With the 2024 Overlook Film Festival now officially in the rearview mirror, the annual New Orleans celebration of all things horror has announced the winners of its audience and jury awards.
The festival’s top prize, the Audience Award for Feature Film, went to “Oddity,” Damian Mc Carthy’s home invasion horror flick that was a breakout from the SXSW 2024 midnight lineup.
“’Oddity’ delivers a brilliant, bespoke, and tightly entertaining string of ideas that work stronger as a collection — with even these missteps feeling like they branch from a unified center,” IndieWire’s Alison Foreman wrote in her Overlook review of the film. “Similar to Mc Carthy’s earlier ‘Caveat,’ this 98-minute treat demands to be reassessed a second time. Thank the wooden boy it’s coming to streaming: a triumphant addition to the director’s growing filmography and a standout in Shudder’s carousel of kick-ass ghost stories.”
Keep reading for a complete list of award winners from the 2024 Overlook Film Festival.
Audience Awards
Winner — Feature Film
“Oddity,” Director: Damian Mc Carthy
Cast: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Johnny French, Joe Rooney, Shane Whisker, Ivan de Wergifosse
Ireland, 2023
A blind medium resorts to desperate measures in an effort to find out the truth behind what happened to her sister in this mystical, terrifying creepfest that will burn its lasting, nightmarish imagery into your brain.
Runner-Up — Feature Film
“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Director: Ariane Louis-Seize
Cast: Sara Montpetit, Félix-Antoine Bénard, Steve Laplante, Sophie Cadieux, Noémie O’Farrell, Marie Brassard, Patrick Hivon, Marc Beaupré
Canada, 2023
Struggling with her own personal ethics, a teenage vampire makes a pact with a suicidal boy after her family cuts off her blood supply in this sweet and touching tale of friendship and loyalty.
Winner — Short Film
“The Looming,” Dir. Masha Ko, United States, 2023
A beautiful and emotional film that touches upon the difficulties that come with aging, mental illness, and the fear of being forgotten by those we love.
Runner-Up — Short Film
“MLM,” Dir. Brea Grant, United States, 2024, WORLD PREMIERE
When Sarah joins a multi-level marketing company called La La Leggings, she isn’t ready for the horrific consequences of not selling.
Juried Awards
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film
“Some Day All This Will Be Yours,” Dir. Cricket Arrison, United States, 2023
A queer autofiction comedy/horror short shot entirely in the filmmaker’s childhood home. Amidst a riot of crumbling 1970s interior design, Some Day uncannily twists the tropes of motherhood, home, and family legacy.
Honorable Mention for Cinematography
“Dream Factory,” Dir. Alex Matraxia, United Kingdom, 2023, International Premiere
An experimental short that explores the historical role of cinemas as cruising sites, as well as the relations between nostalgia and fetish when navigating queer history, cultural memory, and the tactility of the past.
Scariest Short
“Dream Creep,” Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez, United States, 2024
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
Honorable Mention for Performance
Awarded to Joseph Lopez
“The Looming,” Dir. Masha Ko, United States, 2023
A beautiful and emotional film that touches upon the difficulties that come with aging, mental illness, and the fear of being forgotten by those we love.
