‘Abigail’ To Have Its World Premiere At The Overlook Film Festival
Mary Beth McAndrews
|
Horror is coming to New Orleans! Today, the Overlook Film Festival announced the initial lineup for its 2024 edition. Taking place April 4 – April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the festival will bring horror films new and old, live performances, and immersive programming to America’s most haunted city! That includes the world premiere of Radio Silence’s new film Abigail.
“We are finally able to see the fruits of post-pandemic productions and it’s a sight to behold,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of The Overlook Film Festival. “This year’s lineup is full of bigger, scarier, more personal, more bombastic fever dreams that are sure to haunt you for the rest of 2024.”
Closing Night of the Overlook Film Festival will feature the world premiere screening of Universal Pictures’ new Radio Silence film, Abigail, from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Starring an ensemble cast led by Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens, Abigail is a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, about a group of criminals who get more than they bargained for when they kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. As they watch Abigail overnight in an isolated mansion, the captors discover that they’re locked inside with no ordinary little girl. The directors and their Radio Silence partner Chad Villella will be in attendance for the screening.
This initial festival lineup includes 45 films (22 features and 23 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences. Check out the full lineup below and purchase passes here.
Check Out The Overlook Film Festival Lineup Below!
Feature Films
Cuckoo, dir. Tilman Singer (Opening Night Film)
When 17-year-old Gretchen reluctantly moves with her family to a resort in the German Alps, she finds herself the subject of terrifying visions and aggressive stalking by a mysterious woman who may or may not be linked to the town’s past. Featuring audacious performances from Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, and Jessica Henwick, this beautiful and terrifying Giallo-esque nightmare is sure to make you think twice about going into the woods at night.
Abigail, dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett (Closing Night Film)
From Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and Scream VI comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, about a group of criminals who get more than they bargained for when they kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. As they watch Abigail overnight in an isolated mansion, the captors discover that they’re locked inside with no ordinary little girl.
All You Need is Death, dir. Paul Duane
Set in the world of Irish folk ballads and brimming with lure, this creepy tale follows a young couple who collect rare songs. Hired by a mysterious man to track down and translate an ancient, taboo tune, they unlock something that was best left undisturbed.
Azrael, dir. E.L. Katz
Survivalist horror is alive and well in this pulse-pounding, dialog-less, post-apocalyptic vision from director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (You’re Next) that follows Azrael (Samara Weaving), a desperate woman who is being hunted by a tenacious cult of mutes determined to use her in a sadistic ritual.
Birdeater, dir. Jack Clark, Jim Weir
Engaged couple Louie and Irene are as close as two people could be. So close, in fact, that Irene is attending Louie’s bachelor party, all set for a night of fun and debauchery. But, as uncomfortable details about their relationship start to come to the surface, it becomes clear that Louie’s friends may have other plans in this unnerving and shockingly unforgettable first feature.
Blackout, dir. Larry Fessenden
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 this genre-bending and often hilarious portrait from the legendary Larry Fessenden (Habit, Wendigo).
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, dir. Ariane Louis-Seize
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.
I Saw the TV Glow, dir. Jane Schoenbrun
Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going to the World’s Fair) returns with a searingly beautiful and evocative story of an awkward teenager whose suburban life is rattled when his classmate introduces him to a strangely absorbing, supernatural TV show that is abruptly canceled.
In a Violent Nature, dir. Chris Nash
The story is familiar: a savage, undead monster stalks a group of unsuspecting teenagers in the woods. But filmmaker Chris Nash turns this brutal slasher on its head, following the creature in his relentless pursuit.
Infested, dir. Sébastien Vaniček
Packed full of jump scares and sure to be every arachnophobe’s worst nightmare, this spine-tingling chiller sees the residents in the French projects go to war with a group of deadly spiders who are rapidly reproducing through each floor of their apartment building.
Kill Your Lover, dir. Alix Austin, Keir Siewert
Breaking up is hard to do, but when Dakota finally decides to end her relationship with Axel, the toxicity she is trying to escape begins to manifest in insidious ways, threatening to consume her as well, in this devastatingly relatable monster movie that highlights the struggle between love and destruction.
Look Into My Eyes, dir. Lana Wilson
The intimate relationship between psychics, their clients, and the loved ones they are trying to contact from the beyond is explored in this hilarious and heartbreaking new documentary from filmmaker Lana Wilson.
New Life, dir. John Rosman
A tense game of cat-and-mouse unfolds as a young woman flees a mysterious facility, evading a savvy agent with nothing to lose, as the stakes rise to apocalyptic proportions in this nasty, genre-bending, and surprisingly intimate thriller.
Oddity, dir. Damian Mc Carthy
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.
Red Rooms, dir. Pascal Plante
Canadian auteur-in-the-making Pascal Plante presents a disturbingly engaging tale of a model’s obsession with a child murderer who is on trial and her dark web search for evidence of his innocence.
Sleep, dir. Jason Yu
An expectant wife desperately tries to break her loving husband from his deranged sleepwalking patterns in this cleverly scripted, razor-edged thriller from Bong Joon-ho’s protégé Jason Yu.
Things Will Be Different, dir. Michael Felker
Executive produced by veteran filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, this twisty time travel story follows two siblings, fresh off a robbery, who hide out on a remote farm in a different time period than their own, only to find themselves reckoning with a mysterious entity that does not like being there.
Retrospective Film Presentations
The Beyond
World Premiere of 4K Restoration
Lucio Fulci, the Giallo maestro himself, sets his sights on the bayou with his propulsive, brain-melting nightmare of psychedelia. Shot entirely in and around New Orleans, and driven by one of the all-time great Fabio Frizzi scores, Grindhouse Releasing’s brand-new restoration is mandatory big-screen viewing.
Creature From the Black Lagoon 3-D
70th Anniversary Screening in 35mm
Not since the beginning of time, has the world known terror like this. Science couldn’t explain it, but there it was: the last of the old Universal movie monsters. An inspiration to countless generations of fans and filmmakers, don’t miss this absolute classic as it was meant to be seen, in its original 3-D and on 35mm!
The Hands of Orlac
100th Anniversary Screening with New Live Score by Think Less, Hear More Director: Robert Wiene
From the director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari comes this expressionist-tinted pulp tale of the macabre starring the sinister somnambulist himself, Conrad Veidt (The Man Who Laughs). Watch in horror as a concert pianist’s hands are replaced by those of a murderer and hear the all-new score by returning NOLA artists Think Less, Hear More.
Phantom of the Paradise
50th Anniversary Screening
Actor, Composer, and Music Producer Paul Williams in Person
The Swan Archives and its Principal Archivist Ari Kahan will introduce a very special screening of Brian De Palma’s Faustian, fantastical opera of rock and roll composed by, and starring, the legendary Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie, Bugsy Malone) that has rightfully taken its place as one of the genre’s finest cult masterpieces. See it as you never have before!
Oculus
10th Anniversary Screening
Mike Flanagan in person
Before he took on Hill House, Bly Manor, the House of Usher and the halls of King, there was the supernatural thrawl of the Lasser Glass. Adapted from his own short film of the same name, auteur Mike Flanagan cemented his reputation as a modern master of the art of the scare with his breakthrough second film.
Live Event Presentations
FASTERPIECE THEATER
Presented by The Museum Of Home Video
Creator/Host: Bret Berg
What if you could binge-watch a weekend’s worth of wild vintage horror movies all at the same time? You’ll know the feeling once you step into Fasterpiece Theater: a service of found footage livestream channel Museum of Home Video, airing every Tuesday. Made with modern attention spans in mind, as well as the cult movie canon’s sheer depth, this tightly-edited blast of horrors past serves up ten feature films you’ve never heard of, sautéed and shattered ’til only the spicy parts remain, all guided by Museum of Home Video VJ Bret Berg.
LOOKING OVER THE GARDEN WALL: A 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Panelists: Patrick McHale, Nick Cross
Ten years ago this fall, the world was introduced to two travelers who became lost in the unknown on Halloween night, and embarked on a series of adventures both wonderful and strange. Join Patrick McHale (co-writer of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio), the creator of gateway horror-tinged animated miniseries Over The Garden Wall, along with art director Nick Cross, for a look back on the creation of this modern cult classic that will include screenings of behind-the-scenes rarities and some of their own shorts that inspired this stunning accomplishment. That’s a rock fact!
SCREAM DREAMS: THE NIGHTMARES THAT SHAPED US
Hosts: Catherine Corcoran, Barbara Crampton
Venture into the shadows with Catherine Corcoran and Barbara Crampton as they dive into the real nightmares of the best minds in genre entertainment in this special live episode recording of the Scream Dreams podcast where the subconscious of a festival filmmaker will be revealed. You have been warned!
THE SWAN ARCHIVES
Presented by FANGORIA
Host: Ari Kahan
Join Ari Kahan, Principal Archivist at the Swan Archives, as he takes you on a wild and fascinating journey through the tumultuous history behind the making and release of Brian De Palma’s iconic collaboration with Paul Williams that resulted in the creation of one of horror’s most exalted works. This presentation will precede a 50th anniversary screening of Phantom Of The Paradise.
Immersive Presentations
THE DARK SÉANCE
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
Creator: Zabrecky
Stray into the darkness with notorious séance medium Zabrecky: he will attempt to part the veil and manifest the dead, whose messages may bring solace, silence, or terrifying signals from unknown reaches. Success is not guaranteed, but there is one simple rule to the séance: if you believe, you will receive.
A FREAK ENCOUNTER
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
Creator: Todd Robbins
Book a therapy session with the iconic Todd Robbins and let a very strange stranger into your subconscious. Venture as deep into hypnosis as you’re willing to go, but be ready to encounter the darkest corners of your own mind… some things there you may rather forget, but they must be confronted right now, because it’s later than you think.
THE GRAND HALL
Presented by Escape My Room
After decades of misfortune, the Delaporte Family has finally regained possession of their ancestral home and the family archivists have wasted no time digging up the darkest, deepest mysteries from the family’s storied past. To celebrate this victory, the mansion’s Grand Hall will be previewed to guests for the first time in over a century. We invite you to join us for a self-directed journey of your choosing. Explore the halls, uncover secrets, and help the family find truths once lost to time.
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
An unforgettable meeting with the greatest card cheat in America. You’ll find a questionable character who will simultaneously expose some of his secret scams and cons, while taking from you what you never wanted to give up.
REGRETS FROM THE DEAD
Presented by The Academy of Magical Arts
A necessary encounter for the dead. We carry around ghosts: our past, our regrets, and all our forgotten selves. The Oracle, an ambiguously friendly guide — and a person you have unsuspectingly met many, many times over — will assist you in coming to terms with the final step of the experience in a decision that will change the course of your life or death.
Categorized:News
