Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman, co-founders of the four-day genre-focused Overlook Movie Competition, collectively signify the duality of horror followers — Lerman is fluent within the sequels of each slasher franchise, whereas Zakheim has a extra self-proclaimed “pretentious” style, preferring giallo and experimental fare. Collectively they’ve created a fan-focused pageant that’s shortly turning into the most well liked ticket in New Orleans.
“We regularly talked concerning the distinction between the enterprise of movie and the chaos of a pageant versus the precise definition of the phrase ‘pageant,’ the celebration facet of it,” Zakheim says of the just-wrapped occasion, which ran from April 3-6. “On the time, style and horror movies weren’t within the growth we’re seeing now, which is great. But this nook of the pageant circuit is stuffed with the kindest filmmakers, probably the most supportive followers, and individuals who wish to assist one another out, and we had all of those concepts.”
Zakheim and Lerman are veterans of the pageant circuit, with the previous a brief movie programmer at Sundance, an affiliate programmer at Tribeca and a senior programmer for the Philadelphia Movie Competition, whereas Lerman is the creative director of the Philadelphia Movie Society and has additionally programmed for the Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition and Unbelievable Fest.
In 2016, the pair acquired critical concerning the thought of a brand new pageant and held the inaugural Overlook on the Timberline Lodge in Oregon in 2017. The house, which served as the outside location of the Overlook Lodge in Stanley Kubrick’s “Shining” adaption, served them effectively at first, however robust climate situations and restricted inside house left them needing a brand new house. New Orleans was chosen because the everlasting locale and has housed the fest since 2018 — not together with some digital editions held throughout the pandemic.
“It turned clear we wanted actual film theaters and an actual metropolis, and New Orleans got here up fairly shortly,” Zakheim says. “We had some ties to New Orleans. We had some native employees who wished to assist out, and native companions who had been excited by us coming right here. We didn’t wish to come to a spot the place we couldn’t be additive. We very a lot consider in not taking up an current movie tradition — we wish to be supportive. So we met with all of the movie organizations, and folks had been enthusiastic about us coming right here.”
The town — well-known for its haunted historical past — ended up being an ideal match, and phrase is spreading every year concerning the fest. This yr’s limitless “Closing Lady” badges — set on the cheeky value of $666 — bought out in someday, earlier than the lineup was even introduced.
“We’ve got no premiere requirement,” Zakheim says. “We’re simply attempting to program the very best films in horror. That’s the reason our viewers usually books their journeys earlier than we announce the lineup. They’ve an expectation that they’ll see the stuff they’re enthusiastic about — and in addition stuff they don’t know they’re enthusiastic about but. So we really feel an incredible accountability to scour the whole lot.”
This yr, exterior of recent movies (just like the world premiere of the “Dracula” sequel “Abraham’s Boys” and screenings of South by Southwest favorites like “Clown in a Cornfield” and “LifeHack”) and retrospectives (a 4K restoration of “Re-Animator” for its fortieth anniversary), programming included many parts past the silver display. There have been a number of panels with horror authors, together with Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix and Alex Jennings; a horror trivia competitors; a pair of late-night dance events held on the Toulouse Theater; and even a conventional New Orleans second line parade, given a spooky twist by pageant sponsor Shudder, the horror streaming service which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Zakheim and Lerman contemplate these one-of-a-kind experiences to be the lifeblood of Overlook. One good mix was a Sunday afternoon screening of William Citadel’s gimmicky 1960 movie “13 Ghosts,” the place viewers members got “Phantasm-O” magic viewing glasses that matched the unique launch, with one aspect calibrated to allow you to see the movie’s spirits, and the opposite shade blocked in case you “don’t consider in ghosts.” The screening was preceded by Phantom Follies with Zabrecky, a magic exhibition that evoked the “spook present” séances that had been well-liked throughout the Nice Despair, full with a lights-out ghost assault within the auditorium and ending with the magician frightened to dying, sprawled on stage as “13 Ghosts” started screening.
Each founders agree that it’s superb to see how far their ardour challenge has come, regardless of its humble beginnings.
“Landon’s gotten extremely good at elevating cash, which he didn’t know find out how to do after we began this,” Lerman says. “He simply by no means had that job earlier than. However all of the capital was simply us saying, ‘Let’s begin this.’ We put in slightly bit of cash of our personal after which we bought badges and used these badges to hire the theaters. It’s not prefer it’s not like we got here in with some large angel investor to construct a enterprise.”
Seeking to the long run and progress, Zakheim and Lerman at all times wish to stretch the boundaries of what Overlook can ship, however know they have to be reasonable about conserving the standard management and intimacy of the pageant intact, provided that it’s solely volunteer-run.
“There’s a monitoring record, normally involving reside occasions and immersive theater, of issues that we wish to do someday,” Zakheim says. “There are horror live shows we’ve mentioned, however numerous transferring elements have to return collectively. There are tasks n the pageant this yr that we talked about for years — the Shudder second line is an ideal instance, and eventually there was a path ahead. There’s an infinite quantity of massive idea concepts of find out how to make this a extra experiential pageant, however all of it depends upon: What do we now have the bandwidth for? What can we do with out burning out? Can we get companion who will assist with the fundraising, but additionally will likely be inventive companion to guarantee that it’s occasion?”
The duo is aware of that once they’re in a position to make the entire items join, there’s a novel alchemy that lifts the entire viewers. Whereas reflecting on among the pageant’s greatest moments, Zakheim reminisced a couple of significantly engaged crowd throughout a 2023 screening of Citadel’s movie “The Tingler,” which was performed in keeping with the unique roadshow directions, together with a staged second the place an “viewers member” is eliminated on a stretcher as a result of they’re too scared.
“It felt like this collective second the place everyone there was on the identical web page and cherished horror for a similar causes,” he says. “It felt like we had been all linked, and for that temporary second at nighttime, that’s what we try for.”
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