Overlook Film Festival 2026 Expands Lineup with Crypt Keeper, New Screenings, and Legacy Panels

The Crypt Keeper leads Overlook 2026’s second line parade as new screenings and panels are unveiled

Overlook Film Festival 2026 Doubles Down: Crypt Keeper Leads Parade, New Screenings and Deep Cuts Expand Lineup

If you thought Overlook Film Festival was done making noise this year, think again.

They’re not slowing down—they’re stacking.

The latest wave of announcements brings everything you’d expect from Overlook: legacy horror icons, off-the-wall programming, and the kind of live experiences that remind you this festival isn’t just about watching horror—it’s about living in it.

And leading that charge this year?

The one and only Crypt Keeper.

The Crypt Keeper Takes Over New Orleans

Presented by Shudder, the Opening Night Second Line Parade is already one of the most unique festival traditions out there—but bringing in the Crypt Keeper as grand marshal takes it to another level.

Voiced by John Kassir, the iconic host of Tales from the Crypt will lead the parade through New Orleans in full character, delivering exactly what you’d expect—puns, chaos, and a reminder of just how much that series shaped horror television.

It’s not nostalgia for the sake of it. It’s recognition of influence.

And Overlook knows exactly how to celebrate that.

Revisiting 

Tales from the Crypt

The tribute doesn’t stop there.

Kassir will also headline a special panel diving into the legacy of Tales from the Crypt, joined by moderators Perri Nemiroff and Matt Donato.

For a show that helped redefine horror for television—bridging pulp storytelling with mainstream accessibility—this panel feels long overdue.

New Screenings Bring Star Power and Chaos

Overlook also added two standout screenings that couldn’t be more different in tone—but fit perfectly within the festival’s DNA.

First, Family Movie, featuring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick appearing in person. The film follows a dysfunctional family making a horror movie who stumble into a real dead body on set. It’s meta, it’s chaotic, and it leans into that blurred line between fiction and reality that Overlook thrives on.

Then there’s The Dr. Loomis Tapes, presented by Museum of Home Video—a remix-style, found-footage experience that reimagines the Halloween franchise entirely through the unraveling perspective of Dr. Loomis.

It’s weird. It’s experimental. It’s exactly the kind of programming that makes Overlook feel unpredictable in the best way.

Lagniappe Screenings Keep the Festival Alive

And if that wasn’t enough, the festival is extending the experience with its Lagniappe screenings—extra programming that keeps the momentum going even after the main lineup.

Highlights include:

• Sinners in 70mm

• Exorcist II: The Heretic

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (70th Anniversary on 35mm)

• Donnie Darko (25th Anniversary)

• American Dollhouse

For pass holders, these screenings are free. For everyone else, discounted access keeps things accessible without losing the exclusivity that makes the festival feel like an event.

Overlook isn’t trying to compete with traditional festivals—it’s building its own lane.

Where else are you getting second line parades led by horror icons, deep-dive panels on foundational TV horror, experimental remix screenings, and 35mm anniversary showings all in the same weekend?

This isn’t just programming.

It’s curation with intent.

And with each new announcement, Overlook Film Festival 2026 continues to prove that it understands horror not just as a genre—but as a culture.