at the mall, Jonathan and Rob were at the Prytania Theatre Uptown watching Demon Lover Diary, a stranger-than-fiction 1980 documentary about the making of a low-budget horror film gone wrong. Here’s what Jonathan had to say about the unique viewing experience offered by The Overlook:

“We were treated to a rare theatrical presentation of Demon Lover Diary, a documentary directed by Joel DeMott that takes audiences behind the scenes of a troubled horror movie production. A fascinating ride for filmmakers and film lovers alike, this serves as both a warning to not underestimate what goes into a horror movie production, as well as an entertaining look at just how off the rails this production gets. While watching this, it’s almost hard to believe it wasn’t a mockumentary (although I promise it is very much real), and you’ll never guess what happens throughout this increasingly challenging production. Jeff Kreines, one of the subjects of the movie, was on hand to present the film and took part in a Q&A to talk about the aftermath and legacy of the documentary. This film is a prime example of the kind of rare programming you can only get at Overlook.”

After a full morning and early afternoon of immersive experiences and a memorable screening, the Daily Dead crew reconvened at the hotel to catch up and catch our breaths before I headed back to the mall for some quality time with the horror-loving fam at the screening of the new horror comedy Family Movie. Starring real-life husband-and-wife duo Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick alongside their son, Travis (who also composed the score), and daughter, Sosie, Family Movie is a blood-soaked love letter to DIY horror filmmaking, with Kevin playing a low-budget horror director who frequently works with his family to make his movies (in the true indie spirit of filmmakers like Roger Corman and the Adams Family). Co-directed by Kevin and Kyra (although Kevin is listed as the sole director due to a DGA rule), Family Movie is a blood-soaked blast from start to finish, a celebration of what can be accomplished by a film-centric family united, even when bodies start to pile up on set. After the screening, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to speak with Kevin, Kyra, and Travis about some of their favorite horror films that inspired them while making Family Movie. During our chat, it was evident that in addition to making horror, they are also all huge fans of the genre (with influences ranging from The Munsters to One Cut of the Dead), making Overlook the perfect place to share their new film with fellow horror fans. I had a wonderful time talking with all three of them, as our chat reminded me that the family that slays together, stays together.

Photo Courtesy of Overlook and Anthony Guagliardo

While I was talking with the Family Movie crew, Damian McCarthy’s Hokum was playing at the Prytania Theatre in uptown, and while I didn’t get a chance to see it at the fest, Jonathan had a chance to check out the latest from the Oddity filmmaker, calling it “an impressive hotel horror story from Damian McCarthy that’s as focused on character as it is on scares. Adam Scott gives one of the best performances of his career as one of the unfriendliest horror writers seen on screen.” As a longtime fan of Adam Scott since his role as Griff on Boy Meets World, count me among those excited to see Hokum when NEON releases the film in theaters on May 1st. Continuing to outpace me on films watched at the fest, Jonathan also watched Never After Dark, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film, a sentiment reflected in Jonathan’s positive thoughts on the film:

“From writer/director Dave Boyle comes a Japanese horror story that plays with audience expectations to deliver a truly unsettling film. A cast led by Moeka Hoshi grounds this story in a very human way, with plenty of supernatural scares to have people squirming in their seats. Definitely one of the standout crowd-pleasers at the festival and a film I’m glad I caught on the big screen.”

Following another day of movies and immersive experiences, it was time to gather once again at the Toulous Theatre for the closing night party with a Théâtre Des Vampires theme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. It was another amazing opportunity to reconnect with festival friends from past years and meet wonderful people in person for the first time (shoutout to Sharai, Morgan, and Joshua), complete with live music, themed cocktails, and an open coffin photo-op to help set the macabre mood. Eventually we kept the party going by migrating to a nearby music club for an epic night of karaoke (shoutout to Collins, Jonthan, and Jen for absolutely slaying it at the mic with killer songs) before calling it a (late) night. There was, after all, one more day of Overlook to enjoy.

For me, that final day began with The Pumpkin Pie Show Presents: One-on-Ones with legendary storyteller Clay Mcleod Chapman. Having seen Clay do a live reading with an audience at Overlook back in 2022, I was extremely excited for my first one-on-one Pumpkin Pie Show, and my high expectations were exceeded in every way. Sitting in a chair under the bright lights of a vacated mall food court storefront (which added to the eerie ambience of the storytelling setting—at one point the metal shutters in front of the shop seemed to rattle with the echoes of Clay’s voice), I watched Clay with wide, transfixed eyes as he told me the tale of “Rest Area.” If you’ve read Clay’s writing, then you know he has a talent for bringing stories to life on the page, but he also has the skilled ability to conjure nightmares with an urgent voice, a haunted stare, and sudden movements that suck your soul right into his story and refuse to let go until the final word lingers in the air. If you are ever fortunate enough to experience The Pumpkin Pie Show in person, I highly recommend that you do everything you can to make it happen. Just be forewarned that you will never be the same after experiencing it… in a good way!

The same can be said for the captivating Hag, my next immersive experience and the next-door neighbor to The Pumpkin Pie Show. After joining Jonathan, Christy, and Rob in the mall’s food court, we were approached by Dillon, a filmmaker who, after injuring his arm, needed help clearing out his newly acquired property so that he could show his new film in his own festival aptly titled “Underlook.” We soon found out that this “clearing out” required more than just moving boxes, however, as Dillon’s space had been taken over by the Weird Sisters, three witches who greeted our arrival with a macabre mischievousness.

Created by the talented team at The Queen’s Fools as a playful twist on the Weird Sisters from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Hag is scary good from start to finish. From the moment you meet the Weird Sisters, you feel pulled into their spellbinding world that’s equal parts comedic, creepy, and frightfully fun. Bolstered by a seamless chemistry among the three witches (played by Aly Trasher, Anja Racić, and Morgan Taylor), the vibe of Hag is reminiscent of Hocus Pocus and The Craft while still being very much its own unique witches’ brew. I was amazed at how fluidly the Weird Sisters interacted with each other and their special guests who had been brave (or foolish) enough to wander into their domain. Although we entered as a group, there were individualized sections of the experience where each of us took part in our own ritual, making it fun to compare notes afterward. When Hag concluded after a thrilling and chilling 35 minutes, I was sad that my final immersive experience of Overlook had come to a close, but I was glad that it had ended on the high note of Hag, as the Weird Sisters had cast a spell on us that was going to last well beyond the end of Overlook. If you ever get a chance to fall under the spell of Hag, don’t hesitate to join the coven of the Weird Sisters. I can’t recommend it enough!

Following our enthralling experience with Hag, the Daily Dead crew grabbed some delicious barbeque and discussed Chili Finger, which Jonathan and Rob had seen earlier that day at the mall. While we luckily didn’t find any body parts in our food, Jonathan shared his thoughts on the film from directors Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad: “A story (partially) ripped right from news headlines takes a wild direction that feels like a Coen Brothers homage and is elevated by a stellar cast led by Judy Greer, with supporting roles from Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman.”

After devouring our barbeque and regaining our strength, we headed to the Clue Carré to test our puzzle-solving skills in the voodoo cemetery escape room (which we completed with about 26 minutes to spare, shoutout to Rachel, Brian, and Alexa), and not long after that, it was already time for one final gathering of fellow Overlook campers. I’m never ready for Overlook to end, and this year was no exception, but looking around at our last hangout, I was so grateful to everyone for making it another killer week, especially the faces of the friends both familiar and new that surrounded us at that last hurrah before everyone went their separate ways (with one additional day left on my trip, I did have the pleasure of having extra time to explore the Sazerac House, Café Du Monde, Preservation Hall, the Bourbon Room, and the vampire speakeasy Potions, but that’s enough to write an entirely other event report).

Just like that, another Overlook had come to a close. I had experienced another much-needed wave of fabulous films and engrossing immersive experiences, but the beauty of Overlook is that there are so many amazing events, I couldn’t have possibly made it to everything even though I wanted to. Rick Baker received a Master of Horror award at a retrospective screening of An American Werewolf in London. There were insightful panels hosted by the amazing team at Fangoria with topics ranging from independent filmmaking to alt-horror experiences. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula kicked off their anticipated Titans Tour. There was another over-the-phone immersive experience from Candle House Collective called Rebozo. And the many, many movies: the most of any Overlook yet and featuring so many that I still look forward to seeing. If I had cloned myself before the festival (I know, hindsight is 20/20), I would have made it to everything, but even just knowing that there were so many great offerings gives me comfort, and it shows that you could go to the festival ten different times in the same year and have ten totally different “choose your own horror adventure” experiences. That’s no easy feat. Hats off to Overlook co-founders Landon Zakheim & Michael Lerman and their entire team of staff and volunteers (special shoutout to publicity manager Jason Berger, Vivi, and the juries for the shorts and features) for pulling off another frightfully fun festival in scary good style. You always make the trip to The Overlook one well worth taking.

As I roamed around New Orleans throughout the next day and sipped on a Southern Spell on a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street, I reflected on another unforgettable Overlook Film Festival. Although it was hard to fathom, this was already my fifth time at the fest, and each year had provided its own unique and treasured memories to reflect upon. And though each year had been different in its own wonderful way, they always led me to the same conclusion: Overlook is more than just a great film festival and essential showcase for immersive events—it’s a celebration of who we are, what we stand for, and the genre that we hold near and dear to our horror-loving hearts. It lifts up the films, experiences, and most importantly the people who get us through each day and make it exciting to wake up for the next one. It’s a celebration of each other. And looking back on my latest stay at The Overlook, what a hell of a celebration it was!