Even though I wasn’t able to attend in person like my colleagues, I watched a ton of festival titles already this year. For instance, Overlook Film Festival 2026 had a solid line-up with big names such as opener and Audience Award winner Obsession, Queer Horror Leviticus, scary atmospheric Hokum, creepy Never After Dark, and Japanese Liminal Horror Exit 8.
But these aren’t the only picks for the festival. Even the curious and the weird got their fill with some of the other gems that Overlook had. I am always a fan of discovering some titles during a festival that weren’t on my radar or that deserve a lot more attention. Based on that, here is my list of Overlook titles that you definitely don’t want to overlook (pun intended)
Mārama – Winner Scariest Feature Award
Whenever I hear anti-colonialism, connection with ancestry, and strong female lead, I am sold. Taratao Stappard beautifully brings a strong homage to his mother and grandmother in this dark gothic tale of an indigenous woman reclaiming her roots to fight back against her colonizers. In Mārama, a Māori woman named Mary is summoned from New Zealand to England to face the evil Englishman that destroyed her family.
The movie is dark, pulls heavy from its gothic atmosphere, while also exposing the consequences of colonialism on indigenous cultural identity of the generations left behind. There is a gorgeous scene where Mary channels her ancestral practices and starts fighting back, and it felt cathartic for me. Mārama deserves all the praise and all the viewers. Put it at the top of your watchlist, and if you can, catch it in cinemas.
Buffet Infinity
Full disclosure, I watched a screener of this on my TV at home. But that actually enhanced the experience! Buffet Infinity is a take on non-traditional movie-making where you follow a narrative scattered in TV commercials and news items that weave together a story. It combines humour, science fiction, and horror to form this Cosmic Horror tale that you follow through the ‘lens’ of the local TV station.
Structure-wise, it kind of reminded me of one of my favourite found footage movies, Noroi, where you can only get the full gist of what’s happening by paying attention to all the different and seemingly unrelated videos. At its core, Buffet Infinity is a story of two competing restaurants in a small town, unfolding through TV ads and news segments, but with a sinister twist. I recommend this for fans of mixed media, found footage horror, and those Adult Swim videos like Unedited Footage of a Bear or Infomercials.
The Furious
Hong Kong cinema is a genre of film that knows how to pump out real gems. We have many classics originating from this region. Even though the cinema landscape did change in the recent decade, with titles like The Furious, they show they can still do martial arts action thrillers like no other. The fighting choreography is chef’s kiss smooth, hard-hitting and amazing dances of martial arts comparable to recent classics such as The Raid, Monkey Man, and Everything Everywhere All At Once. All three were inspired directly by Hong Kong Cinema martial arts.
Wang Wei sets out on a rampage with the help of his only ally, Navin, when a criminal network kidnaps his daughter and the corrupt police refuse to help him. Navin is a journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. This unlikely duo punch their way ruthlessly through the kidnappers in this martial arts showdown. For fans of martial arts movies, great action thrillers, and, in general, awesome Hong Kong cinema, The Furious needs to be on your watchlist.
New Group
Japan knows how to do weird things, and New Group is definitely an example of that. The freshly acquired by Shudder title is an exploration of conformity, power imbalances, and societal norms. And although honestly, it is not the best movie I’ve seen tackle these topics, it is an interesting one, nonetheless. Director Yûta Shimotsu did amazingly with Best Wishes to All in 2023, and this a very different direction that seems to be very divisive amongst the people who’ve seen it.
Ai (interesting name that translates to love, but can also be read as A.I.) is a high-school girl who feels suffocated by societal pressure. One day in school, her classmates decide to form a human pyramid. Weirded out at first, but refusing to join despite pressure from the faculty, she sets to defy the status quo that she doesn’t agree with. New Group is not for everyone, but for those of you who can appreciate it, it is a fun time.
