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The Overlook Film Festival Award Winners

The ghosts weren’t the only ones howling in New Orleans this April. The 2025 Overlook Film Festival—aka the wickedly immersive summer camp for horror heads—just wrapped its biggest, bloodiest, and most gloriously bizarre celebration yet, and we’re still trying to pick our jaws up off the sticky theater floors. Below find the Overlook Film Festival Award Winners.

From April 3rd to 6th, nearly 7,500 fans and filmmakers flooded the historic haunts of the French Quarter for four days of spooky cinema, twisted storytelling, and midnight madness. With a record-breaking 41 sold-out screenings and a slate of genre-bending talent, the festival proved it’s not just a stop on the horror map—it is the destination.

So, what had the Overlook crowd cackling, crying, and clutching their seatmates? Let’s dive into the blood-splattered winners and unforgettable highlights.

🏆 The Overlook Film Festival Award Winners: Where Fear Meets Fierce Filmmaking

Audience Favorite – Feature
Emilie Blichfeldt’s The Ugly Stepsister snatched the crown (and maybe a few body parts) with her gruesome Nordic twist on the Cinderella mythos. Think fairy tales by way of Cronenberg—visceral, beautiful, and unapologetically brutal. “Thank you to those audiences for appreciating my film,” Blichfeldt said, probably while plotting her next nightmare.

Audience Favorite – Short
Adam Murray’s The Traveler & the Troll charmed viewers with its handcrafted FX and folklore vibes. It’s the kind of storybook terror that reminds you why practical monsters still slap. Said Murray, “We made this as a love letter to the magic of movies—and it’s magic that the audience got it.”

Grand Jury Prize – Feature
Addison Heimann’s Touch Me took home top honors with its wild blend of polyamorous aliens, codependent stoners, and emotionally rich chaos. Or as the jury put it: “Smart, hilarious, unpredictable, gory, and emotionally authentic.” We couldn’t agree more.

Scariest Feature
Japan’s Yûta Shimotsu chilled everyone to the bone with Best Wishes to All, a sun-drenched descent into dread that could make Jordan Peele and George Romero nod in approval. “Fear has many definitions,” said Shimotsu. “I hope to keep showing you new ones.”

Short Film Standouts
Alejandro Arties’ Los Muchachos grabbed the Grand Jury Prize with a haunting tale told through a mobile phone in isolation. Sam Das’ Cruelty was named Scariest Short—a raw, empowering tale that plays like a sprint through a nightmare junkyard.

And shout out to Sasha Duncan’s Easybake for serving clay-body-horror realness and snagging the Honorable Mention for Production Design. A24, take note.

🎬 Festival Highlights: Pure Horror Heaven

Opening Night Kills
Christopher Landon’s Drop lit up the historic Prytania Uptown theater to kick things off. “It was a dream come true,” Landon said, basking in the sweaty glow of packed horror nerds cheering every scare.

Master of Horror
The legendary Ernest Dickerson (Demon Knight, Bones) received the coveted Master of Horror Award—and yes, the screening of Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight in 30th anniversary glory had the crowd summoning their inner Crypt Keepers.

Joe Hill Was in the House
The horror scribe himself showed up to premiere Abraham’s Boys, host a panel, and remind us all that “you can’t spell ‘slaughter’ without ‘laughter.’” Facts.

Flying Lotus Took the Reins
As the fest’s first-ever Guest Curator, Flying Lotus not only screened his genre-bending Ash but also served up a film menu including Death Becomes Her, The Descent, and Lost Highway. That’s a hell of a vibe.

Dragula Royalty Reigns Supreme
The Boulet Brothers brought macabre majesty to the Shudder 10th Anniversary bash and lit up panels with glam-gore perfection. “Here’s to the daring storytellers who keep horror alive,” they toasted.

🧛‍♂️ Final Cuts

Closing Night delivered a gut-busting finale with Eli Craig’s Clown in a Cornfield and a 40th anniversary restoration of Re-Animator (with horror queen Barbara Crampton in attendance, no less). Plus, there was a retro screening of William Castle’s 13 Ghosts in its original Illusion-O format—ghost viewers and all. Oh, and magician Zabrecky brought Phantom Follies, a Depression-era inspired midnight show, back from the dead.

🔮 The Verdict

The 2025 Overlook Film Festival wasn’t just a celebration—it was a resurrection of everything that makes horror thrilling, weird, and deeply human. With its seamless blend of indie grit, mainstream monsters, and unforgettable community vibes, it remains one of the genre’s most vital gatherings.

For more in-depth coverage and reviews of standout films like Hallow Road and Redux Redux, check out Signal Horizon’s festival insights:

Stay spooky, Overlook. We’ll see you in the shadows next year.

Want more creepy content and bloody brilliance? Follow the Overlook Film Festival @OverlookFilmFest and check out the full lineup of award winners and stills at www.overlookfilmfest.com.