“Need 12-15-year-olds for a zombie movie directed by a 12-year-old girl.” Texas tween Emily Hagins had more ambition than many middle schoolers, but little did she know that her simple casting call would launch two full-length films. Or consume two years of her life.

Documentary filmmakers Justin Johnson, Erick Mauck and Aaron Marshall know a great opportunity when they see it and convinced Emily’s family to let them chronicle her progress. A risky prospect considering the odds of their subject actually accomplishing such a lofty goal. What starts as a fun extracurricular activity for Emily and her friends and family becomes exponentially more demanding as everyone involved learns just how difficult it is to make a movie. The project’s scope and expenses grow. Interruptions and school schedules bring filming to a halt for long stretches of time. Acting, special effects and scene direction are learned through trial and error, often resulting in multiple takes or reshoots. Through it all equipment fails, tempers flare, And interest wanes in cast and crew. Enough to discourage any kid from following through with such a folly. But this is no normal kid.

Emily and her mom were already regulars at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which fed a natural passion for movies and storytelling. She was open to anything but it was repeated viewing of The Lord of the Rings that inspired her to get into the game. Having made several short experiments with the home video camera by this time a feature film must have seemed like the obvious next step. Despite her drive, Emily’s inexperience is apparent. Asked what she plans to shoot on a given day, she appears to have an epiphany that any planning might be required in turning her ideas into film. Actors sit uncomfortably after completing a scene, wondering if their director has forgotten to say “cut.” Later on spirits are dashed when Emily realizes she’s accidentally recorded over a bunch of work.

For all her obstacles Emily is graced with a good deal of luck. A fan letter to Peter Jackson returns encouraging advice and an introduction to Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News fame, who makes an appearance in her movie. She easily gets permission to film at school and local businesses. A grocery store shuts down for a day to accommodate a major (not to mention messy) interior scene, ending with a shot on a donated crane. Most fortunate of all is the unwavering investment from Emily’s family, even as things begin to overwhelm their lives and cause inevitable differences. How many moms do you know who would spend their evenings after work painting bloody mannequin heads and lurching in full zombie makeup?

Special mention must be made of Emily’s parents. As much as her mother Megan gets involved and tries to steer things in the right direction, she is no soccer mom. Even when recognizing problems she lets her daughter make the ultimate decisions about what’s best for her film. They may occasionally argue and embarrass each other in front of friends and the camera but Megan is undoubtedly 100% supportive of Emily’s self-discovery and happiness. Seeing the eager partnership between mother and daughter reminds me of the controversial documentary My Kid Could Paint That, in which a supposed young prodigy’s parents are accused of art directing or contributing to her work. The skeptical stance taken by the media over any external influence upon a child’s “pure” creativity—especially from family—always strikes me as extremely absurd. If anything Emily Hagins is blessed to have the assistance and input of mentors and parents who make strong impressions in her artistic development. Her eye is as informed by George Lucas and Stanley Kubrik as it is by her opinionated peers.

Given the novelty value of a 12-year-old girl dabbling in gruesome horror, Zombie Girl: The Movie is not that offbeat. It doesn’t offer a lot of suspense or surprises, and even the biggest conflicts are relatively light. The subject’s life is considerably less scintillating than the character Steve Buscemi plays in the indie filmmaking spoof Living in Oblivion. So what makes it such a good watch? Simply put, the well-balanced star herself. Emily Hagins is one of the most easy-going and determined young people I’ve seen. She’s refreshingly anything but a brat. While her friends goof around and make faces on the set, get cranky or flaky, or in other words just be kids, she rarely loses focus, composure or sight of her goals and what it takes to get there. You can’t help rooting for such a person following—and yes, achieving—their dream. It’s certainly a feel-good picture and inspiring even to us older types who let life get in the way of whims. Other people have held up Zombie Girl as a manifesto of empowerment through feminism or technology. I see it as an unapologetic celebration of creativity, even if it is all for the sake of telling a scary story. Such ghoulish glee is punctuated by Deborah Allison’s none-too-subtle chapter titles featuring bloody stuffed animals in various Edward Gorey-esque poses.

My only disappointment is the exclusion of actual footage from Emily’s finished film Pathogen. More encouragement to buy a copy and support the artist I guess. Come back tomorrow for a review of that DVD as Zombie Girl Week continues. Find out more about Zombie Girl: The Movie at the official movie site.

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