UPDATE: It is with a heavy heart that we must postpone the 2020 Overlook Film Festival until later this year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please stay safe and we'll see you soon when we can responsibly gather together for all things horror and celebrate as a community.

The Overlook Film Festival is a 4-day celebration of horror held in America's most haunted city, New Orleans.

Presenting superior film programming with an expanded focus on experiential events, the festival showcases exciting new work in new and classic independent horror cinema alongside the latest in interactive and live shows for a fully immersive weekend. As a summer camp for genre fans, The Overlook is a community event bringing the best of horror in all its forms to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience within an intimate and inspirational environment.

Past honorees include Roger Corman, Jason Blum and Leigh Whannell, and guests include Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Taika Waititi, Ari Aster, Ana Lily Amirpour, Paul Scheer, Roxanne Benjamin, Darren Lyn Bousman, and more.

Past screenings include the world premiere of A24's IT COMES AT NIGHT and a closing night presentation of HEREDITARY. Advisors of the festival include Elijah Wood, filmmakers Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING), Stuart Gordon (RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND), Leigh Whannell (SAW, INSIDIOUS), Karyn Kusama (THE INVITATION, GIRLFIGHT) and industry luminaries from organizations such as LucasFilm, Sundance and Blumhouse.

Awards & Prizes

The festival offers the following prizes:

Feature Film Audience Award
Short Film Audience Award
Feature Film Jury Award
Short Film Jury Award
Scariest Film Award

Rules & Terms

All films must have been completed after January 2019.

Feature films must not have screened on U.S. television, in commercial release or on the Internet prior to the dates of the festival

All films not in English must be subtitled in English for presentation.

Entry materials will not be returned.

The Overlook Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt or stills from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival and in perpetuity thereafter for promotional purposes.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless The Overlook Film Festival and The Philadelphia Film Society from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Only Secure Online Screeners will be accepted as a submission format. Please do not send DVDs.
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  • Angel Suarez

    Great communication, amazing line-up. So proud to have been part of this amazing festival.

    October 2020
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