Though Emily Hagins is the star of the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie and the ringleader of her own films, her mom Megan deserves a lot of credit for fostering a creative environment to inspire such achievements. From what is seen of their working relationship in Zombie Girl it’s clear that she gives her all to support Emily’s visions, and knows the value of learning from one’s successes as well as mistakes. Thanks to Megan for answering some questions about her own life and playing the roles of mom, helper and friend.

Liarsociety: Did Emily surprise you and your husband by wanting to make a full-length film? Especially one about zombies?

Megan Hagins: My husband was surprised but I was not mostly because I spent more time with her.

The production of Pathogen ballooned beyond anyone’s expectations. Considering the time, work and money invested, would you do it again?

I would absolutely do it again. I tell Emily to aim as high as she can, but to create a plan b, too. It is important for her to come as close as she can to making her vision a reality. Even if she goes to a plan b, it will be her plan b, not one imposed by us.

Have you retired from filmmaking?

I am pretty much retired from Emily’s projects. I still drive and buy food, until she can drive. Most of the process is “not my cup of tea.” I think it takes a particular kind of person to do what Emily does and think she has the right stuff, but I do not. However, I still sometimes think about working in production art or special FX…behind the scenes stuff. Not necessarily for Emily, but in the field.

How did your childhood compare to your daughter’s? Did your parents share a love of movies? Did they encourage you to be creative and imaginative?

My childhood was a lot different. I grew up in a completely different era and in a different part of the country. I had two brothers and one sister. We had a neighborhood gang of kids and we’d hang out outside and play games like tag, hide and seek or jump-rope games. We were not encouraged to be imaginative, we were imaginative because we needed to entertain ourselves in the early 60s. There were cool kids’ matinees at our neighborhood theater on Saturday mornings. They cost 25 cents for a double feature. My mom used to send me out with the “gang,” I think to get me out from under her feet, giving me 25 cents for the movie and 10 cents to get a bag of candy from the penny candy store around the corner from the theater. My mom and I used to watch old movies on “The Early Show” that would come on network TV at about 4 in the afternoon…there was no cable nor VHS or DVDs. Once a year, two favorites would come on on a Sunday…The Wizard of Oz and later in the spring, King Kong. My dad hated movies.

Emily grew up in Texas and there were not a lot of kids her age in our neighborhood. There are a lot of external entertainment sources. But from an early age she had a great imagination and creativity. I think that is so important in every aspect of life that I hope I encouraged her and nurtured her.

You’re a graphic designer by trade. What led to that career path? What kinds of creative projects do you enjoy outside of work?

I was always good at drawing and felt that my parents and teachers recognized this from the time I was about 7. My mom used to read to my brother and I at bedtime or naptime. I loved the illustrations in the storybooks. I went to art school to be an illustrator. I enjoy painting on my own time, but haven’t done paintings for a while.

Do you see Emily struggling with the balance between the commercial and artistic sides of pursuing a creative profession? Do you encourage her to find a practical application for her skills, or to even consider filmmaking a hobby while finding a more secure job?

I see no real problems between commercial and artistic sides. For one thing, I believe she has all kinds of skills like diplomacy, negotiation and good business sense to be very successful in her artistic pursuits. But realistically, she does know that studios rarely hand over millions of dollars to let a filmmaker do whatever they want with. She will have to be creative in finding funding for her own projects or be willing to do what studios want for their projects. She may have to do other kinds of work or make more commercial videos to earn money to support her filmmaking.

You and Emily have gone to countless films together since she was very young, and you were very involved with helping her realize her vision of a full-length film. As she gets older are you still doing things together as much, or is she more independent?

We are still great movie-goin’ buddies and we both enjoy each other’s company a lot, but she has other friends and activities and she does a lot more on her own. I like to feel that I am there for her as a parent and as a friend, and she knows that. I don’t have the need to impose myself on her life in ways I am not wanted. We still do a lot together and that includes seeing movies.

You didn’t keep Emily from watching films at a young age that other parents may consider too sophisticated or mature for their own children. She seems to have turned out none the worse for it. Do you get any flak from people over that or for encouraging her to make a zombie film?

I encouraged her to do something that she felt passionate about. It wasn’t the zombie part that I was encouraging. As soon as I knew she had crossed that line where she could distinguish a movie from real life, I thought there were a lot of movies with artistic or creative merit that she could watch, and, in fact should watch. If she had any questions she could ask.

Horror movies have gotten a lot more extreme in recent years. Do you check out films like Hostel or Saw? Are they bad? Is the media overreacting?

We saw Hostel but not Hostel 2. We like Eli Roth a lot and think he is very talented. It doesn’t really matter if we don’t care to see all of his movies. There was a lot of merit in Hostel, and because of the “torture-porn” title a lot of people overlook where there is merit and just get caught up in the sensational aspects. But, movies are best for me when they have a good story at their heart. If the story is nonexistent or overwhelmed by gratuitous sex or violence that has nothing to do with the story, it may not be a movie in which we are as interested. I am not necessarily saying that the Saw movies or Hostel 2 are bad movies, but just ones that elements of graphic violence overwhelm the movie and the story or the characters are not strong enough to carry the movie without those elements.

Though you obviously trust Emily’s judgment and ability to process things appropriately are there things you’d like to protect her from?

Unscrupulous people…and not so much protect her from them, but to give her the tools to recognize and deal with those kinds of people and elements in life.

How do you feel about the documentary’s portrayal of your family? Did you ever regret agreeing to be the subjects of a film?

I think we are portrayed primarily as a loving family and parents who care for and support our child. I am happy about this because I think a lot of parents do not consider the arts a worthy career choice and I think that sets a good example and gives the message that it is important to support your child’s talents and abilities with an open mind. On the other hand, I have some flaws I wish weren’t on camera. Sometimes the filmmakers wouldn’t leave till later on a school night and Emily had tons of homework, so that was a bit harder to manage. These were pretty nice guys, so it was a positive experience.

Parents naturally love their children’s work, and lots of kids have fun making videos which are never seen outside their circle of friends. Should Emily’s film Pathogen be fair game for movie critics?

You know, actually, it has been. Some people are pretty mean in their criticisms. The movie is technically lacking. But it also has a story that makes sense and it is fun to watch…sometimes because of her mistakes, but sometimes for the things she does right. Although I might be biased, I think the potential and talent Emily shows in this work is also clear to people who watch a lot of movies, and that includes critics. But the main thing is, while lots of kids love making movies, they also rarely have the passion to see a feature through. The only other example I’ve seen of that passion, is in Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation. I know many established directors have spoken to Emily and told her that she reminds them of themselves at her age. But I think any kid who shows potential and the “right stuff” should be encouraged as Emily has been, even if their films are also rough. As I mentioned before, it takes a particular kind of person who can see films through from start to finish. The horror community is pretty cool though, and often embraces the low-budget movie if it is fun to watch, and I think Emily is fortunate to have chosen horror for her first film because horror fans are so cool.

What lessons do you think she’s learning through all this, beyond skills as a filmmaker?

Perseverance, leadership, organizational skills, people skills, bargaining skills, budgeting skills, scheduling skills, resourcefulness, writing, and communication.

Any advice for other parents?

Support your kids as much as you can. Love ‘em unconditionally. Keep them healthy. Kids need ample age-appropriate opportunities to earn their parents’ trust and respect and it is up to parents to give them those opportunities. It is important in keeping a balance for the concept that privileges need to be earned and are available on many levels, both abstract and material to all kids regardless of the economic background of the family. It is a way of teaching your kid a good work ethic and wonderful for their self esteem and sense of accomplishment. I would never have extended my help to Emily the way I did if she hadn’t been working just as hard, if not harder, than I did.

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