News

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,...

Netflix has released the official trailer for its new original movie “Coin Heist,” written and directed by Emily Hagins (“My Sucky Teen Romance”). Based on the 2014 novel of the same name written by Elisa Ludwig, the film stars Sasha Pieterse (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Alex Saxon (“The Fosters,” “Finding Carter”) alongside YouTube star Alexis G. Zall and Vine’s Jay Walker.

Read More: ‘The Oa’ Review: Brit Marling’s Secret Netflix Series Is an Admirably Ambitious Letdown

Here’s the official synopsis:

The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint – which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes – an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies – the nerd, the slacker, the athlete, and the...

Hot off its world premiere at Fantastic Fest just a couple weeks back, the good folks at Arcanum Pictures (who brought you the teen genre flicks Grow Up, Tony Phillips and My Sucky Teen Romance) are releasing their short film Givertaker on the world. Directed by Arcanum's Paul Gandersman and written by Peter S. Hall, this short is the first in a larger series they're calling the Dead Kids Club. Hall had this to say: Givertaker is the first taste of the larger world of the Dead Kids Club. It's our love letter to '90s teen horror and involves a small town filled with people who routinely transgress the supernatural. Check out the short below and let the guys know over at their site if...

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

Spurned teen Sarah turns to ancient evil to seek revenge on her classmates in Givertaker, a new short film that takes viewers into the supernatural world of the Dead Kids Club, and is now available to watch online following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.

Press Release: Austin, TX - October 11, 2016 - Arcanum Pictures has released online the short film Givertaker, which recently had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.

Written by Peter S. Hall and directed by Paul Gandersman, Givertaker is a short film love letter to ‘90s teen horror of all forms. Starring Nell Kessler, Caiti Ward (Rooster Teeth’s “Rwby”), Jessica Perrin (Found Footage 3D), Sharmita Bhattacharya (iGirlfriend) and John James Pepper, Givertaker is the fun genre story of Sarah, an angry teen who conducts an ancient ritual to seek revenge on the classmates she believes have wronged her.

Givertaker also serves as a proof-of-concept introduction to...

2016 is hereby declared the year of the female filmmaker.

A few exceptions aside, for several years, a spot in the director’s chair seemed like a seat reserved only for those in the boys’ club. However, a revolution has been quietly brimming beneath the surface, with more and more women stepping behind the camera as of late and genre films leading the way in this massive reconstruction. Game changers like Jennifer Kent, Marjane Satrapi and Veronika Franz have been stepping up and proving themselves as not only worthy contenders when it comes to noteworthy women who make movies, but equally as skilled as any male photographer.

While there are many exciting projects on the horizon to be helmed by talented ladies, this list is dedicated to a few of the most striking pictures that are set to release soon. Read on to learn about these thrilling new prospects, and find...

For the final week of September, we’ll be seeing a handful of indie genre titles coming our way to DVD and Blu-ray, as well as several cult classics, including the original Leprechaun films, finally making their high-def debut on Tuesday.

In terms of new indie movies to keep an eye out for, Grow-up Tony Phillips, the latest from up-and-coming Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins (My Sucky Teen Romance), is being released as well as American Muscle, The Paranormal Diaries, Grave Halloween and the pregnancy-themed horror flick Delivery: The Beast Within. For those of you horror fans looking for something a bit more ‘seasoned’, both Krull and Killer Fish are getting their Blu-ray treatment this week and should make for excellent additions to your home entertainment collection.

Spotlight Titles:

Grow-up Tony Phillips (Anderson Digital, DVD)

Who doesn’t love Halloween? All of Tony Phillips’ high school friends do, apparently. It’s...

While it has long been popular for the horror genre to put female performers in the spotlight in front of the camera, female directors working in the horror genre are too-often pushed to the sidelines. However, the last couple of years has seen a huge surge in the number of women directing horror movies, in a charge led by the likes of Jen & Sylvia Soska (American Mary), Helene Cattet (Amer, The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears), Emily Hagins (Grow Up Tony Phillips, My Sucky Teen Romance)  and Jennifer Lynch (Chained, Surveillance), and in the world of short films, names like Axelle Carolyn, Jovanka Vuckovic and Isabel Peppard are proving increasingly synonymous with the horror genre. And it looks like Japan is about to get...

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

[Press Release] New York, NY – July 20, 2013 – Nerdist Industries announced today at San Diego Comic-con that together with Tribeca Film they will co release Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews’s directorial debut Zero Charisma. The “Dungeons & Dragons” culture-inspired indie-dramedy, which world premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival - taking home the audience award in the Narrative Spotlight category, stars Sam Eidson (Natural Selection, My Sucky Teen Romance), Garrett Graham, and Brock England. The film was written by Matthews and produced by Shark Films and Magic Stone. Tribeca Film and Nerdist Industries will co-release the film this fall beginning October 8, 2013 on cable/telco and satellite video-on-demand platforms, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, Vudu, Playstation...

There’s very little that I love more than the kind of awkward and charming nerdy characters that are so abundant in Zero Charisma. Check out the Nerdist approved trailer for the film coming out in October, followed by the press release.

Trailer: Zero Charisma

Nerdist Industries And Tribeca Film Co-release Fanboy Charmer Zero Charisma *** “It is, almost certainly, the best film ever made about nerds…it’s hilarious, it’s sweet, and in the end it’s just a little bit heartbreaking.” – Devin Faraci, Badass Digest “Zero Charisma is geek heaven” – Ain’t It Cool News

New York, NY – July 20, 2013 – Nerdist Industries announced today at San Diego Comic-con that together with Tribeca Film they will co release Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews’s directorial debut Zero Charisma. The “Dungeons & Dragons” culture-inspired indie-dramedy, which world premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival – taking home the audience award in the Narrative Spotlight category,...

Scream Factory has officially announced their fall lineup, with more than 15 classic horror titles making their way to Blu-ray, including Day of the Dead, Price of Darkness, The Amityville Horror Trilogy, and six Vincent Price movies:

Scanners II and III: “On September 10, Scream Factory will unleash Christian Duguay’s science fiction action thrillers Scanners II: The New Order and Scanners III: The Takeover in a Double Feature Two-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack. In Scanners II, a breed of humans with dangerously powerful telepathic abilities – the scanners – are being recruited by a corrupt police commander, John Forrester, in his crusade to take over the city. Forrester first enlists the help of an evil scientist, Dr. Morse, who wants to conduct mind-control experiments on the scanners with a new drug. When the side effects render the scanners incapable, Forrester then finds David Kellum (David Hewlett, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes...

Coming-of-age films are often centered around something big like death or sex, but most people grow up with hurdles built on somewhat lesser obstacles. Tony Phillips (Tony Vespe) is one such person. His high school years are winding down, his friends are moving on and his mother is reminding him that college life is right around the corner, but the challenge facing him right this minute is his absolute love for all things Halloween. Writer/director/wunderkind Emily Hagins is a twenty-year-old filmmaker who made her first feature at the age of 12 and scored a nationwide distribution deal with her last film, My Sucky Teen Romance. Her new movie, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, once again presents a casual, charming and youth-centric world, but she makes some important steps forward in her professional growth too. Unfortunately though it’s a bit of a “one step forward, one step back” situation. We first meet Tony trying to defend his...

Emily Hagins has already made quite a name for herself in the Austin film scene with three full leangth features including 2011's indie hit My Sucky Teen Romance. In her fourth feature, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, Hagins shows more filmmaking maturity, leaving behind the genre-lite aspects of her past films to tell a story of fitting in and growing up. What results is a much more polished and professional feeling product that is every bit as entertaining as Hagins's past work. Tony Vespe plays the titular Tony, a kid obsessed with Halloween, regardless of whether his fellow high school seniors think dressing up is lame. His friends Elle (Katie Folger, who looks a lot like an all grown up Sally Draper) and Craig (Devin...

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

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...

Sam Eidson is a comedic savant who moved to Austin after attending Savannah College of Art & Design. In addition to a hilarious appearance in Emily Hagins' 2011 feature film My Sucky Teen Romance, Eidson has appeared in a number of locally produced shorts, as well as stage productions presented by his collaborative company The Old Murder House Theatre. (Read J.C.'s interview for last year's Murder House production, Jurassic Live!)

Eidson's first lead film role is in the Austin-shot movie Zero Charisma, which is premiering at SXSW on Monday at 7:15 pm at the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center. But you might also see him onscreen during SXSW in Grow Up, Tony Phillips and the short Hell No. I conducted the following interview with him via email over the course of a few days.

Slackerwood: What can you tell us about your role in Zero Charisma?

Sam Eidson...

I'm a huge fan of Halloween, it's probably my favorite holiday of the year, but I don't take it as far as Tony Phillips. This is the first trailer for a coming-of-age dramady called Grow Up, Tony Phillips from the director of My Sucky Teen Romance, Emily Hagins. You see, Tony Philips takes Halloween to a whole new level. His life basically revolves around it, and almost everyone around him thinks it's time for him to grow up. 

It looks like a solidly fun film. It's set to premiere at this year's SXSW, and here's the synopsis...

Who doesn't love Halloween? All of Tony Phillips' (Tony Vespe) high school friends, apparently. It's senior year and they've now decided that they're too cool for Halloween. When his older cousin (Aj Bowen) returns home right before the holiday, Tony starts to wonder if he really is the dork everyone thinks he is,...

The darling of Austin, Texas, Emily Hagins, returns to the SXSW film festival next week with her latest film Grow Up, Tony Phillips. We have an excellent new poster and trailer for her film.Who doesn't love Halloween? All of Tony Phillips' (Tony Vespe) high school friends, apparently. It's senior year and they've now decided that they're too cool for Halloween. When his older cousin (Aj Bowen) returns home right before the holiday, Tony starts to wonder if he really is the dork everyone thinks he is, or if he's just ahead of the curve. Two of her stars from her previous film My Sucky Teen Romance return; Tony Vespe plays the title role and Devin Bonnee plays his best friend. Indie film start Aj Bowen joins...

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

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.

Read more...

"I know what my thing is, and I'm going to enjoy doing it..." If you're lucky enough to be in Texas this week down at SXSW, this should be at the top of your must-see list. A trailer has debuted for the newest film from Austin-based filmmaker Emily Hagins (her last was My Sucky Teen Romance) called Grow Up, Tony Phillips. We highlighted the project before as a Kickstart This and our own Jeremy Kirk worked on the film down in Austin. Now it's ready to premiere at SXSW and here's the first trailer for it. Tony Vespe plays Tony Phillips, a high school senior obsessed with Halloween. This looks fantastic, I wish I was able to see it. Watch the first SXSW promo trailer for Emily Hagins' Grow Up, Tony Philips, originally from HitFix: video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player A comedy about a Halloween-obsessed high school senior who...

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...]...

Filmmaker Emily Hagins celebrated her 20th birthday while creating "Grow Up, Tony Phillips" which she wrote and directed. Having begun filmmaking at the young age of 12, "Grow Up, Tony Phillips" is her fourth feature. Hagin's last feature, "My Sucky Teen Romance", played at SXSW in 2011, and was distributed by Dark Sky Films. What it's about: "Grow Up, Tony Phillips" is a Halloween-set comedy about an 18-year-old who doesn't think you ever get to old to trick 'r treat. What else audiences should know: "It's about the transition process of finally realizing you're entering the real world, and not about the drugs/sex/angsty stuff that makes up a lot of teen movies. I graduated high school in 2011, and I kept seeing these movies that had teen characters all wrapped up in technology and not about their real face-to-face interactions. Hoping to not have technological advances solely define this generation, this...

Chicago – The significant HollywoodChicago.com show business interviews of 2012 – eclectic, independent and varied – flowed throughout the year from the perspectives of Matt Fagerholm, Brian Tallerico and Patrick McDonald. All three contribute to this year-end survey of the 15 Best Interviews of 2012.

With so many promotional tours, conventions and shows coming through Chicago, the opportunity to get a wide range of celebrities, filmmakers and up-and-comers is one of the privileges of covering TV and film here. The following interviews – often enhanced with the photography of Joe Arce – were memorable for the timing or circumstance, and the shared give-and-take between HollywoodChicago.com and the representatives of the entertainment world.

Emily Hagins

Emily Hagins (center) directs the cast and crew of her third feature, My Sucky Teen Romance.

Photo credit: Cheesy Nuggets Productions

Interviewer: Matt Fagerholm

Background and Behind-the-Scenes: Some 18-year-olds only dream of becoming a filmmaker. By that age, Austin wunderkind Emily Hagins...

You might have noticed a sad lack of reviews here recently from our contributor J.C. De Leon. That's because he's busy working as an associate producer on the movie Grow Up, Tony Phillips, the latest feature from Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins (My Sucky Teen Romance). The film shoot started Monday and is keeping J.C. pretty busy.

You too can be a part of this movie if you like ... onscreen as an extra. J.C. tells me that Grow Up, Tony Phillips will be filming the Friday/weekend after Thanksgiving at Eastside Memorial High School (1012 Arthur Stiles Road, not far from 183/Airport). They need young-ish extras who can portray teenagers realistically, and older extras who can portray teachers and chaperones, for scenes set at a high-school dance.

If you're interested in being an extra, contact J.C. at jc [at] arcanumpictures [dot] com and he'll give you the details. I wish...

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...

Here's the latest in Austin film news.

Alamo Drafthouse announced last week that all the chain's Austin theaters will transition to 100 percent reserved seating, starting October 15, without a ticket price increase. Alamo ran a pilot program with all reserved seating at the Village location earlier this year, which they said was a success.An economic impact report released last week announced that SXSW 2012 generated $190.3 million for Austin's economy, Austin Business Journal reports. The number of official registrants increased this year by more than 15 percent to 147,000.In casting news, actors Aj Bowen (A Horrible Way to Die) and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) have signed on for Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins's fourth feature film, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, according to the movie's production company, Austin-based Arcanum Pictures. The actors join Jamie Landau (son of veteran producer Jon Landau) and My Sucky Teen Romance cast members Tony Vespe and Devin Bonnée. Filming for...

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.

Emily Hagins of My Sucky Teen Romance has a new project in the pipeline called Grow Up, Tony Phillips and this one will have her working with House of the Devil's Aj Bowen and Re-Animator's Barbara Crampton.

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.

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Title: My Sucky Teen Romance Director: Emily Hagins Starring: Elaine Hurt, Patrick Delgado and Santiago Dietche My first introduction to the work of Emily Hagins was when I watched the documentary “Zombie Girl: The Movie”, which chronicled a 15 year old Emily and her attempt at making a feature length zombie movie. She didn’t have any prior movie making experience, and in fact, as the documentary tells us, had only been interested in the idea of making movies for a relatively short amount of time. What she might have lacked in experience, she more than made up for with an incredibly supportive family, plenty of friends who had open schedules, and possibly [ Read More ]

The post My Sucky Teen Romance Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

We have the latest indie horror news sent our way in this weekend’s edition of the Indie Spotlight. Continue reading to learn about The Collection at Screamfest, I Didn’t Come Here to Die‘s theater release, a photo shoot from Umbrella Corp. Denver, and more:

The Collection Opens Screamfest: “Screamfest® kicks off its 12th annual festival on Friday, October 12 at 8:00 p.m. with the opening night horror The Collection, directed by Marcus Dunstan (writer of Saw IV, V, VI and Saw 3D: The Final Chapter). Screamfest®, the preeminent horror festival in the country, and what the La Weekly calls “the best place to get a jump on tomorrow’s cult hits” presents the festival in Los Angeles on October 12 through October 21 at La Live Regal Cinemas (1000 West Olympic Blvd., La, CA).

From the writing-directing team Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (Saw IV, V and VI) comes The Collection,...

It is the weekend of SpaceCON, and Kate (Elaine Hurt) is enjoying her last weekend with her high school friends before she heads off to college. However, there are a few problems standing in the way of Kate having the best weekend ever. First, she has never had a boyfriend and never been kissed. Second, she has been inadvertently bitten by a newly turned vampire Paul (Patrick Delgado), and her thirst for blood is growing stronger with every minute. Worst of all, a vampire who is a dead ringer for Edward from the Twilight series is using the book's popularity to lure more teen girl prey. The only good news is that they are at SpaceCON, and the world's foremost expert in vampires is hosting a panel. Will Kate ever be human again? Is Paul forever doomed to be a vampire? Why do teenagers think that soulless blood-suckers are sexy?...

Welcome back to another edition of Kickstart This, FirstShowing's weekly column dedicated to spreading the word about indie projects that need your help to become a reality. Today, we're bringing things back into the indie film world and shining some light on a cool feature called Grow Up, Tony Phillips. It's the newest movie from 18-year-old director Emily Hagins, the director of My Sucky Teen Romance, and its Halloween setting is perfect for the changing of the seasons. Check out the video below, leave a comment telling us what you think, and don't forget to toss the filmmakers a few bucks if you can. Check this out! The movie follows Tony Phillips, an 18-year-old who's a bit too old to be trick or treating, and who must rediscover the thing he truly has a passion for in the midst of being distracted by all the things that happen when he...

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...

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly news column that doesn’t always have something to say. But when it does, the geeks of the world listen. We begin this evening with some great Dredd concept art found by the folks at Comic Book Movie, picked up via Germain Lussier’s ever-excellent Superhero Bits column. The excitement I have for this, one of Fantastic Fest’s big name films, has gone through the roof as more reactions come in, including that of our own Nathan Adams at Tiff. 1. You’re Next isn’t exactly next – Collider got the scoop on the release date of one of Fantastic Fest’s big winners last year, the thriller You’re Next. It will be out… August 23, 2013. Which isn’t this year. At all. 2. The Obscure Song from 1974 that connects Looper and Smashed - Jordan Hoffman takes to Badass Digest to connect the dots on two of this...

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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Look, I don’t need to tell you that piracy is bad. Even if you do surf the uncharted seas, I hope you know how important it is to support independent film. The filmmakers of stuff like My Sucky Teen Romance have their futures in the hands of possible consumers. When said possible consumers do not buy their product because they can get it for free, that hurts them. There is some amazing talent out there and I sure as shit hope that you realize what you are doing if you do pirate films or music.

To show you how bad it is, the director of My Suck Teen Romance, Emily Hagins, has a video out there. Feed the director!

Help out the director by buying the film, which is now available, on DVD or Blu-Ray. We conveniently provided a link below for you. Support Indie Cinema.

If you want...

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...

Monday, September 3 Box Office Report: 'The Possession' May Break a Record, Plus 'The Dark Knight Rises' Passes 'The Dark Knight' by Erik Childress Our Top 25 Most Anticipated Fall 2012 Films by Movies.com   Tuesday, September 4 Clark Gregg Responds to the Vision Rumors; Doesn't Rule Out Returning to the Marvel Universe (Exclusive) by Erik Davis 'Hyde Park on Hudson' Telluride Review: Come for Bill Murray as Fdr, Stay for Fdr and the King by Eric D. Snider New on DVD/Blu-ray: The Indie Charms of the Vampire Comedy 'My Sucky Teen Romance' by Peter Hall What Movie Reminds You Most of Your School Days? by Christopher Campbell New Video on Demand: See 'Snow White and the...

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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,...

Some spring disappointments and a ton of TV shows hit stores this week as we take a look at the latest releases on DVD and Blu-ray. The Jason Segel / Emily Blunt rom-com The Five-Year Engagement very quietly underperformed for Universal and producer Judd Apatow back in April but will hope to make up the difference on home video, while the latest Jason Statham flick Safe is also looking to find an audience along with the much-maligned Piranha 3D sequel, Piranha 3Dd (just Dd if you buy it on DVD). Some noteworthy indie releases include the stoner comedy High School, Emily Hagins' My Sucky Teen Romance and the baseball documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero. New seasons of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Bored to Death and Fringe also arrive today, and if that's not enough, we've also got Re-Animator and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle making their high-def debut on Blu-ray.

By Allen Gardner

Quadrophenia (Criterion) Franc Roddam’s 1979 film based on The Who’s classic rock opera tells the story of working class lad Jimmy (Phil Daniels) struggling to find his identity in a rapidly changing Britain, circa 1965. Jimmy is a “mod,” a youth movement dedicated to wearing snappy suits, driving Vespa motor scooters bedecked with side mirrors, popping amphetamines and obsessed with the new sound of bands like The Who and The Kinks. Their other pastime is engaging in bloody brawls with “rockers,” throwbacks to the 1950s, who listen to Elvis and Gene Vincent, wear leather biker gear, grease in their hair and drive massive motorcycles a la Marlon Brando in “The Wild One.” Often cited as a worthy successor to “Rebel Without a Cause” as the greatest angry youth picture ever made, it is that and more, including a first cousin to the “kitchen sink” dramas of scribes John Osborne,...

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.

Here's the latest in Austin film news.

Local teen director Emily Hagins' horror comedy My Sucky Teen Romance (Don's review), about a youth who finds out her boyfriend is a vampire, will be available on home video on DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video starting tomorrow. The Austin-shot movie premiered at SXSW 2011.Fantastic Fest has announced the 2012 Amd Next Wave competition films. Eight films by up-and-coming directors from seven different countries will compete for the festival's highest honor, the Amd Next Wave award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize and Amd-based computer hardware, Sept. 26 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Selected films will debut at the festival, many in world and U.S. premiere screenings. Last year's winner, Bullhead (Don's review), was acquired by Drafthouse Films and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.Speaking of local festivals, aGLIFF is looking for moviegoers with a friendly, helpful...

In the mood for a horror-comedy that’s full of vampiric appeal? Check out “My Sucky Teen Romance” from writer and director (and teenager) Emily Hagins. This is 18-year-old Hagins’ breakthrough film project (her third project–she started at age 12) , and it is sure to be a great one. Anton Bitel of Little White lies says that the film has “the sort of energy, enthusiasm and inventiveness that money cannot buy.” Fear.net’s Scott Weinberg called the movie “a sweet little winner. … the youthful director has really honed her craft, discovered a new angle, and now returns with an entirely accessible mini-budget comedy that coasts on by through sheer force [ Read More ]...

Suck on this. Young filmmaker Emily Hagins' new comedy horror 'My Sucky Teen Romance' has been given a brand spanking new trailer. The teen vampire feature will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray stateside from 4 September and also enjoyed some early screenings across the likes of La, New York Chicago and Texas last week. The flick stars Devin Bonnee, Lauren Lee, Elaine Hurt, Santiago Dietche, Tony Vespe, Patrick Delgado, Lauren Vunderink, John Gholson, Sam Eidson and the sexy Tina Rodriguez -below ('Machete'). Head below to check out the new trailer....

Most people just get a bunch of new Facebook friends when they go to a convention. Poor Kate (Elaine Hurt) has a much closer encounter in "My Sucky Teen Romance," the new romantic horror comedy from teenage filmmaker Emily Hagins. The kind of encounter where you end up with teeth marks on your neck and you ask questions like, "Do my eyes look pink eye red or vampire red?"

Kate attends SpaceCon (a "sci-fi, fantasy, horror, you name it" convention) in the hopes of indulging in a "Con Romance" (hey, it happens more often than you think) before she's off to college in the fall. There, she meets Paul (Patrick Delgado), a geeky dreamboat who looks to be just another attendee workin' the vampire cosplay — until he (somewhat accidentally) gives her a hickey from hell in the hotel hallway.

Writer-director Hagins, who will be turning all of 20 this October, has...

We have added a new set of pictures from the event "My Sucky Teen Romance Los Angeles Premiere".Kota Wade attending the "My Sucky Teen Romance" Los Angeles premiere and VIP Cocktail Reception.Picture copyright by T. Urban / PR Photos. Emily Hagins, Dominick Brandonisio attending the "My Sucky Teen Romance" Los Angeles premiere and VIP Cocktail Reception.Picture copyright by T. Urban / PR Photos. Devin Bonnee, Emily Hagins, Tina Rodriguez attending the "My Sucky Teen Romance" Los Angeles premiere and VIP Cocktail Reception.Picture copyright by T. Urban / PR Photos. Emily Hagins, Evan Dickson attending the "My Sucky Teen Romance" Los Angeles premiere and VIP Cocktail Reception.Picture copyright by T. Urban / PR Photos. Devin Bonnee, Tina Rodriguez - "My Sucky...