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February is known as Women in Horror Month, when the spotlight is put on female filmmakers working inside our favorite genre, and many horror sites run pieces about movies directed by women. And that’s great! But there’s no reason why that spotlight should be limited to only one month, particularly when there are so many brilliant and talented female filmmakers working in the genre. Why not use this October to hit up these titles on Shudder and get to know some of the most exciting female voices in horror right now?

Prevenge (2016, dir. Alice Lowe) Alice Lowe writes, directs, and stars in this darkly comic, twisted fantasy about a woman who is very, very pregnant (Lowe herself was pregnant during shooting) and goes on a killing spree when her unborn baby talks to her and tells her to take revenge for a past tragedy. The film never fully transcends its gimmick,...

With the release of Captain America: Civil War less than two weeks off, Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to shift into overdrive. It may be a long time before Captain Marvel sees action in 2019, but is it possible that Marvel’s already got the perfect lead actress and director in mind?

During this week’s episode of Meet The Movie Press, The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider had some interesting insight into the forthcoming Captain Marvel flick. Although cryptic, Sneider did offer up a curious possibility.

“There was a rumour about an actress being up for it; an already existing rumour, that’s not new. I’ve definitely heard there’s some truth to that rumour, and that there’s a director with the same first name who has also been eyed. I don’t think that [an announcement] is too far off. If they can make it to Comic Con,...

We’re big horror geeks here at Movies.com, but we’re even geekier for talented women who make horror movies. In this case, we’re talking about 14-year-old Emily Diprimio who is a card-carrying member of the fright-flick fan club. She recently directed her own movie called Carver, which is a throwback to the slasher films of the 1980s. The whole project started when she was only 13. Diprimio is reminiscent of another favorite female filmmaker — Grow Up, Tony Phillips director Emily Hagins, who made her indie horror film Pathogen at 12. Diprimio used Kickstarter to fund Carver, which is currently in postproduction. In anticipation of the final film, Emily has released a trailer for Carver, which shows a lot of promise. In the early stages of the project...

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I don't know what it is about young girls named Emily, but they seem to have a penchant for making horror films. First came 12-year-old Emily Hagins, who directed the zombie movie Pathogen, and then came 13-year-old Emily Diprimio, who dreamed of making an 80s-style slasher called Carver.

If that project sounds familiar to you, it's probably because we covered it here on Dread last September, when the Kickstarter campaign was launched for the film. Almost exactly one year later, to the day, the trailer for the successfully funded slasher has arrived, and we invite you to check it out below!

Written and directed by both Emily and her father, Ron, Carver is about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a despicable act they committed on Halloween when they were younger. Their actions caused the deaths of three innocent people. Now, on the anniversary of those deaths, an...

Around this time last year, Chiller premiered their anthology film Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear, which included short films from the likes of Eric England (Contracted), Emily Hagins (Pathogen) and even Pet Sematary's Gage Creed, Miko Hughes.

This year they're at it again, with the premiere looming for the follow-up Chilling Visions: 5 States of Fear.

The second installment in the series is set for premiere on July 11th at 9pm Est, of course exclusively on Chiller TV. The anthology features five short films that are each set in a different state, thus the title, and which center on five different basic human fears.

Check out the full roster of included shorts below, and set your DVRs!

Sandy - Fear of Ego Death - Written & Directed by Brett Simmons Produced By, Brett Simmons, Andrew Ducote, Kellen Moore for Brett Simmons Productions

The Trouble With Dad - Fear of...

For years, Emily Hagins has been the kid in the room. The Austin native directed her first feature-length movie, 2006′s independent zombie film Pathogen, when she was just 12 years old. She followed that up with 2009′s supernatural murder-mystery The Retelling and then enjoyed a SXSW world premiere of her third feature, My Sucky Teen Romance, this one about vampires, in 2011.

Now 20 years old, Hagins returned this week to SXSW to premiere her fourth feature, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, a wistful high school comedy about a boy who isn’t yet ready to give up his exuberant love for Halloween. After the screening,...

"You're too old to be this irresponsible."

Whenever Emily Hagins makes a movie, it demands a lot of attention, mostly because the now 20-year-old writer-director is already on to her fourth feature. She started out at age 12 with the zombie movie Pathogen, the making of which was documented in 2006's Zombie Girl: The Movie. After venturing into the world of vampires for 2011's My Sucky Teen Romance, Hagins is back with a coming-of-age comedy in Grow Up, Tony Phillips, which is set to debut tomorrow at South By Southwest Film Festival (SXSW). The movie is about Halloween, but not about horror movies. Instead it focuses on the aptly-named teenager Tony Phillips (Tony Vespe), who refuses to give up his love of Halloween despite being considered "too old" for the holiday.

"Grow Up, Tony Phillips is a story I felt passionate about telling because it reflects a genuine transition point in...

Pathogen and My Sucky Teen Romance director Emily Hagins is debuting her latest film, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, at SXSW.  

Her latest effort is a decided change of pace genre-wise as it is a comedy that concerns a young man (Tony Vespe) who loves Halloween perhaps a bit too much.  This morning, we have the trailer (inside) and poster.

Aj Bowen, Devin Bonnee, Katie Folger and Caleb Barwick also star.

The film is the fourth feature from Hagins who directed Pathogen when she was 12 years old.

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Austin's biggest fest, SXSW rolls into town this Friday! We kicked off the preview series yesterday with a look at Headliners and Competition slates. Today we turn our attention to the meat of the lineup, the Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, and Visions programs. Check back tomorrow as we lay out the rest of the fest. Narrative Spotlight Drinking Buddies Prolific indie director Joe Swanberg (Uncle Kent, All the Light in the Sky) turns noticeably A-List with this brewery-based romcom that stars Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Livingston. Grow Up, Tony Phillips Austin local Emily Hagins has built herself quite a following based on her fun, youth-spirited indie films (Pathogen, The Retelling, My Sucky Teen Romance). Her 4th feature stars Tony Vespe,...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Austin based filmmaker Emily Hagins occupies a somewhat unique space in the American indie film scene. Completing her first film - Pathogen - when she was only twelve years old, Hagins was embraced by the Austin based blogging community as a young phenom. She didn't have much in the way of resources and, sure, there were edges that needed smoothing out but people recognized a spark there. Seven years and four films later it is abundantly clear that Hagins is no mere novelty act. Her latest effort - Grow Up, Tony Phillips - maintains its connections to the local scene (star Tony Vespe is brother to Aint It Cool writer Eric Vespe) while also adding established actors such as Aj Bowen and will soon take...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Long-time readers of our site will note that we’ve been following the career of director Emily Hagins (Pathogen, My Sucky Teen Romance) for years. She’s a local kid, based right here in Austin, who has made news for being one of the youngest faces on the independent film scene. But there’s more to it than that. Being a kid who made a movie is one thing. Being a kid with some serious talent and nothing but promise is another. Fitting snuggly into the latter category is Ms. Hagins, whose next film is currently in need of your crowd-funding assistance. It’s called Grow Up, Tony Phillips, and it’s about something to which I’m sure we can all relate. About the Film “Grow Up, Tony Phillips may take place on Halloween, but it has nothing to do with horror movies and everything to do with that crystalline moment in time everyone has when...

Filmmaker Emily Hagins is nothing short of an inspiration for horror fans of every age to go out there and make their movie! And that's just what this lovely young lady is doing again. You almost have to wonder how long before she's a household name?

From the Press Release

Aj Bowen (A Horrible Way to Die, You're Next) and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond) have signed on for Grow Up, Tony Phillips, the fourth feature film from writer-director Emily Hagins (pictured; My Sucky Teen Romance, Pathogen). The pair join previously attached cast members Tony Vespe, Devin Bonnée (both of My Sucky Teen Romance), and Jamie Landau (son of Jon Landau, in his feature film acting debut) in the independently-produced comedy about a Halloween-loving teenager who doesn't think childhood passions should have an expiration date.

Grow Up, Tony Phillips is the fourth feature film from young director Emily Hagins, who...

It’s not often that you get to see an exciting filmmaking talent growing and developing before your eyes, but one such example can be found in Emily Hagins. It’s impressive enough that she’s directing a film at the age of nineteen, but when you realize her latest will be her fourth feature? It’s enough to make a person wish for a time machine so they could go back in time to light a fire under their own ass. Hagins’ last movie, My Sucky Teen Romance, was a popular feature on the festival circuit and saw a DVD release last month from Dark Sky Films. Again, impressive for a film featuring no name talent to speak of. (Apologies to the two hundred and forty eight Austin bloggers who appeared throughout the film in various capacities.) She’s stepping up her game for her new film with both a more mature story and some recognizable...

Aj Bowen (A Horrible Way to Die, You're Next) and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond) have signed on for Grow Up, Tony Phillips, the fourth feature film from writer-director Emily Hagins (My Sucky Teen Romance, Pathogen). The pair join previously attached cast members Tony Vespe, Devin Bonn&#233e (both of My Sucky Teen Romance), and Jamie Landau (son of Jon Landau, in his feature film acting debut) in the independently-produced comedy about a Halloween-loving teenager who doesn't think childhood passions should have an expiration date.

Grow Up, Tony Phillips is the fourth feature film from young director Emily Hagins, who drew an international spotlight when she set out to make her first feature, the zombie film Pathogen, at only 11 years old. Her most recent film, the vampire comedy My Sucky Teen Romance, enjoyed its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it was acquired by Dark Sky Films for American distribution.

GeekStarter is all about highlighting Geeky Kickstarter projects, and this week we have a great one. Emily Hagins is one of the biggest film geeks, not to mention, one of the youngest/coolest film makers out there.

I had the chance to interview her for her recent film My Sucky Teen Romance, and now she is trying to raise money for her newest feature film. Grow Up, Tony Phillips is "a Halloween-set comedy written and directed by Emily Hagins (Pathogen, My Sucky Teen Romance)."

Here is some info about the film and the production:

About the Film

Grow Up, Tony Phillips may take place on Halloween, but it has nothing to do with horror movies and everything to do with that crystalline moment in time everyone has when they realize life marches forward and they’re the youngest they’ll ever be. It’s a coming-of-age story, but this isn...

We've always supported Emily Hagins ever since she was an 11-year-old directing her first feature-length horror film back in 2006. That movie was Pathogen, and its unique story was the focus of a really entertaining documentary called Zombie Girl: The Movie. Since then Emily has continued to feed her dream of making movies by directing two additional feature films, The Retelling and My Sucky Teen Romance, the latter of which scored her a premiere at the SXSW Film Festival and a distribution deal through Dark Sky Films (watch My Sucky Teen Romance now on DVD/Blu-ray/iTunes/VOD). Now Emily is back -- she's older and wiser -- and she's taking her next feature film to Kickstarter for assistance in funding what will be her first movie that isn't set squarely in the...

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It’s not often that a 19-year-old girl is profiled on E! News, Filmmaker Magazine, and teenaged periodic staple Seventeen Magazine – especially one who’s a filmmaker with a penchant for telling stories dealing with zombies, ghosts, and most recently vampires. Emily Hagins caught our attention when she was the subject of the 2009 documentary “Zombie Girl” (which currently can be seen on Netflix Instant Play), that chronicled the making of her bloody feature-length zombie film “Pathogen,” that helped put this Austin, Texas resident on the map of many cinephiles, all while she was at the very tender age of 12. Since, she has become sort of a festival darling at her local South by Southwest, with the now 19-year old Hagins having three feature films under her belt, with her most recent “My Sucky Teen Romance” picking up a significant amount of buzz. It's a tale set amid a sci-fi convention...

Before I discuss My Sucky Teen Romance, let me just say what writer/director Emily Hagins has accomplished by her age is astounding. For such a young member of society to chase her dreams and begin polishing her craft so early on in life is truly astonishing. By age 12, the budding director had scored her first recognized film with Pathogen, an independent horror movie which caught the eye of Ain’t It Cool News founder and respected fanboy legend, Harry Knowles.

When I was 12 I couldn’t even figure out how not to be an awkward middle school student, let alone make a feature-length film. Hell, it took me until I turned 18 to even realize my love of film, and the writing didn’t come until years after.

Ms. Hagins is an inspiration for anyone with ambitious goals, showing even the most unlikely can persevere with a determined worth ethic...

In films about the teenage social scene, there is an inevitable disconnect between the adult director, and the youthful experience that he or she wants to portray. My Sucky Teen Romance is a rare exception, since the writer/director Emily Hagins happens to be 19 years old and a peer to her characters. Hagins began her exceptional career at the age of 12, when she created her first feature-length film, Pathogen, and became the youngest recipient of the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund grant, not to mention the youngest feature film director in the United States. The zombie movie was a group effort in her neighborhood in Austin, Texas, where Hagins was known affectionately as the “Movie girl.” Cameras also documented every behind the scenes moment of the production process for a documentary called Zombie Girl: The Movie. Since then, Hagins has developed into a more professional and experienced filmmaker, delving into more complex plots,...

Making its DVD and Blu-ray debut today is My Sucky Teen Romance, the latest film from Emily Hagins, and we have a clip to share with you.

You might recognize Hagins' name from the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie, which chronicled the young filmmaker's journey directing the zombie film, Pathogen, when she was 11 years old.

With My Sucky Teen Romance, Hagins takes a crack at the vampire sub-genre.  The film concerns 17-year-old Kate.  On her last weekend in town before heading to college, she and her geeky friends head to SpaceCON, the local sci-fi/fantasy convention. There, Kate meets Paul, a recently turned teen vampire (who takes advantage of the gathering's costume atmosphere by actually dressing as a bloodsucker). But when Kate tries to make a move on him, he gives her the hickey from hell.  Kate and her pals then discover that Paul is not the only vampire at the convention,...

Emily Hagins. This young woman is nothing short of an inspiration for budding filmmakers everywhere. Her latest flick, My Sucky Teen Romance, drops onto DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD today, and we've got an exclusive clip for you. Dig it!

The vibrant young cast, including Elaine Hurt, Patrick Delgado, Lauren Vunderink, and Lauren Lee, help teen writer-director Emily Hagins take a bite out of modern pop vampires in a hilarious, bloody tale that proves once and for all that love, like, totally sucks!

My Sucky Teen Romance, the breakout premiere at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, is the third and most accomplished feature yet from the prodigious Emily Hagins. At the age of 12, Hagins was the subject of Zombie Girl! The Movie, a documentary about the making of her first feature, Pathogen.

My Sucky Teen Romance has “the sort of energy, enthusiasm and inventiveness that money cannot buy,” wrote Anton Bitel of Little White Lies.

Chicago – At age 12, Emily Hagins was literally surrounded by cameras. She was in the midst of directing her first feature, a zombie thriller entitled “Pathogen,” while a film crew chronicled her every move for their own documentary, “Zombie Girl: The Movie.” By the time production wrapped, Hagins was considered a budding sensation on the indie film circuit.

As the youngest director in the U.S., Hagins has displayed an enthusiasm, invention and craftsmanship that far exceeds that of many filmmakers three times her age. On the heels of her sophomore effort, a spooky mystery called “The Retelling,” Hagins has delved into the realm of comedy with a teen romance that deconstructs the “Twilight” phenomenon, while offering its own distinctive twist on the vampire genre. “My Sucky Teen Romance” stars Elaine Hurt as a girl looking to have a fling at the sci-fi/horror convention, SpaceCON, and ends up getting far more than she bargained for.

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 4, 2012

Price: DVD $24.98, Blu-ray $29.99

Studio: Dark Sky/Mpi

The buzz keeps buzzing about teenage filmmaker Emily Hagins’ 2011 independent horror-comedy breakthrough film My Sucky Teen Romance.

Elaine Hurt is trapped in My Sucky Teen Romance.

On 17-year-old Kate’s (Elaine Hurt) last weekend in town before heading to college, she and her geeky friends head to SpaceCON, the local sci-fi/fantasy convention. There, Kate meets Paul (Patrick Delgado), a recently turned teen vampire (who takes advantage of the gathering’s costume atmosphere by actually dressing as a bloodsucker). But when Kate tries to make a move on him, he gives her the hickey from hell. Kate and her pals then discover that Paul is not the only vampire at the convention, and it is up to them to kick some vampire butt, or Kate’s going to be attending permanent night school from now on!

Written and directed by 18-year-old Hagins,...

Emily Hagins. This young filmmaker is nothing short of an inspiration for budding filmmakers everywhere. Her latest flick, My Sucky Teen Romance, is heading to the big screen, and we couldn't be happier for her. Read on for details.

From the Press Release

Officially the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood, Emily Hagins will bring fans her long-awaited film, My Sucky Teen Romance through a special four-city fan tour with Dark Sky Films and Ain't It Cool News. Launching with a red carpet premiere in Los Angeles at Cinespace on 8/22, the film will make its way through New York, Chicago and Emily's home base in Austin.

Each screening will be presented in partnership with Ain't It Cool News (AICN), with one of AICN's editors hosting each screening. Tickets will be given away for each date on the tour at AintItCool.com. Founder Harry Knowles has encouraged and supported Emily since her earliest days as a filmmaker.

Its difficult to talk about Emily Hagins without talking about her age, which now stands at nineteen. But, as she continues to grow and refine her craft, Im confident that shell gradually step out of being known for what shes accomplished in spite of her youth. Right now she stands as the wunderkind who wrote and directed three features (Pathogen, The Retelling and My Sucky Teen Romance) between the ages of 12 and 18. Though I would soon expect her emerge into being a conversation piece simply because of the merits of her work alone. Her new film, My Sucky Teen Romance, represents a significant leap forward in terms of her technical abilities, her knack for cool characters and the development of her voice as a filmmaker. Unlike many horror films submitted for review by more seasoned filmmakers it has a clear thematic agenda, emotional hook and consistent characters....

No, we’re not talking Twilight but a vampire comedy called My Sucky Teen Romance by eighteen-year-old writer/director Emily Hagins of Austin, Texas. Don’t dismiss this as another spin-off teen vampire romance film. This work has so much bite that it has gained a theatrical distribution deal for the young filmmaker.

According to Variety, Mpi Media Group has snagged the North American rights to My Sucky Teen Romance. This is her third feature film and her first to get a distribution deal. The film is described as such:

“In a culture that is currently overrun with romanticized vampires, it is up to four geeky teenagers to defend their friend and beloved sci-fi convention from a group of very real, and very blood-thirsty vampires.”

The film stars Devin Bonnee (Chase), Tina Rodriguez (Inglourious Basterds) and Lauren Lee (The Retelling), and the new faces of Elaine Hurt and Patrick Delgado.

Austin, TX native Emily Hagins won a lot of attention when she made the zombie feature Pathogen at age 12, and now she’s scoring another landmark as one of the youngest filmmakers ever to get a movie theatrically released, as her third film, the vampire comedy My Sucky Teen Romance, has been picked up for North American distribution.

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Austin, TX native Emily Hagins won a lot of attention when she made the zombie feature Pathogen at age 12, and now she’s scoring another landmark as one of the youngest filmmakers ever to get a movie theatrically released, as her third film, the vampire comedy My Sucky Teen Romance, has been picked up for North American distribution.

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Mpi Media Group has acquired My Sucky Teen Romance the highly sought after breakthrough feature film from 18-year-old writer-director Emily Hagins. A spring 2012 theatrical release is planned for the film, to be followed by DVD and Video on Demand availability. My Sucky Teen Romance is the third feature written and directed by Hagins, who made her debut . at age 12 . with the horror film Pathogen . Working out of Austin, Tex., Hagins has created an original new movie about a group of teens whose normal romantic awkwardness becomes compounded when they discover that some of the kids they.ve just met at a sci-fi convention are honest-to-goodness neck-biting vampires. The young cast includes Devin Bonnée (TV.s Chase), Tina Rodriguez (Machete, Inglourious Basterds),...

Mpi Media Group has announced it has acquired all North American rights to My Sucky Teen Romance, the highly sought after breakthrough feature film from 18-year-old writer/director Emily Hagins. A spring 2012 theatrical release is planned for the film, to be followed by DVD and Video on Demand availability.

From the Press Release:

My Sucky Teen Romance (review here) is the third feature written and directed by Hagins, who made her debut – at age 12 – with the horror film Pathogen. Working out of Austin, Texas, Hagins has created an original new movie about a group of teens whose normal romantic awkwardness becomes compounded when they discover that some of the kids they’ve just met at a sci-fi convention are honest-to-goodness neck-biting vampires. The young cast includes Devin Bonnée (TV’s "Chase"), Tina Rodriguez (Machete, Inglourious Basterds), Lauren Lee (Hagins’ The Retelling) and, in their movie debuts, Elaine Hurt and Patrick Delgado.

When it was announced that the newest film from eighteen-year-old director Emily Hagins, entitled My Sucky Teen Romance, was going to premiere at SxSW, I was ecstatic. Almost every member of our SXSW coverage team either lives or has previously lived in Austin and knows Emily personally. Hell, some of us even donated our time to assist in the movie’s completion. That made it slightly difficult to lend our voices to reviewing the film. So do we decline to review it? Do we expend no words on it at all? Yes…and no. There is a story here, and a damn good one at that, completely divorced from the film itself. Emily’s story. Hagins wrote her first feature-length film, Pathogen, at age 11. The next year, she earned a grant from the Austin Film Society to produce Pathogen, effectively becoming the youngest recipient of that award. Her tireless dedication to making her first feature film, and...

Self-taught filmmaker Emily Hagins is on her third feature with the clever little comedy My Sucky Teen Romance. And since I consider the young lady to be self-taught, I opted not to review her earlier films, Pathogen and The Retelling, because I felt they were akin to student films. Legitimate, fitfully entertaining student films that showed a lot of talent and promise, but student films all the same. And I'm not in the habit of reviewing student films. I wondered if I'd have a similar response to her third directorial effort, My Sucky Teen Romance, but those fears were allayed less then five minutes into the film: the youthful director has really honed her craft, discovered a new angle, and now returns with an entirely...

On 17-year-old Kate's last weekend in town, she and her friends plan to spend it together at SpaceCON– the local science fiction convention they attend every year. At the convention Kate meets Paul, a recently turned teen-vampire (who is also dressed as one). But when Kate tries to make a move on him, he accidentally bites her in the neck. Kate and her friends soon discover Paul is not the only vampire at the convention, and it is up to them to stop the vampires and find a way to turn Kate back before it is too late. I will be perfectly honest with you, Emily Hagins really fracking amazes me. By the time she was 11-years old, Hagins had produced several shorts and penned the script for her feature-length debut, Pathogen. At age 16, Hagins wrote and produced her second feature, The Retelling. Hagins was 17-years old when Justin Johnson,...

Courtesy of SXSW A still from “My Sucky Teen Romance”

As the film festival segment of the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas wraps up, most of this year’s participants will head home to their production offices or day jobs. “My Sucky Teen Romance” writer and director Emily Hagins will head back to her senior year of high school.

At 18, Hagins is easily the youngest filmmaker at SXSW this year and one of the few to be debuting a third feature.

Around DC we're big fans of Emily Hagins. For those unfamiliar with this crazy little scamp, she directed her first zombie film, Pathogen, at the tender age of just twelve years old. Ponder that if you will ... twelve! At that age most of us were more content trying to get as filthy as possible before going home, and this chick was making a movie!

We're lucky to have her and people like her in our genre. Talk about passion. Emily is back with her latest film, My Sucky Teen Romance, which just debuted at the SXSW 2011 Film Festival; and our man on the scene, Drew Tinnin, just checked in with a review. Read it by clicking on the one-sheet below.

Synopsis

"On 17-year-old Kate's last weekend in town, she and her friends plan to spend it together at SpaceCON – the local science fiction convention they attend every year. At the convention Kate meets Paul,...

Anywhere else but Austin, the idea of an 18-year-old veteran filmmaker would seem odd. Still months away from her high school graduation, Emily Hagins is the envy of many filmmakers with her third feature, My Sucky Teen Romance, world premiering at SXSW at the fest's biggest and most coveted venue, the Paramount.

If you’ve been living under a rock, or somewhere besides Austin, Hagins began her film career at the tender age of 11 or so when she penned her first script, for a zombie movie called Pathogen. That production ended up being the inspiration for the documentary Zombie Girl. Pathogen may not be available on Netflix, but it put Hagins on the radar of local film fans and the indie scene as someone to watch. She completed her second feature, The Retelling, in 2009.

Hagins met me for brunch at Olivia in South Austin, and with the gorgeous weather we were having,...

Zombies are such a prevalent force in today’s popular culture that it’s almost unheard of not to know what they are. Even if you haven’t seen it, you’ve at least heard of Night of the Living Dead. Everyone is familiar with zombies, and the most famous examples–the original Romero series and its remakes plus newer movies like 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead–are known across the globe.

Unless you’re a hardcore zombie fan, though, you might miss the wealth of undead B-sides. Even casual fans have seen lesser-known flicks like Return of the Living Dead, where the brain-lust comes from. But there are hordes of zombpocalyptic films that most people will never see. Like Mystery Science Theatre 3000 features before them, these B movies are typically pretty bad which, often, makes them pretty damn good. For instance, you’ve probably never heard of…...

Zombie Girl moves on to vampires.

We're bit late with this, but here's the trailer for teen director Emily Hagins' My Sucky Teen Romance. Hagins made her first movie as a 'tween, the zombie movie Pathogen. Her filmmaking journey was captured in the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie.

Hagins is still trying to finish her horror-comedy, which sadly focuses on vampires, but what can you do? She is a teenager after all. She needs five grand to finish, so donate here if you can.

Check out the trailer below and see how Hagins has done so far. Not bad for a teenager.

Source: Styd...

Zombie Girl moves on to vampires.

We're bit late with this, but here's the trailer for teen director Emily Hagins' My Sucky Teen Romance. Hagins made her first movie as a 'tween, the zombie movie Pathogen. Her filmmaking journey was captured in the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie.

Hagins is still trying to finish her horror-comedy, which sadly focuses on vampires, but what can you do? She is a teenager after all. She needs five grand to finish, so donate here if you can.

Check out the trailer below and see how Hagins has done so far. Not bad for a teenager.

Source: Styd...

Recently, I had the chance to interview Emily Hagins director of My Sucky Teen Romance and films such as The Retelling and Pathogen.  She has also  written 4 films and directed 8 short films and is also a producer.  She is the first teenage girl in the United States to direct a feature-length film!

Keep reading to get a glimpse into how the mind of such a young director works and learn why she has earned the nickname, "The movie girl".

You have written and directed all four of your films. Do you enjoy directing or writing more?

I really enjoy both, but I like directing a little more. I love the challenge of visual storytelling and figuring out what's needed to bring the pieces together. 

How supportive are your family & friends with your filmmaking?

I'm very lucky to have such supportive family and friends. They've stayed with me through the fun and challenges of filmmaking,...

 

Reviewer: Erin Donovan

Rating (out of 5): ****

Emily Hagins had been a cinephile since age 7 and at the age of 12 was determined to make the leap to feature-length director with Pathogen, an original zombie film she penned herself. Growing up in Austin, TX, a hotbed for Diy film-making, she has aww-inspiring parents who, with some mild amusement and exhaustive determination to help her succeed, support her creative endeavors.

 ...

Emily Hagins, the teenage horror progeny who shot her first film, Pathogen, at 12 years old – a film whose progress was documented in the superb Zombie Girl – is back with her latest film, My Sucky Teen Romance.

On 17-year-old Kate’s last weekend in town, she and her friends plan to spend it together at SpaceCON – the local science fiction convention they attend every year. At the convention Kate meets Paul, a recently turned teen-vampire (who is also dressed as one). But when Kate tries to make a move on him, he accidentally bites her in the neck. Kate and her friends soon discover Paul is not the only vampire at the convention, and it is up to them to stop the vampires and find a way to turn Kate back before it is too late.

Now despite releasing a trailer for the film, My Sucky Teen Romance isn’t quite finished,...

Emily Hagins is a bit of a horror enigma. At just twelve years old she created her first zombie film, Pathogen, which was the subject of a documentary about the making of that film called Zombie Girl: The Movie, and now she's back to create more gore-soaked havoc with My Sucky Teen Romance.

We first told you about this new vampire flick back in August, and a trailer has finally come our way. Here's the deal, though ... in order to finish the film, Emily (now 17) needs a paltry $5,000 more (donate here)! C'mon, folks, open up that purse and let's get this puppy made!

Synopsis

"On 17-year-old Kate's last weekend in town, she and her friends plan to spend it together at SpaceCON – the local science fiction convention they attend every year. At the convention Kate meets Paul, a recently turned teen-vampire (who is also dressed as one). But when Kate...

The first trailer for My Sucky Teen Romance, the horror comedy from teen filmmaking sensation Emily Hagins (Pathogen, The Retelling) has hit the web after making its debut at this past weekend’s Wizard World Austin Comic-Con. And as you might not expect, it’s a movie that doesn’t feel like it was directed by someone who just turned 18. In fact, you wouldn’t have even noticed that it was directed by an 18-year old if I hadn’t just mentioned it. Twice. But now that you know, please don’t hesitate to be impressed by the quality of the production. Allowing yourself to be awed by the maturity Ms. Hagins shows (especially visually) isn’t a distraction, either. There’s real talent here — talent that can be seen in two and a half minute teaser. And that’s not something we can say of every filmmaker, despite their age. Trailer:...

Today is an excellent day for renting a Texas-filmed movie and kicking back at home to watch it. Of course, being Texans, this means we naturally all jump out of our pickup trucks (with gun racks), stride into our oversized ranch houses, barbecue an entire side of beef for a snack, kick off our cowboy boots and switch off the football game to watch a good old Western. Right?

Two movies out on DVD today are a great example that Texans and Texas filmmaking are not like that: Zombie Girl: The Movie, a documentary about a teenage girl in Austin who shoots a feature-length horror movie; and Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives, a mock-exploitation film about Dallas showgirls in trouble. We're a long way from Giant and J.R. Ewing.

I saw Zombie Girl at Fantastic Fest 2008, with the filmmakers, subjects, and just about everyone involved in the film hanging out somewhere in the theater.

Who doesn’t like a feel-good zombie story? Something where humans triumph over the walking dead would give you the warm fuzzies, wouldn’t it? It would be an especially good tale if the humans are a 12-year-old girl and her mother on the ride of their lives. This is one such story. At Comic-Con 2009, I did an interview for TheWrap with 17-year-old filmmaker Emily Hagins and her mother Megan about the documentary “Zombie Girl: The Movie.” It chronicles the making of the first feature-length film, “Pathogen,” Emily made as a mere pre-teen. Since...

Imagine Leah Adler Spielberg telling her son, who is working on the movie Duel, that it’s time to put away the camera and go to bed. “Steven, I’m telling you for the last time…” Actually, when filming Duel, Steven Spielberg was closer to 25 than 12, the age at which Emily Hagins directed her first film, Pathogen. Zombie Girl: The Movie is an award-winning documentary about a tween who loved movies—so much so that she wanted to direct her own. With her mother, Megan, handling the boom microphone (a mike duct-taped onto the end of a paint roller...

Low-budget horror flicks are as common as bedbug headlines these days, right? What's interesting about the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie isn't the behind-the-scenes look at bargain basement filmmaking but rather the fact that the director is a twelve-year-old girl. Talk about starting young!

R Squared Films will be releasing this on DVD November 9th. Alongside the documentary on twelve-year-old director Emily Hagins and her first foray into feature films will be her actual zombie flick, Pathogen. Also included in the set will be a Q&A with the director and an interview with her regarding her next project.

You can swing by the official R Squared Facebook Page for more information, but dig on the trailer below first since you're already here!

- MattFini

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With only about a week until monsters and mayhem take over Indianapolis, In for the Famous Monsters Convention, we are proud to announce some new additions to the guest lineup. Veteran horror actress Danielle Harris (the Halloween franchise) will be on hand at FM Con. Besides appearing in Halloween 4 and 5 as Jamie Lloyd, and in the Halloween reboot and its sequel as the ill-fated Annie Brackett, Danielle will soon appear in the films Hatchet 2 and Stake Land (both of which will be covered in the upcoming FM #251) as well as the William Forsythe-directed vampire flick New Blood.

Real-life paranormal investigators and Ghost Hunters International alumni Shannon Sylvia and Brian Joseph Harnois will also be making an appearance, as will Michael Nicolosi, voice of the fan favorite character Clown on HBO’s 1997-1999 Spawn animated series.

Harry Knowles,...

In a culture that is currently overrun with romanticized vampires, it is up to four geeky teenagers to defend their friend and beloved sci-fi convention from a group of very real, and very blood-thirsty vampires.

This is the synopsis of teenage horror filmmaker Emily Hagins' latest project, My Sucky Teen Romance. Currently seeking funding, the director of Pathogen (which she made when she was 12) and The Retelling is seeking completion funding (check out her indie-a-go-go page!)...

"For this project," says Hagins, "we have to stage a science-fiction convention. Art direction, costumes, and location are key factors to making the main setting of the film as believable as possible."

Check out her pitch:

My Sucky Video Pitch from Emily Hagins on Vimeo.