The Overlook Film Festival has officially announced its third festival lineup. In addition to the 41 films (21 features and 18 short films from 10 countries) on offer, including 3 world premieres, the festival will feature television presentations, immersive presentations, exciting parties, virtual reality, interactive events, and live performances – all taking place in America’s most haunted city: New Orleans, Louisiana.
From the press release:
The festival will open with the US Premiere of Jim Jarmusch’s latest The Dead Don't Die starring Adam Driver and Tilda Swinton, and close with Sundance midnight breakout The Lodge, the English-language debut of Austrian directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, directors of the acclaimed Goodnight, Mommy. Robert Rodriguez will hold an educational master class on independent filmmaking before presenting his latest micro-budget independent effort, Red 11, made for only $7,000, and be on-hand for a site specific screening of The Faculty.
The full film program will screen at Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre and Regal Cinebarre’s Canal Place 9 Theatres and includes both fresh discoveries as well as the latest festival favorites from major talents. Among the selections are a sneak preview of Universal Pictures’ Ma, the new psychological horror film from producer Jason Blum (Us, Get Out, Split, Glass, Halloween), John Norris (Get On Up) and director/producer Tate Taylor (The Girl on the Train, The Help), starring Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, in her first solo leading role. "Swamp Thing", DC Universe’s highly anticipated new series from executive producer James Wan, will also be previewed for fans.
Indie horror hero Larry Fessenden brings his long-awaited return behind the camera with contemporary Frankenstein drama Depraved. And the genius behind Gremlins, Joe Dante contributes to the anthology horror show Nightmare Cinema along with David Slade (30 Days of Night), Alejandro Bruges (Juan of the Dead), Mick Garris (The Stand) and Ryuhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train).
Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah, two of the founding partners of SpectreVision, as well as Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson, will bring live versions of their podcasts to the festival. Fan favorite Grady Hendrix, co-screenwriter of Satanic Panic which will hold its World Premiere at Overlook 2019, will also bet at the festival with two new one-man shows based on his latest books, including a work-in-progress world premiere sequel to his ever-popular Paperbacks From Hell.
The already announced signature weekend long alternate reality game welcomes some of the immersive industry’s top talent as its guest artistic directors for the year, and the curated program of interactive offerings will showcase world premieres and feted darlings from New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans with Overlook Film Festival’s largest immersive program yet.
OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATIONS
Opening Night Film:
The Dead Don’t Die
Director: Jim Jarmusch Cast: Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez, Bill Murray, Tom Waits, RZA, Danny Glover United States, 2019 Adam Driver and Bill Murray lead an all-star cast in indie maven Jim Jarmusch's latest film, the story of the peaceful town of Centerville that finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
Closing Night Film:
The Lodge
Directors: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz Cast: Riley Keough, Richard Armitage, Jaeden Lieberher United States, 2019 When a stepmom-to-be gets snowed in to a remote cabin alongside her fiancé’s two children, she finds herself with the seemingly perfect opportunity to win their affection. But a series of strange occurrences may lead the trio down a different path…
FEATURE FILM PRESENTATIONS
Bliss
Director: Joe Begos Cast: Dora Madison, Tru Collins, Jeremy Gardner, Graham Skipper, Rhys Wakefield United States, 2019 Reminiscent of the gritty work of Abel Ferrara, Joe Begos' (Almost Human, The Mind's Eye) latest sees a ferocious young painter, desperate to finish her latest masterpiece, who will resort to any means necessary. Little does she know that sex, drugs and hallucinations are just the top of the spiral...
Dachra Director: Abdelhamid Bouchnak Cast: Yasmine Dimassi, Aziz Jbali, Bilel Slatnia, Hela Ayed Tunisia, 2018 When a trio of Tunisian journalism students hubristically journey to a small town to solve the 25-year-old cold case of a mysteriously mutilated woman now committed to an asylum, they come upon a community packed with well-spiced secrets.
Daniel Isn’t Real Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer Cast: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Miles Robbins, Sasha Lane, Hannah Marks, Mary Stuart Masterson United States, 2019 When a distraught college freshman faces an unimaginable family trauma, he turns to his sadistic imaginary friend from childhood for help, hoping to unleash some long-forgotten strength. What he friends instead will alter his life forever in this mind-altering new film from director Adam Egypt Mortimer.
Depraved
Director: Larry Fessenden Cast: David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux, Ana Kayne, Maria Dizzia, Chloë Levine United States, 2019 Heralded genre-bender Larry Fessenden returns with his 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.
Extra Ordinary Director: Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman Cast: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte, Claudia O’Doherty, Risteárd Cooper, Jamie Beamish, Terri Chandler Ireland/Belgium, 2019 A driving instructor with an unusual talent for communicating with the spirit world, is enlisted to help save an innocent teenager from a washed-up rock star who has made a sinister deal with the devil in this uproarious and sweet-natured Irish comedy, starring Will Forte.
Greener Grass Director: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe Cast: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck Bennett, Neil Casey United States, 2019 Writers, directors and stars Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe create a hilariously deadpan hellscape of competitive suburbia with a boldly stylized absurdist chain of events that unfurls with increasing fervor after one soccer mom asks her best friend for her baby.
Gwen U.S. Premiere Director: William McGregor Cast: Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Maxine Peake, Richard Harrington United Kingdom, 2019 In the stunning and stark setting of 19th century Snowdonia, young Gwen must brave the harsh elements, the threat of disease, an aggressive mining company, and hostile villagers--but the signs of something more sinister are undeniable in this haunting feature debut from writer-director William McGregor.
Head Count
Director: Elle Callahan Cast: Issac W. Jay, Ashleigh Morgan, Bevin Bru, Billy Meade, Hunter Peterson United States, 2018 A group of rowdy teenagers take a weekend trip to Joshua Tree in search of debauchery, only to find themselves part of deadly ritual when they realize that they might not all be who they seem.
In Fabric Director: Peter Strickland Cast: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, Julian Barratt, Steve Oram, and Gwendoline Christie United Kingdom, 2018 At the height of winter sales in a modern UK department stores, a cursed dress passes from owner to owner, leaving a path of destruction in its wake in this wry, visionary comedy from the director of Berberian Sound Studio and The Duke of Burgundy.
Knives And Skin Director: Jennifer Reeder Cast: Marika Engelhardt, Audrey Francis, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter, Kate Arrington, Tim Hopper, Raven Whitley United States, 2019 Calling upon echoes of Twin Peaks, artist and filmmaker Jennifer Reeder serves up an eerie teen noir punctuated with haunting 80s covers and unforgettable imagery centering around the effects of one girls' disappearance on a small town.
Ma Director: Tate Taylor Cast: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown United States, 2019 Oscar winner Octavia Spencer stars as Sue Ann, a loner in a quiet town who invites a group of unsuspecting teenagers to hang out and drink in her basement. They just have to abide by her rules, and call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth.
Nightmare Cinema
Director: Alejandro Brugués, Ryûhei Kitamura, David Slade, Joe Dante, Mick Garris Cast: Mickey Rourke, Annabeth Gish, Elizabeth Reaser, Maurice Bernard, Richard Chamberlain United States/Japan, 2018 Five Masters of the macabre unite to re-invigorate the anthology sub-genre with a jolt of bloodlust in this good old fashioned series of thrills and chills stitched together by Mickey Rourke’s Projectionist, who shows woeful passerbys a movie of their gruesome demise, helmed by a cavalcade of horror’s greatest minds.
One Cut Of The Dead
Director: Shinichiro Ueda Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Hiroshi Ichihara, Syuntaro Yamazaki Japan, 2017 In one of the year's most crowd-pleasing surprises, this twisty horror comedy sees chaos ensue when a low-budget film crew, hard at work on a zombie flick in a WWII bunker, comes face to face with real terror lurking outside.
Paradise Hills Director: Alice Waddington Cast: Emma Roberts, Danielle Macdonald, Awkawfina, Jeremy Irvine, Arnaud Valois, Eiza Gonzalez, Milla Jovovich United States/Spain, 2019 With razor-sharp artistic direction and searing wit, Alice Waddington's directorial debut tells the story in which a young girl is sent to a mysterious reform school specializing in crafting ladies to be more "proper".
Porno Director: Keola Racela Cast: Evan Daves, Larry Saperstein, Jillian Mueller, Glenn Stott, Robbie Tann, Bill Phillips & Peter Reznikoff, Katelyn Pearce United States, 2019 Equal parts hilarious and grotesque, this take-no-prisoners horror sex comedy sees a group of ultra-Christian movie theater employees face their worst fears when a mysterious set of pornographic reels releases a little more than their repressed desires.
Satanic Panic World Premiere Director: Chelsea Stardust Cast: Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Hayley Griffith, Ruby Modine, Arden Kyrin, AJ Bowen United States, 2019 When a pizza delivery girls' final order of the night turns out to be for a blood-hungry group of Satanists thirsting for a sacrifice, all hell breaks loose...literally. From the Overlook alum writers of We Are Still Here and Paperbacks from Hell, and director Chelsea Stardust comes the goriest of comedies.
The Vast Of Night Director: Andrew Patterson Cast: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer, Bruce Davis United States, 2019 First-time filmmaker Andrew Patterson smashes onto the scene with the elegant telling of a 1950s radio DJ and his switchboard operator companion, who stumble upon a strange frequency that may be carrying evidence of other-worldly life.
Z World Premiere Director: Brandon Christensen Cast: Keegan Connor Tracy, Jett Klyne, Sean Rogerson, Sara Canning, Stephen McHattie, Chandra West Loving parents Beth and Kevin get a little more than they bargained for when their eight-year-old son begins acting out at the alleged behest of his new imaginary friend, Z, in this jump-a-minute creepfest from Overlook alum Brandon Christensen (STILL/BORN).
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The Faculty
Director: Robert Rodriguez Cast: Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Clea Duvall USA, 1998 Join us for this special, site-specific screening of Robert Rodriguez’s 1998 chiller about a group of high school students who begin to suspect an extraterrestrial presence when their teachers start behaving out of the ordinary.
Horror Noire - Free Community Screening
Director: Xavier Burgin Cast: Ashlee Blackwell, Ernest Dickerson, Jordan Peele, Keith David, Kelly Jo Minter, Ken Foree, Ken Sagoes United States, 2019 Join us for a free community screening and panel discussion of this refreshing and incisive documentary tracing the history of Black Americans in Hollywood within the horror genre. Hear from Jordan Peele (Get Out), Tony Todd (Candyman), Rachel True (The Craft), Keith David (The Thing) and many more about representation in our favorite genre from the beginning of cinema to today.
Paperbacks From Hell 2: Think Of The Children (Work-in-Progress) Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix It's baaaack! Grady Hendrix's live show, Paperbacks from Hell, has played everywhere from Los Angeles to London, and now you're getting the world premiere of his work in progress sequel, Paperbacks from Hell II: Think of the Children. In 1967, S.E. Hinton kicked off the teen fiction genre with THE OUTSIDERS and that genre turned into a money-making boom in 1997 with J.K. Rowling's HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. But for those 30 intervening years, teen fiction was weirder, wilder, and woollier, than anyone remembers. Come learn about Ayn Randian teen books, time traveling wilderness survival novels, drug scare fiction, and the glory that is Christopher Pike in this one hour show that takes you from the roots of teen fiction to the day a boy wizard taught everybody how to get rich.
Post Mortem With Mick Garris Live Filmmaker/Author Mick Garris, best known for his Stephen King adaptations and creating the "Masters Of Horror" television series, dives deep into the devious minds of the greatest filmmakers and creators of your worst nightmares to bring their distinctive visions to life in fascinating one-on-one conversations every other week.
The Robert Rodriguez Film School with Special Screening of Red 11 Director: Robert Rodriguez Cast: Carlos Gallardo, Roby Attal, Pierce Bailey United States, 2019 The Robert Rodriguez Film School is a masterclass in low budget filmmaking. In 60 minutes, the iconic filmmaker of El Mariachi, Sin City, and Grindhouse shows how he made his new film, Red 11, on a $7k budget, immediately followed by a special screening of the film itself, the story of an aspiring filmmaker who is forced to become a human lab rat after inadvertently borrowing cash from the Mexican cartel to make his first film. Once the test trials begin, he discovers that a sinister truth of this medical study… one that he may never escape from.
Swamp Thing Episode 2 United States, 2019 Based on the classic DC Comics character, this new episodic series follows Dr. Abby Arcane’s investigation of a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana… but when a mysterious creature emerges from the murky marsh, Abby finds herself facing the nightmares of a supernatural world where no one is safe. Join us for this special screening of the first two episodes.
Unspooled Live Hosts: Amy Nicholson and Paul Scheer Any group that loves movies shouldn't be afraid of the dark. Yet, though the AFI's current Top 100 Films list celebrates gory war flicks, it gets squeamish about horror. "Unspooled" podcast co-hosts Paul Scheer ("How Did This Get Made?") and Amy Nicholson ("The Canon," "Halloween Unmasked") are halfway through watching the AFI's ranked classics and ready to debate which chills should slither onto the next list. Join them and special guests for a conversation that isn't scared to say what other films need to be murdered to make room.
Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah Live Hosts: Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah Boundary-breaking indie production company SpectreVision—partners Daniel Noah, Josh Waller, Lisa Whalen, and Elijah Wood—has given the world game-changing horror films like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Mandy. Now, Wood and Noah invite listeners to join them as they drop in on creative friends and colleagues for informal conversations about their lives and work at locations of their subjects' choosing—at their homes, on set, or in their personal workshops—in their new podcast, Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah. Hear Daniel, Elijah and their very special guest in an exclusive live conversation ahead of the ten-episode Shudder Original Podcast coming this summer.
We Sold Our Souls Live Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix Heavy metal — the subject of Congressional hearings, its albums burned by church groups, taken to court and accused of playing a role in teen suicides again and again...that's a whole lot of fear over music sung by men wearing too much eye shadow. But heavy metal has always been about horror, and in this one-hour show, author Grady Hendrix will talk about the scandalicious side of heavy metal, its role in the Satanic Panic of the Eighties, the history of heavy metal in horror, and how all this mayhem led to the creation of his latest novel We Sold Our Souls.
IMMERSIVE PRESENTATIONS
Fire Escape Creators: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari, Andres Perez-Duarte, Sam Butin From virtual powerhouse iNKStories comes a cutting-edge VR adventure that blurs the line between game, film, and episodic storytelling all while creating something entirely new. In the grand tradition of Hitchcock’s Rear Window, participants become the ultimate voyeur as they are thrust into a world of deceit and murder via text, chat and immersive audio all within your headset in this thrilling three-part interactive series.
Home Of Enchantments World Premiere Creator, Writer, Performer: Ava Lee Scott What you see cannot be unseen in this world premiere experience from immersive veteran Ava Lee Scott (Sleep No More) set in the world of her very own supernatural series, where what you see is never what you get. You are called upon to help the spiritually gifted, yet troubled Belle, her memory blurred between the material and spiritual realms. You must help her discover her true path, but are you willing to risk your own? WARNING: Only the strong, spirited souls are allowed.
The Overlook Immersive Game Creators: E3W Productions, Eva Anderson, Eric Hoff, Tommy Honton Dive into a city-wide alternate reality experience that coincides with the Overlook Horror Film Festival. The game features live actors, unique locations, hidden clues, tactile puzzles, and surprising story twists that keep players on their toes while they explore the underbelly of New Orleans. Willing players will follow clues to become the protagonist of an engaging and thrilling narrative that no two people will interact with in exactly the same way. Details of the game's story will remain locked away until the festival begins, but curious hearts might trouble themselves to seek significant special symbols wherever the opportunity presents itself.
Room Service Creators: Justin Fix, Daniel Montgomery, David Ruzicka, Stephanie Turek, Kylee Thurman, Stephanie Delazeri Knock, knock! From JFI Productions, the heralded creators of the ever-popular immersive productions CREEP and THE WILLOWS comes an intimate immersive experience delivered to your door. A turn-down service like no other, let the Creeps put you to bed with a twisted bedtime tale: the story of a salesman and his scream-catching briefcase. Watch and listen as it comes to life, right in front of you. Call the front desk to reserve your room service - and then wait for the knock.
The Pumpkin Pie Show: One-On-Ones Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman A returning favorite from last year’s fest, please join author Clay McLeod Chapman as he takes one audience member at a time on a dark ride through this depraved, intimate storytelling experience. Think of it as a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters telling their own story. No fourth wall, no escape.
Saintbone World Premiere Creators: DeLaporte Adventures Explore the French Quarter, meet ghosts, solve puzzles, and save us all from chaos in this feature-length collaboration between DeLaporte Adventures and local favorites Escape My Room, launching at the Overlook. When the last surviving member of the Saintsbone society, protectors of the living in New Orleans, is found dead, the only thing stopping the spirit world from merging with ours forever...is you.
SHORT FILM PRESENTATIONS
Boy’s Club Director: Troy DeWinne Cast: Elias Hinojosa United States, 2018 This hilarious caper is a fresh take on surviving the apocalypse alongside your teenage hormones—and the lengths you’ll go to for (self-)love...
Bronzed Director: Mike Egan Cast: Linas Phillips, Johnny Pemberton United States, 2019 As a Neo-sun worshiper prepares for a spray tan with a side of human sacrifice, bask in the glow of these wonderfully outré characters.
Chowboys: An American Folktale Directed by/Cast: Astron-6: Adam Brooks, Conor Sweeney, Matthew Kennedy, Jeremy Gillespie, Steve Kostanski Canada, 2019 Bringing a little Christmas cheer to Overlook, Astron-6’s latest fireside tale does not disappoint in its gore, glory, and giggles a-plenty.
Deep Tissue Director: Meredith Alloway Cast: Meredith Alloway United States, 2019 A brilliant performance by writer-director Meredith Alloway in this tense sun-lit encounter, takes a welcomed turn for the playfully perverse.
Her Body Director: Juan Avella Cast: Ilean Almaguer, Krizia Bajos, Aidan Kahn, Samuel Horowitz, Malachi Mutakabbir United States/Mexico, 2018 A poignant social commentary of a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship, starring kick-ass leading Latinas with excellent hand-to-hand combat skills? We’re in.
It’s Not Custard Director: Kate McCoid Cast: Charlotte Luxford, Donal Cox, Kate Leiper, Will Cox United Kingdom, 2019 Rosy tones and all, this is an entirely engrossing teen-tale of bodily horrors and sweet revenge.
Malacostraca Director: Charles A. Pieper Cast: Amber Marie Bollinger, Charlie Pecoraro United States, 2018 Relationship anxieties thrive even on a beach paradise in this deeply personal creature-feature.
Maw Director: Jasper Vrancken Cast: Mathieu Sys, Pascal Maetens, Myrthe Kramer Belgium, 2018 In this dark and atmospheric tale from Belgium, mild-mannered Richard has a sexual fantasy he can’t shake.
Mannequins Director: David Malcolm Cast: Austin Hayden, Emmaclaire Brightlyn, Alyssa Wininger United Kingdom, 2018 The perfect models of teen horror tropes in a killer haunted hospital setting.
Montana, GA Director: Ryan Dickie Cast: Brad Goslee, Lyn Mckimmey, David Young, Emery Chu United States, 2019 Things turn for the supernatural when Lyn and his best buds share some bud in his newly inherited mountain home.
Nose Nose Nose EYES! Director: Jiwon Moon Cast: Juyeong Lee, Jayeong Kim, Jungse Oh South Korea, 2017 Mother Dearest never seemed so sweetly cruel in this horror of Grand Guignol proportions.
The Obliteration Of Chickens Director: Izzy Lee Cast: Bracken MacLeod (narration) United States, 2019 This nightmarish collection of stock footage consumed us as foretold...and we never really trusted chickens anyways.
POSSESSIONS Director: Zeke Farrow Cast: Zeke Farrow, Erica McIntire, Christine Woods United States, 2019 Zeke’s art project turns into a roller coaster of emotions and events that leave one horrified, delighted, and a little queasy. Brace yourselves, meine Freunde.
Prey Director: Bill Whirity Cast: Jacob Zachar, Jessica Cook, James Sieczka, Monte LaMonte, Kim House United States, 2019 This seeming homage to Carpenter’s jealous lady takes you for an unexpected ride.
The Rat Director: Carlen May-Mann Cast: Isabel Shill, Collin Kelly-Sordelet United States, 2019 Carlen May-Mann exposes the true horrors of those classic 80s-teen films, using the genre as those before her to discuss social understandings of trust.
Suicide By Sunlight Director: Nikyatu Jusu Cast: Natalie Paul, Motell Foster, Alexis Nichole Smith United States, 2019 Invoking fond memories of Blade, this day-walker’s tale to win back her daughters reminds us of the desperate humanity trapped within vampire lore.
Under Covers Director: Michaela Olsen Cast: Jade Shames (voiceover/hand model), Dylan Stephen Levers (voiceover/hand model) United States, 2019 The unmatched artistry of this stop-motion animation runs the creative gamut with its multiple vignettes and delightfully twisted characters.
Valerio’s Day Out Director: Michael Arcos Cast: Monika Leska (narration) United States, 2019 News reports only told one side of this escaped jaguar’s story; Valerio's truth comes out by way of his utterly trance-inducing narration—like only the best of sympathetic serial killers.
To keep up to date with The Overlook Film Festival, visit overlookfilmfest.com.
