WHAT’S NEW for 2025
Check out what’s new for this year’s Overlook!
- Updated Pass Benefits and Price Deadlines
- Prytania Theatres returns as Festival Partner
- Improved Lines and Theater Operations
- More Screens and More Screening Slots!
- Discounts for 2024 Pass Holders!
- Pass Holders can now reserve spots online in advance for select screenings
- We added a second Locals Bonus night this year!
More info on What’s new HERE
ABOUT THE OVERLOOK FILM FESTIVAL
Where is the Festival held?
The Overlook Festival is held in the most haunted city in America, New Orleans!
- Our box office, most film screenings, panels, and live shows will be held at our Festival Headquarters, the Prytania Theatres At Canal Place at the edge of the French Quarter.
- Additional screenings will take place at the Historic Prytania Theatre Uptown, a 100 + year-old institution with the distinction of being the longest continually operated theater in the south.
What kind of films and events will be at the festival?
The Overlook Film Festival is dedicated to all things horror — it’s a genre film festival celebrating the best of horror films. We have a selection of feature-length and short films, contemporary to classic, including festival favorites, anticipated new releases, and world premieres in the horror, thriller, and sci-fi genres from both emerging artists and master filmmakers.
In addition to the films, the festival hosts signature live events and activities which include live shows, radio plays, one-person performances, interactive entertainment, games, and one-of-a-kind immersive experiences, all an essential part of our genre summer camp weekend. The 2024 festival program can be viewed here.
Where and when is the festival?
The festival takes place in New Orleans, America’s most haunted city, annually. Our next edition will be held April 3rd – 6th, 2025.
What is the schedule for the weekend?
We kick off the evening of Thursday, April 3rd with screenings and our Opening Night festivities. Shows, experiences, and events will play throughout the weekend until the night of Sunday, April 6th. Our Closing Night Screening and Halloween Party will take place on Saturday, April 5th, though films will continue to screen through Sunday. Bonus screenings for locals will happen on Monday, April 8th and Tuesday, April 9th, as well. We’ll announce the schedule in early March.
Who attends the festival?
The coolest kids you’ll ever meet! From horror fans from all over the globe to industry folk and filmmakers…you never know who will be cycling through the festival hub — guest or ghoul. Many of the films selected for the festival will feature Q&As with the filmmakers following the screenings. Festival advisors include filmmakers such as Elijah Wood, Leigh Whannell, Joe Dante, Stuart Gordon, Karyn Kusama, Mick Garris, and Larry Fessenden as well as industry luminaries. Additional guests have included Nicolas Cage, Jim Jarmusch, John Goodman, Roger Corman, Taika Waititi, Jason Blum, Robert Rodriguez, Darren Lynn Bousman, Ari Aster, and David Dastmalchian.
Where are you showing films?
Film screenings, live shows, panels, virtual reality, and events will take place at the Prytania Theatres At Canal Place in downtown New Orleans at the edge of the French Quarter and the Central Business District, as well as the historic Prytania Theatre located Uptown.
The locations of individual live immersive shows will be revealed to ticket holders.
Is there food available at the venues?
Yes! In addition to all the standard movie-going fare (popcorn, etc), this year there will be all new food options available at the Prytania at Canal Place.
TRAVEL AND LOGISTICS
Where should I stay?
New Orleans is an incredible city with much to discover in any neighborhood. You can stay anywhere in town and have a wonderful festival experience, however, our festival headquarters is located downtown at the edge of the French Quarter and Central Business District.
Should I stay three or four nights?
Do note that while the Closing Night Film plays Saturday night, we will continue to showcase films, events, and performances all through the entirety of Sunday night, including our now annual silent film with live score as well as additional retrospective presentations with live elements. Additionally, passholders will be admitted to screenings held on our post-fest locals night of Monday April 8th.
Do you offer event packages with hotels included?
The Overlook Film Festival does not sell hotel rooms or airfare with passes. If you’re coming from out of town, check out our lodging page for updates on deals from partner hotels near our screening venues. Additional discounts will be added as they arise.
I’m a local, but I missed a film I wanted to see — what do I do?
The Overlook will feature additional screenings of select films on Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9th for locals.
PASSES AND TICKETS
What’s the difference between a Pass and a ticket?
- Individual Tickets – We sell a limited quantity of individual screening tickets for films and panels.
- Overlook Passes – Passes allow access to all screenings, panels, parties, and live events (immersive theatre experiences are sold separately), all under a single Pass. Details below.
Why buy a Pass (and not just individual tickets for the films I want to see?)
Overlook offers so much more than “just” films — special events, immersive experiences, parties, and all kinds of other mayhem for courageous souls. Passes are the best entry to all the Festival has to offer. Passholders can access all regular screenings including Opening, Closing and Centerpiece screenings, as well as all parties, events, panels, and live shows.
Also, select special events, receptions, and additional activities will be available exclusively to pass holders. Extra adventurous attendees also have early access to purchase tickets to immersive events (see below). We do sell a very limited number of individual tickets for screenings and events.
New this year, passholders will have the ability to reserve their spot in screenings before single tickets go on sale. If you plan on making the most of all four days of the festival. Final Girl passholders can reserve for as many screenings as they desire. Camper passholders are restricted to 8 reservations (two per day). Both passes are restricted to one reservation per time slot and Camper passholders are limited to one reservation per film.
For screenings you aren’t able to RSVP for, we will still have a walk-up entry line for Campers, just as before. We will be holding back a certain number of seats for Camper walk-ups, so you’ll still be able to get in via the walk-up pass line.
You can purchase your Overlook Pass HERE.
That sounds like a great time. How much are Passes for 2025?
We’ve updated our pass tiers for 2025, offering better prices for returning campers, and introducing a new pass that offers priority admission to all films. We also offer significant savings for purchasing passes early!
2025 Festival Pass Details
- Camper Pass – Retail for our Standard Pass will be $350, but buying sooner means big savings:
- Halloween Slash Sale – Save $150 for one week (Oct 31-Nov 7) starting on our favorite day of the year! – $199
- Early Bird Slasher Promo – Save $75 if you buy from Nov 1 – Feb 1, 2025 – $275
- Standard Overlook Camper Passes – buy after Feb 1, 2025 – $350
- 2024 Pass Holders – We love our returning campers! If you bought a pass in 2024, come back for a visit and save big! Through November 30, Festival Pass holders from 2024 can purchase a Returning Camper pass for 2025 for only $199! Discounts for Returning Campers will be available when you log into your Eventive account.
- Final Girl Pass – This is our biggest, best pass, guaranteeing entry into all films, priced demonically at $666 a pop. Ironically, our Final Girl pass holders will enter the theater first! Final Girl Passholders will be given priority admission for theater access, and will be escorted in first. However, only an extraordinarily limited amount are available!
What should I do if I did not receive a confirmation after my purchase?
Please email ticketing@overlookfilmfest.com
Who should I talk to if I wish to transfer payment for my pass?
Please email ticketing@overlookfilmfest.com for questions regarding passes. For all lodging issues and inquiries, please contact your hotel directly. Please note that passes are non-refundable.
Will you send me my pass?
We hold all passes at our box office at festival headquarters starting March 30th. Photo ID will be required to pick up your pass.
EXPERIENCES AND LIVE EVENTS
What is the difference between the Live Events and the Immersive Experiences?
- Live events include podcast recordings, film panels, and one-person shows. These will be available to all festival pass holders without additional purchase.
- Immersive Theatre Experiences are in-person, live-actor shows of varying lengths often for a small audience and often requiring the participant to have some sort of agency or interaction with the show. Overlook’s selection of immersive theater experiences will be exclusively individually ticketed events, and will require a separate purchase for admission. The experiences for the 2024 festival will be announced (and Immersive Theatre tickets will go on sale) in early 2024. Any attendee (whether a pass holder or not) may register for Immersive Experiences, and can purchase tickets to the experiences separately.
What are the immersive theater experiences?
Our live immersive theater selections provide attendees the opportunity to step through the movie screen and become part of one-of-a-kind experiences featuring live performers and interactive environments. They are available as individually ticketed events to any attendee.
In the past, our selection of experiences has ranged from one-on-one scenes with a single performer, to haunted houses catering to groups of participants, and more.
The experiences range from the family-friendly to those with more mature themes. The safety, comfort, and enjoyment of our attendees is always of utmost importance, and we will clearly communicate the intensity level and types of interactions you can expect in an experience before you purchase your ticket.
This year’s line-up of immersive theater selections will be announced in Spring of 2025.
Sounds like a blast! How do I register for events and experiences?
Many of Overlook’s immersive shows are featured as individually ticketed events, requiring the purchase of a specific ticket to attend. Each experience has limited availability and we do expect them to sell out, so we encourage attendees to purchase tickets as soon as possible. Pass holders do get advance access to purchase before the general public.
The immersive theater experiences will go on sale in Spring of 2025. You can sign up for immersive programming updates and on-sale announcements by subscribing to our newsletter.
Make sure to purchase Festival Passes HERE
Does the Overlook Film Fest feature an immersive game of some kind?
In past years, the festival has often, but not always, included a free, optional weekend-long activity in the form of an “ARG” (or Alternate Reality Game) as part of the curated immersive sidebar. The “game” as it was called, was a weekend-long puzzle adventure that would run simultaneously along with film screenings and other activities throughout the festival. As the festival has evolved and grown, the festival’s immersive offerings have been-reimagined and the festival no longer features a weekend long “game”.
The festival remains voraciously dedicated to highlighting the great work of the best artists in the immersive field, which are reflected in both the robust lineup of projects in this section, and amidst the additional secrets and designs offered among the festival’s other events.
How much will the immersive experiences cost?
As with last year, certain offerings in the line-up of immersive shows will be individually ticketed events open to all, with an advance registration window available to pass holders, that will be announced in 2025. You can sign up for immersive programming updates and on-sale announcements by subscribing to our newsletter.
For reference of what you might expect, the 2024 lineup featured 5 experiences each with separate costs of $14, $20, $27.77, $35 and $40 respectively based on length, depth and throughput. The majority of our experiences sold out within 24 hours of registration becoming available.
Should I attend the fest just for the immersive offerings?
In years past, some attendees have ventured to The Overlook just to enjoy the immersive programming — and we love you for it!
However, attendees should be advised that while any given of the year of the festival will feature anywhere between 2 – 6 experiences of varying length, they are one part of a larger curatorial festival mission that includes new and classic film screenings, premieres, podcast recordings, live shows, themed parties, group activities, meals, cocktail hours and communal gatherings.
And though the festival strives to recreate the feeling of a summer camp with added immersive elements to many aspects of the festival (such as our screening of THE TINGLER, or our Halloween Party), the individual experiences that make up the immersive section of the program will not encompass a whole weekend without being supplemented by the other aspects of the festival program.
As such, we suggest that you don’t come just for the immersive sidebar, as the best way to take part will be to embrace all facets of Overlook 2025.
FILM MAKERS AND INDUSTRY
Do you accept film submissions?
Submissions for the 2025 festival are open. Submission guidelines, deadlines, and prices are available HERE. Please note that the festival does not grant fee waivers.
Do you accept submissions for live shows or interactive experiences?
We do not accept unsolicited pitches for live shows, panels, or immersive content at this time.
If you have a horror experience that you feel is right for the festival, and would like to invite a representative to view your work, you can contact us at immersive@overlookfilmfest.com
How can industry/press attend the festival?
Press accreditation applications will open on November 1st. There is no individual industry pass. Industry must purchase a pass to attend. You can purchase passes HERE
WORK WITH US!
Are you hiring?
Though the Overlook Film Festival is volunteer-run, we do have select staff positions available. Our most up-to-date listings can always be found HERE.
How do I volunteer at the festival?
We rely on volunteers to help make the festival happen, and we’d love to have you be a part of it. If you’d like to join our fearless volunteer team, please email volunteer@overlookfilmfest.com
SPONSORSHIPS
Can I sponsor an event?
Yes! You can sponsor an event by emailing sponsors@overlookfilmfest.com