2025 Events

A CONVERSATION WITH JOE HILL

Panel

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

Screening

Creator/Host: Bret Berg, 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.

THE MANIKINS: A WORK IN PROGRESS

Immersive Performance

Presented by Bywater Wonderland

Requires Separate Ticket, Extremely Limited Availability

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.

Runtime: Approx. 90 minutes. Participants: 1 per slot. Cost: $140

MEMORY HOLE

Screening & Live Show

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.

OPENING NIGHT 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHUDDER PARTY

Party

Enter all who dare to an unmissable party celebrating both the start of the festival and the tenth anniversary of the existence of Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. This one-of-a-kind event will kick off with a horror-infused second line, include special guest performances, and feature many surprises from the Shudder’s extensive horror catalogue.

THE SEVERANCE THEORY: WELCOME TO RESPITE

Immersive Performance & Virtual Reality

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

Requires Separate Ticket

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.

Runtime: Approx 60 minutes. Participants: Up to 5 per slot. Cost: Between $35 – $6

SHUDDER SECOND LINE PARADE

FREE EVENT

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.

SPOOKY TALES WITH COWBOY DALE

Immersive Performance

World Premiere

Requires Separate Ticket

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!

Runtime: Approx 20 minutes. Participants: 1 per slot. Cost: $25

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS – LIVE!

Live Show

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!