Overlook Film Festival 2025 Packed First Wave of Programming Includes ‘Drop,’ ‘Ash’ and More

The Overlook Film Festival has announced this morning their first wave of programming for the upcoming 2025 edition, taking place April 3 – April 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Get ready to descend on America’s most haunted city for interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and special guests.

The fest announces 47 films (25 features and 22 shorts) from 10 countries, as well as five live presentations and three immersive experiences, with many more exciting surprises to be announced as the festival approaches. Kicking off the festivities as the Opening Night film will be Universal Pictures’ upcoming thriller Drop from Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes. Following the screening, festival-goers and special guests will make their way to an unmissable party celebrating both the start of the festival and the tenth anniversary of Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. Hosted by Shudder, this one-of-a-kind event will kick off with a horror-infused second line and will include some very special guest performances. Honoring the company’s history and enduring influence on the genre as a whole, the party will feature many surprises from the streaming service’s extensive horror catalogue.

“No matter how many years this festival runs, every time we get to re-open the gates of our spectral summer camp feels like a miracle,” said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and executive director of the Overlook FIlm Festival. “For all wayward souls and monster kids who gravitate to the macabre, we have something to satisfy your ghoulish cravings thanks to the brilliance of our artists, the passion of our tireless team, our incredible partners and this beautiful haunted city. Hell, we even have our first audio-animatronic this year.”

“I feel like we are standing at the crossroads of horror history,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of The Overlook Film Festival. “This year really showcases the old and new guard coming together. We have astounding debuts from exciting newcomers. We have veteran masters that keep reinventing themselves with new work. And we’re just getting started so stay tuned for more.”

As the Overlook’s inaugural Guest Curator, Flying Lotus, the acclaimed filmmaker and Grammy-winning musician, will be programming an additional retro film section of personal favorites and genre classics. This unique program, which will include in-person introductions from FlyLo himself, will be made up of The Descent, Death Becomes Her, Lost Highway, and a special screening of Flying Lotus’ own film, Ash.

Also expect a slew of immersive experiences and live events, includingA Conversation with Joe Hill, a wide-ranging discussion with the acclaimed horror author of works such as Horns, NOS4A2 and The Fireman as he dives into the inner-workings and inspirations of his spine-tingling oeuvre; Museum of Home Video VJ Bret Berg returns to the festival for a third time with Danger Stories, a found footage remix for stoners, seekers, archivists and drinkers; a surreal blend of art, horror, hilarity and sadness, Everything Is Terrible’s Memory Hole presents their latest anti-humanity work, “Animals Are Over,” interwoven with a live performance/score; and Witchcraft For Wayward Girls – Live!, a journey with bestselling author Grady Hendrix to celebrate his latest book and investigate the world of witchcraft in books and movies.

That’s only a fraction of what’s in store.

The full lineup of films, experiences, live events, and immersive content is included below.

Opening Night Film

Drop

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, Travis Nelson

United States, 2025

A widowed mother, on her first date in years, arrives at an upscale restaurant where she meets her handsome suitor. But their chemistry begins to curdle when she is terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone.

Feature Film Presentations

International Titles Presented by MUBI

40 Acres

Director: R.T. Thorne

Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O’Connor, Leenah Robinson

United States, 2024

Danielle Deadwyler anchors this heart-pounding post-apocalyptic genre-blender as Hailey Freeman, a ferocious matriarch and former soldier hellbent on protecting her family and their farmland from a band of marauding cannibals in a world ravaged by plague and famine. Thriving in survival mode, the Freemans must draw blood to secure their future and preserve the legacy of their past.

Abraham’s Boys

World Premiere

Director: Natasha Kermani

Cast: Titus Welliver, Jocelin Donahue, Judah Mackey, Aurora Perrineau, Brady Hepner United States, 2025

Following the events of Dracula, Abraham van Helsing moves his two sons, Max and Rudy, to the US in an attempt to escape their past. It does not work. Based on the spine-tingling story by Joe Hill, fest alum Natasha Kermani (Lucky, Nightstream ‘20) directs a terrifying continuation of a classic tale.

Chain Reactions

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe

Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama

United States, 2024

For fifty years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has terrified audiences by worming its way into their subconscious. In this documentary analyzing its profound lasting influence, director Alexandre O. Philippe (78/52, Overlook ‘17) dives into the memory palaces of five iconic artists whose lives were forever altered by seeing it: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Mike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama.

Clown in a Cornfield

Director: Eli Craig

Cast: Katie Douglas, Carson MacCormac, Aaron Abrams, Cassandra Potenza, Verity Marks, Vincent Muller, Will Sasso, Kevin Durand, Ayo Solanke, Alexandre Martin Deakin

United States, 2025

The residents of Kettle Springs can’t catch a break. Nothing has ever been the same since the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down and now a mysterious, grinning figure has emerged from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. In Eli Craig’s (Tucker & Dale vs Evil) newest outing, the real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.

Dead Lover

Director: Grace Glowicki

Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow Canada, 2025

True, poetic, eternal love conquers all — a gravedigger’s stench, a tragic shipwreck, even death! With only a severed finger as remembrance, a heartbroken romantic embarks on a madcap mission to reanimate the love of her life. Co-written, directed, and audaciously performed by Grace Glowicki, this peculiar tale is, in equal measure, grotesque and delightful, raunchy and surreal.

Good Boy

Director: Ben Leonberg

Cast: Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Stuart Rudin, Anya Krawcheck, Hunter Goetz, Max

United States, 2024

Indy is a good boy; a faithful dog, he is always by his human Todd’s side. When Todd seeks quiet in an empty family home in the countryside, Indy finds there is a strange, malevolent presence lurking in the shadows — an evil that only he can sense. Shot entirely from Indy’s perspective, Ben Leonberg’s first feature balances bark with bite

Hallow Road

Director: Babak Anvari

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, Paul Tylak, Stephen Jones, Megan McDonnell United Kingdom, 2025

Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys shine as distraught parents in a race against time as they speed through the night to reach their daughter after a distressing phone call. Lauded director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow, Wounds) lends his signature tension to this disturbing pulse-pounder.

Ick

Director: Joseph Kahn

Cast: Mena Suvari, Brandon Routh, Malina Pauli Weissman, Mariann Gavelo, Cory Hart United States, 2023

Has-been science teacher Hank (Brandon Routh) is the only one suspicious of the “ick,” a pervasive gooey growth that has permeated through his town. It is seemingly harmless, until now. Teaming up with student Grace, Hank must fight to stop this parasitic alien and the apathy of the town it is absorbing. Laced with 2000s emo and pop-punk hits, Joseph Kahn (Bodied) brings frenetic energy to this sci-fi/horror satire.

It Ends

Director: Alexander Ullom

Cast: Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, Mitchell Cole

United States, 2024

Four recent college grads, out for an innocent late night drive, find themselves trapped in a seemingly never-ending hellscape where they are being haunted by mysterious forces. Questions of friendship and existentialism are explored in director Alexander Ullom’s genre-bending first feature, equal parts terrifying and thought-provoking.

Monster Island (Orang Ikan)

Director: Mike Wiluan

Cast: Dean Fujioka, Callum Woodhouse, Alan Maxson Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, United Kingdom, 2024

In 1942 — deep in the Pacific theater of World War II — a Japanese soldier and British prisoner-of-war find themselves washed ashore on a dangerous deserted island. As these sworn enemies soon discover…they are not alone, as a fanged amphibious creature called the Orang Ikan wishes to kill them even more than they wish to kill each other.

Redux Redux

Director: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus

Cast: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm, Jim Cummings, Grace Van Dien, Taylor Misiak, Dendrie Taylor

United States, 2025

Revenge is hard. Doing it again and again is harder. Emmy nominated brothers Kevin and Matthew McManus (American Vandal, Cobra Kai) present a gritty sci-fi thriller that follows a mother on a warpath through parallel universes in a desperate attempt to quench her desire for vengeance.

The Shrouds

Directors: David Cronenberg

Cast: Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt France, Canada, 2024

All hail! The reigning king of body horror returns with another tale of corruption, greed, conspiracy and technology. Vincent Cassel stars as a grieving widower who develops a device that allows the bereaved to connect with their deceased loved ones in David Cronenberg’s most personal film to date.

The Spirit of Halloweentown

Directors: Brett Whitcomb, Bradford Thomason

Cast: Chris Cannard, Colleen Ohler, Saydra Manning, Darrin Scholl, Holcombe Waller United States, 2024

What does it mean to live in a place known for Halloween? Set in St. Helens, OR, the filming site of the 1998 Disney Channel movie, Halloweentown, this heartfelt documentary follows the local residents and the impact that the movie has had on their lives and traditions. Steeped in often hilarious communal disagreements and spooky imagery, Spirit of Halloweentown is a colorful love letter to the town’s legacy and dedication to our favorite holiday.

Touch Me

Directors: Addison Heimann

Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jordan Gavaris, Marlene Forte, Paget Brewster United States, 2024

In Addison Heimann’s (Hypochondriac, Overlook ‘22) wild and absurd new feature, intergalactic polyamory and one very codependent friendship collide when stoner roommates Craig and Joey have to suddenly move out of their apartment and decide to shack up with Joey’s toxic ex who happens to be a horny, narcissistic alien from outer space. Tale as old as time.

The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick

Director: Pete Ohs

Cast: Zoë Chao, Callie Hernandez, Jeremy O. Harris, James Cusati-Moyer United States, 2025

Zoe Chao (The Afterparty) stars as Yvonne, a woman reeling from a tragedy, who takes some much needed time away with a group of friends at their home in the countryside. After a walk through the woods, what seems like an innocuous tick bite has grotesquely unexpected consequences in this creepy little shocker from fest alum Pete Ohs (Jethica, Overlook ‘22).

The Ugly Stepsister

Director: Emilie Blichfeldt

Cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, Malte Gårdinger

Norway, 2024

In this warped, sinister spin on a Cinderella story, the lens shifts to plain-faced Elvira, who is willing to do whatever it takes to compete with her enchantingly beautiful stepsister Agnes, and win the prince’s heart. No procedure is too gruesome, too bloody, or too painful to achieve her happily ever after, in this visceral body horror from Norway.

Zodiac Killer Project

Director: Charlie Shackleton

United States, United Kingdom, 2025

When a passion project completely disintegrates, most filmmakers give up, move on and mourn their masterpiece that got away. But Charlie Shackleton is not most filmmakers. The wreckage of his derailed attempt at a zodiac killer documentary rises from the dead in Shackleton’s devilish grip as a wry, eerie, post-modern commentary on our cultural fascination with true-crime and collective bloodlust.

Guest Curator Presentations

Ash

Special Screening

Director Flying Lotus in Person

Director: Flying Lotus

Cast: Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale, Flying Lotus United States, 2024

Mind-shredding multi-hyphenate Flying Lotus pours the psychedelic contents of his galaxy brain into this sci-fi nightmare starring Eiza González as a sole surviving astronaut awaking to discover her crew has been murdered mysteriously in the night. Psychological space terror ensues, as does a cryptic arrival by Aaron Paul, as they work to survive the neon-splattered horrors of the cosmic unknown.

Death Becomes Her

Introduction by Guest Curator Flying Lotus

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini United States, 1992

Some people will go to any lengths to stay young forever.

The Descent

Introduction by Guest Curator Flying Lotus

Director: Neil Marshall

Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring

United Kingdom, 2005

The scariest movie in Earth.

Lost Highway

Introduction by Guest Curator Flying Lotus Tribute to David Lynch

Director: David Lynch

Cast: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Gary Busey, Robert Loggia

United States, 1997 Dick Laurent is dead.

Additional Retrospective Film Presentations

The Phantom of the Opera

Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera, 1925.

100^th Anniversary Screening with Live Music Accompaniment by Think Less, Hear More

Director: Rupert Julian

Cast: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Mary Philbin, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, Snitz Edwards, Bernard Seigel

United States, 1925

Feast your eyes! Glut your soul on my accursed ugliness! The man of a thousand faces anoints this seminal work of cinema that foretold the age of Universal monsters.

Re-Animator

40^th Anniversary 4K UHD Restoration Presented by FANGORIA

Actress Barbara Crampton in Person

Director: Stuart Gordon

Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson United States, 1985

Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders… And Another One In A Dish On His Desk in this all-time classic from former Master of Horror recipient and founding festival advisory board member Stuart Gordon.

Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight

30^th Anniversary Screening

2025 Master of Horror Award Recipient Ernest Dickerson in Person

Director: Ernest Dickerson

Cast: Billy Zane, William Sadler, Jada Pinkett Smith, Brenda Bakke, CCH Pounder, Dick Miller, Thomas Haden Church

United States, 1995

Fasten your drool cups, and ready your vomit bags! We’re going to the movies! Frights, camera, action! It’s time for the full horror debut of the legendary Ernest Dickerson.

Live Events and Special Presentations

A CONVERSATION WITH JOE HILL

Beloved bestselling horror author Joe Hill (King Sorrow) checks in to the Overlook for a wide-ranging career conversation to discuss the methods behind the madness which animate his exquisite body of work. Across novels, comic book series, and short stories — many of which have been memorably adapted from page to screen including Horns, Locke & Key, The Black Phone and this year’s Abraham’s Boys — Hill’s unique blend of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction has cemented his status as a contemporary master of the macabre. We are delighted to host this award-winning literary great as he dives into the inner-workings and inspirations of his spine-tingling oeuvre.

DANGER STORIES: A WORD SALAD SYMPHONY

Creator: Museum of Home Video

Museum of Home Video is a weekly found-footage remix livestream for stoners, seekers, archivists and drinkers. For his third Overlook appearance, Museum VJ Bret Berg presents two deliriously jagged archival disasterpieces on the subject of “personal danger”. First is Danger Stories: A Word Salad Symphony, created by Bret for the American Genre Film Archive. This frantic ode to culture jammers like Negativland and Bruce Conner takes 30+ hours of twentieth-century health and safety “scare films” and mixes them into 30 minutes of mirthful musical terror. The program’s second half hits cruising altitude with Bret’s montage of highlights from the Aughties’ cringiest cable-TV show ever. Special thanks to Something Weird Video for the Word Salad Symphony’s raw material.

MEMORY HOLE

Creator: Everything is Terrible

Stare deep into the soul of this decaying country with Memory Hole, the enigmatic video collective spun off from Everything is Terrible! A surreal, anti-humanity performance that unfolds in a mind-melting spectacle you’ll never forget (no matter how much you wish you could). Composed entirely of found footage, it’s an uncanny blend of art, horror, hilarity, and sadness. The experience will have you giggling in terror, all while wondering if there’s a monster lurking just behind you. Memory Hole proudly presents their latest work “Animals Are Over,” interwoven with a live performance/score, plus previously unseen clips from their 11-year archive of madness.

SHUDDER SECOND LINE PARADE

Presented by Shudder

The quintessential New Orleans art form gets spookified just in time for Shudder’s 10th Anniversary. Make your way to the anniversary party on opening night in style with your favorite streamer’s reverie strutting through the French Quarter behind a brass band playing some familiar scores, creepy characters, and you.

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS – LIVE!

Presented by Magnolia Pictures

Host: Grady Hendrix

Are witches old ladies who live in candy houses and eat children? Are they naked maidens dancing in a circle and celebrating the moon? Are they riding broomsticks to a black mass where they’ll worship Satan, or being dragged to a gallows where they’ll be hung after false accusations? Join bestselling author Grady Hendrix to celebrate his latest book, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by taking a wild flight into the blackest night as we investigate the world of witchcraft in books and movies and witness an army of broomstick-brandishing, curse-hurling, penis-stealing, baby-eating, world-renouncing, unkillable, unstoppable, unbeatable witches!

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.

SPOOKY TALES WITH COWBOY DALE

WORLD PREMIERE

Creator: Jason Woliner

Gather round, partners, for a chat that’ll put the giddy-up back in your get-along. This is an

up-close sit-down with the cordial-est cowpoke in the West. But don’t let his creaky joints fool ya: ol’ Dale’s got stories galore, spun from the dusty trails of the frontier days… and a few of ’em might just send a shiver right on down yer spine. Yee haw!

THE SEVERANCE THEORY: WELCOME TO RESPITE

Presented by Welcome Villain, in conjunction with the University of New Orleans

Creator: Odyssey Adventure Co. and Ferryman Collective

Upon visiting your family’s home after your mom’s passing, you are whisked into a forgotten childhood memory. Each interaction is as meaningful as it is fascinating when you rediscover your past and delight in the simplicities of being a child once again. However, something is not quite right — perhaps it’s the masked tension between your parents, maybe you are hearing voices that seem to be only in your mind, it could even be that there is a monster hiding in your closet. After all, respite is only temporary when you are at the whim of your own mind.

THE MANIKINS: A WORK IN PROGRESS

Presented by Bywater Wonderland

US PREMIERE

Creators: Deadweight Theatre

An interactive performance for a single audience member. A psychedelic thriller where dream and reality collide. Step into the office of Dr. Ligotti, where you will navigate the hidden agendas and supernatural techniques of the enigmatic psychiatric staff. If you have ever wanted to do more than just read or watch a story, but truly enter inside it, be consumed by it, then this experience is for you. You will not know where reality ends and the play begins – and by the end it will all feel like a dream.

Short Film Presentations

Short films will be presented in three themed programs: Apocalypse Pretty Soon, The Furies

and Freaky.

Arson, Dir. Erin Broussard, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE

An aging boy band decides to sell their souls for fame and fortune. Unfortunately, not reading the fine print could prove disastrous.

Away with the Fairies, Dir. René Brar, Canada, 2024

Three exhausted sisters attempt to euthanize their violently ill mother on a remote island.

The Beguiling, Dir. ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby, United States, 2024

A burgeoning romance between two Natives takes a sinister turn as one grows suspicious of the other’s Indigenous heritage in this darkly comedic nightmare.

Boy Band, Dir. Benedict Chiu, United States, 2023

A member of a famous K-Pop boy band whose face has been disfigured by an accident must undergo surgery to repair his fracturing image.

Brand New Cadillac, Dir. Stacy Haiduk & Sophia Tatum, United States, 2024

Lana and Strode, a mother and daughter, take to the road for a five-day killing spree.

Call Earl, Dir. Jordan Pfeifer, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE

Eager to make new friends, Kate attends a slumber party, but the night takes a sinister turn when the girls decide to play a strange party game.

Cataratas, Dir. Francisco Bendomir, Argentina, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Catalina is waiting for her girlfriend to pick her up when an unusual incident with a firework threatens to ruin their vacation.

Cruelty, Dir. Sam Das, United States, 2024

A young trans woman is chased into a junkyard while being followed home late at night. There, she must outwit her predator and summon the strength of a goddess.

Deadly Duels XII, Dir. Justine Beed, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE

A deeply religious child suspects that his big sister is possessed, and goes to extreme lengths to save her.

Destroyer, Dir. Judd Myers, United States, 2023

An insecure man’s compulsion to know his partner’s secrets leads him on an underworld descent where he makes contact with something non-human.

Dry January, Dir. C.J. Arellano, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE

When Maya commits to a month of sobriety and takes up sculpting as a hobby, her crab sculptures terrorize her former drinking buddy — her brother Toby.

Easybake, Dir. Sasha Duncan, Canada, 2024

After consuming a clay sculpture, an insecure teen wakes with the ability to sculpt her own body, leading to an obsessive pursuit of “perfection.”

Endzgiving, Dir. Tina Carbone, United States, 2024 This is gonna be Will’s last Friendsgiving.

The Flacalta Effect, Dir. Rochée Jeffrey, United States, 2024

After a drug with anti-aging properties has apocalyptic consequences, two Black sisters fight for their lives—and looks—in this satirical take on toxic beauty culture.

Just Wait, Dir. Blaine Morris, United States, 2024

A young wife fights to be heard by her husband as a hurricane rages outside their house and danger lurks inside.

Last to Leave, Dir. Mary Elizabeth Ellis, United States, 2023

Last to Leave addresses the pandemic of loneliness, our primal need as humans for connection, and a reckoning with the way we treat our home planet.

Mr. Static, Dir. Mike Williamson, United States, 2024

A woman must watch a live video stream of household murders that are mysteriously broadcast to an old television, or face dire consequences.

Los Muchachos, Dir. Alejandro Artiles, Spain, 2025, WORLD PREMIERE

Through a mobile phone and isolated in the La Palma observatory, Fran must face the last thing any parent wants to hear.

Slush, Dir. Ashley George, United States, 2024

Frankie reunites with her toxic community and must tap into her dark side to survive unscathed.

They Come Home to Die, Dir. Zeke Farrow, United States, 2024

It’s 2021. Ten years into the pandemic, Zeke makes a documentary about life in quarantine with Mom.

The Traveler & The Troll, Dir. Adam Murray, United States, WORLD PREMIERE

A traveler stops to rest in a clearing of a haunted forest. Son, they learn they have stumbled upon the lair of a terrifying troll who demands gifts for passage.

Vines, Dir. Luke Zwanziger, United States, 2024

A mad botanist experiments on an unwilling human subject to give plants a fighting chance against climate change.

The post Overlook Film Festival 2025 Packed First Wave of Programming Includes ‘Drop,’ ‘Ash’ and More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.