I had the pleasure of attending The Overlook Film Festival this weekend and while the experience required some serious recovery time, it’s for the best possible reasons. Not only does the festival have a stacked film line-up, but the Overlook team also curates wonderful immersive programming and gives attendees a multitude of opportunities to celebrate the horror community with evening events and parties. Not to mention, this year's festival was held in America's most haunted city, New Orleans, offering up more than enough reasons to soak up the scene until the early hours of the morning.

It’s a festival of minimal sleep but that means more time to tick off items on the “Overlook to-do list!” Initially, I was aiming to bring you a list of my five favorite films from the festival, but after being wowed by certain events on the immersive line-up, I had to change the approach to include those experiences as well. So, simply put, here are my five favorite things from the Overlook Film Festival 2019:

Head Count

The opening film of Overlook 2019 was one of my most anticipated of the bunch, Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die. Sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment but things turned around quickly because my next screening wound up being a favorite of the festival, Elle Callahan’s feature directorial debut, Head Count. The story centers on a group of teenagers enjoying some isolated party time in Joshua Tree. All is well until they unknowingly conjure an evil entity that calls into question everything that they see.

I’m fascinated by “creepypastas,” horror stories that circulate the Internet, evolve and spread, so it was extremely disappointing when Slender Man wound up being such a major blunder last year. However, now in comes Head Count which taps into the concept in an especially effective way. The story lends itself to some chilling (and very well composed) imagery and essentially functions as a piece of “creepypasta” itself; in my case, inspiring me to tell everyone I can about the story and also having a little bit of fun with the idea of conjuring this specific entity beyond the theater.

You can catch Head Count when it hits select theaters and VOD on June 14th.

Porno

Full disclosure on this one; I attended film school with the team behind this movie, but that made me especially excited to report that Porno is a big win for first-time feature director Keola Racela. This one puts the spotlight on a group of young movie theater employees who find an old film reel of demonic pornography. That being said, clearly this one isn’t for young moviegoers, but as a big fan of Are You Afraid of the Dark, I was immediately charmed by Porno’s “The Tale of the Midnight Madness” vibes. Yes, Porno is very R-rated and that show isn’t, but the characters and the atmosphere still spark a highly engaging and entertaining coming-of-age vibe. The movie is dripping with style and bold choices, one of which is a particularly gory, graphic and well executed scene that’s on another level and is likely seared into my brain for eternity.

Hopefully we’ll hear about official release details for Porno soon!

The Lodge

Overlook closed out their feature film program strong with The Lodge. I actually got to catch this one at Sundance this January but suspected the story would be well worth another viewing, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s from the directors of Goodnight Mommy and stars Riley Keough as a woman who winds up snowed in with her fiancé’s two children (Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh). It’s a mind-bending and deeply chilling downward spiral that shocks and sticks with you. You can read my full review of The Lodge from Sundance right here but do know, a second go-around is packed with eerie missed details, could have you reassessing certain perspectives, and could also spark an even more emotional reaction to the nature of this nightmare.

Neon will release The Lodge this fall.

Home of Enchantments

Here’s where we get into the immersive programming. I was absolutely floored by Ava Lee Scott’s work in "Home of Enchantments." It’s a one-on-one experience where Scott plays a character named Belle, a spiritually gifted yet troubled individual who calls upon you to help her through an especially dark, trying situation. It’s an extensive tale that requires a powerhouse performance from Scott that not only hits the beats of the story crafted, but also comes with interactive emotional elements that feel deeply personal. It’s a beautiful mix of making the participant feel vulnerable and on edge while also sending you on your way with a surprisingly full heart. (And the fact that Scott conducted one of these shows after the next at Overlook is absolutely astounding.)

Room Service

This last item might be my favorite event of Overlook 2019. I really fell hard for the immersive programming overall, but there’s something about "Room Service" that’s so in line with my genre preferences that I really fell hard for the design, atmosphere and story details. Similar to "Home of Enchantments," "Room Service" is a very intimate experience but this time around, I was able to bring along a friend. We went into a hotel room for a turn-down service where we were literally tucked into bed by one of the performers who also read us a creepy bedtime story reminiscent of The Babadook. Again, just like "Home of Enchantments," "Room Service" benefits from the thrill of truly being part of the story and having such an up close and personal encounter with the cast. It also boasts some top notch make-up and costume work, and utilizes the space in a pitch perfect, all-consuming way. This one is a campy kind of twisted fun that I’d jump right back into should I have the chance to give it another go.

I highly recommend clicking here to check out some of the storybook artwork on the official JFI Productions Instagram account.