The world is burning around us, and for the most part, many of us feel pretty powerless. And then I am reminded of Walt Whitman’s oft-cited O Me! O Life!
“The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid
these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
After spending a weekend with artists and makers, creating work that contributes a verse to this powerful play, it’s a reminder that all is never lost. Even in the darkest of times, there are people fighting the good fight, and the independent filmmakers showcasing their work at the Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans this weekend were putting this theory into full action. My faith was restored not only by the talented filmmakers in attendance but also by the fans.
On Friday, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel featuring folks who bring our beloved horror genre off the screen and make it flesh, creating live, immersive experiences. Each panelist approaches it very differently, but every single one of them specifically cited creating a sense of connection in their work. To crave connection is human, and I marvel at all the ways people find to create it for each other.
On Saturday, I sat on a panel moderated by FANGORIA Editor in Chief Phil Nobile Jr. to discuss the modern internet experience in the horror space. The internet can be a cesspool, sure. But like most tools, it can be used for good. Weaponized for good even.
In our experience, the FANGORIA community, run by Community Manager Kimberly Leszak, is a shining example of this. It's an online space where Fango subscribers come together with a shared interest and love of the genre, finding community and forging real friendships and support systems that translate into their real lives. And I think that's pretty neat.
For many horror fans, there weren’t many fellow fans to discuss genre stuff pre-internet. The ability to connect to each other around the world is, quite frankly, a game-changer, whether you’re a filmmaker or strictly an appreciator.
I wouldn’t be here typing this if it weren’t for the internet and social media (not just because, without the internet, there is no Digital Editor). Years ago, as a longtime fan of Fango and of what Phil was doing with the magazine, we forged an online friendship that led to my being lucky enough to call Phil a mentor and a friend, and eventually to my accepting the position of Digital Editor. I don’t know how we would have crossed paths otherwise. Maybe at a film festival.
There’s been an ample amount of talk recently about the disappearance of third spaces. A place outside of home or work that provides the opportunity for connection and social interactions. With movie theaters and malls being two of the most prominent third spaces most of us grew up with, it’s fitting that the bulk of Overlook screenings take place in the Prytania Theatres at the Canal Place mall.
So often I see and meet people in passing at film festivals. A fleeting, rushed hello and goodbye in one. There is never enough time, and that’s true anywhere I’m enjoying myself. But Overlook has a level of scrappiness that makes it feel incredibly intimate and homegrown, which ultimately translates into… authenticity.
Coming together to watch movies with several hundred good friends is always a sacred experience for cinephiles. ” For fans, by fans” is an overused selling point, but Overlook walks the walk. The lineup of movies and guests curated by the Overlook Festival co-founders Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim puts that concept over the top by a mile.
The Overlook co-founders and programmers have ties with large mainstream festivals, but I guarantee you those fests are not playing the type of wonderfully weird obscure shit you'll find here. Overlook is important specifically for that reason. These guys have the chops, and they're using it in our favor, bringing together household names like American Werewolf and Kevin Bacon and fam alongside stuff very few people have seen with their own eyes, like Demon Lover Diary and also giving up-and-coming indie filmmakers a place to find their people.
The intimate nature of this fest meant I even managed to squeeze in some extended hangs and actual micro-conversations with really wonderful people, forging new relationships and celebrating existing ones. A rarity during a whirlwind festival experience.
Landon’s love of immersive horror theater and experiences adds a unique element to Overlook, giving fans the opportunity to sign up for a variety of hand-picked events. I would describe my comfort level with immersive experiences as one step above entry-level (I will not eat anything weird, shave my head, or sign up for shock therapy).
I decided to try out Eternal, a 25-minute immersive audio experience involving beds and blindfolds. Nobody touched or came near me for the duration of the show, but the noise-canceling headphones I was wearing with the exceptionally impressive binaural audio made me reach out just slightly more than a few times to make sure a vampire wasn’t actually dangerously close to my neck.
The brain begins to imagine strange things in complete darkness, and it was disorienting when the 3D audio told my ears one thing while my hands physically confirmed that my ears were, thankfully, incorrect.
A major highlight of the fest was a screening at the historic Prytania Theater in honor of An American Werewolf In London’s 45th anniversary, where our good friend Sam Zimmerman presented Rick Baker the Master of Horror award (I had the honor of presenting the axe to Ernest Dickerson in 2025). But let's back it up, and put some proper respect on Baker's name… monster kid, icon, legend, Academy Award winner Rick Baker was presented with the Overlook Film Festival 2026 Master of Horror award!
Baker shared an extensive behind-the-scenes peek at his career, with tales from the set of Werewolf and the creation of the transformation scene that won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup. Baker even hung out in front of the theater meeting fans after the screening, because he’s Rick Freakin Baker and he rules. (You can read more about Overlook’s presentation of An American Werewolf In London soon.)
Later that night, Hokum proved Oddity director Damian McCarthy is truly a talent to watch. McCarthy is out here building original nightmares that seep into your marrow and have you lying awake at night, double-checking the closets and under the bed for any weird stuff.
When the Fango crew returned to our New Orleans accommodations after the show, let’s just say Phil was not helping to ease our Hokum fears. (For some reason, our place had a Barbarian door. No handle on our side; not sure what it led to, and I can only assume the monster on the other side could come and go freely into our space as it pleased. This is also not the first time I’ve stayed in a place with a Barbarian door on a work trip, do with that what you will!)
Another festival standout hailed from Australia. The tagline for Leviticus should be “worth it.” I suspect this may potentially be chided as too slow a burn for some, but if it works for you, it will really work for you. And it really worked for me.
Adrian Chiarella makes his feature directorial debut with a tale of two queer teens (Talk To Me’s Joe Bird and Thrash’s Stacy Clausen) in rural Australia. It’s conversion therapy with an It Follows twist. Horrifying while also feeling deeply personal, and it may break you wide open.
Demon Lover Diary was a first-time watch for me, and a very special one. Overlook’s late Artistic Director, Doug Jones, was a programmer, curator, friend, and major champion of this obscure documentary following a film crew making an independent horror movie and the real-life horror behind the scenes. The documentary subjects are at times so strange, it’s hard to believe they’re real. But they are, and it’s a fascinating ride. As a “last act of curation,” this is one hell of a title. Thanks, Doug.
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Other highlights included the Shudder second line parade, a little quality time with the Crypt Keeper John Kassir, campy horror comedies The Restoration At Grayson Manor (which you can read more about in the latest issue of FANGORIA) and Cramps! A Period Piece by local Louisiana filmmaker, Brooke H. Cellars.
Sunday was a full-on Larry Fessenden fest, celebrating the multi-hyphenate filmmaker’s World Premiere of his latest feature, Trauma, Or Monsters All. Overlook presented screenings of Fessenden's Habit, Depraved, and Blackout (as seen on the cover of FANGORIA #22), culminating in Trauma, which serves as the ultimate Fessenden cinematic monster universe.
After each screening, Fessenden was present for a Q&A with Fango’s Phil Nobile Jr. and Kimberly Leszak. And not to get too dramatic here, but I feel comfortable sharing with you that I absolutely fell in love with Larry. His movies are full of monsters and messages that feel like a balm for the soul. Having the chance to hear him speak about them only solidified the weekend’s overall theme of restoring my faith in humanity.
So, thanks, Larry, Landon, and Michael, all of the Fango subscribers we got to meet in the flesh, new friends, old friends, all of the incredible Overlook volunteers and staff, and everyone who attended the Overlook Film Festival, for reminding me that there are a whole lot of good folks creating wonderful things and connecting us in a way that makes all the good feel really big. We needed that. In the end, we're all just monster kids looking for connection. The powerful play goes on. And I really appreciate your verses.
You can find the full list of the 2026 Overlook Film Festival winners right here.
