Although New Orleans is a frequent filming location for movies and television because it's cheaper to work in than other major cities — offering a tax incentive for productions that, after threat of being eliminated, has been secured at a lower cap of $125 million (down from $150 million) — it's a city that still gets passed over when it comes to major premiere events, except for when it comes to horror premieres, which is delightfully on the nose.
Since 2018, The Overlook Film Festival has set up base in New Orleans to showcase the best new horror films and shorts from around the world, with big-budget premieres thrown into the mix each year such as the world premiere of Universal Pictures' "Abigail" in 2024 and a pre-release screening of "Drop," starring Meghann Fahy, in 2025. As a transplant from New York by way of California by way of Illinois, I jump at the chance to attend the festival each spring as a way to remain tapped into the glitz and glamour that only a laminated press pass dangling from a lanyard can bring, bragging rights that create a tickle in my brain pushing me to shout, "I saw that before it came out!" whenever someone mentions a film I forced myself to leave the house to attend — making it feel like even more of an achievement — and the thrill of encountering a whole new ensemble of eccentrics from near and far who gather for the same purpose four days in row: watching as much horror as possible and reacting to things in the weirdest possible way they can, like the guy who was so afraid I was trying to cut in front of him in the line to enter the theater for "Drop" that he double-timed it in front of me with his arms out like a bird.
