What was your biggest asperation when you were 12 years old? If you're Emily Hagins, then it's to make your first movie.... a zombie movie. Not a short film, but a full length feature. This documentary follows her from start to finish, as she attempts to complete her project. Along the way, she meets some amazing people, gets a cult following, builds a unique relationship with her parents (especially her mom) and tries to finish what she started. The crazy thing about this movie is the fact that whether you're 12 years old or 58 years old, it makes you wonder if you could make your own movie. This girl proves that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Her dream took two years of her life and in the end, it was so worth it. This is a feel good movie and in a way is very similar to 'American Movie'. The only difference is age and background. I do wish that Emily's movie 'Pathogen' was included to watch, but maybe if I rented the DVD I'd have that option. I've also since followed up on her and she is still making movies, FYI.The plot is pretty well laid out in my previous section of this review. The story revolves around 12 year old Emily Hagins and her pursuit of her dream of making a full length zombie movie. She enlists the help of her family, friends and a lot of local celebs. It's a story about blood, guts and determination. In the end, we all learn that it's not about how old you are, but how much desire you have to succeed. Here's another summary from Netflix.com: "Youth and inexperience were no deterrents to 12-year-old Emily Hagins when she set out to make her first full-length feature, the zombie flick Pathogen. This 2008 documentary chronicles her two-year endeavor from start to finish. With cameras focused on Emily and Mom -- who acts as agent, crew, producer and No. 1 fan -- the film illuminates indie moviemaking challenges and the wonder of being a plucky adolescent to whom anything seems possible."
The only thing I wish about that they had done with this movie is included some more scenes from Emily's movie, 'Pathogen'. It felt like during the whole movie that we were on the road to seeing the end results, but it never paid off. Regardless of all of that, this is still a great documentary. Emily proves that she is an up and coming talent and shows that not all families are dysfunctional. It also proves that horror won't neccessarily destory the minds of the young. Granted, I think that Emily might be more of an exception that a rule.... but moderation is the key. She is a girl with a vision and it's so strong that it carries her all the way to completion of her project. That's quite a feat considering the fact that most kids her age are more concerned about puberty and self-image.... Emily is worried about whether or not her severed heads look real and if she's using enough blood or not. Those are real worries in my book.
All in all, a very solid 3 out of 5 star production. I would recommend this to documentary film lovers, horror film buffs, zombie movie goers and people who just love a good storyline. This movie has it all. I am curious to see the finished product and her other projects after this. I also kind of wonder where the future will take her? It seems like she has her own career mapped out, but how will the rest of the world see it? This also makes me regret that my zombie film project from college never got off the ground. It was in the final stages of production and only needed the okay on my main location, but sadly.... my college frowned on the use of it's buildings for production. Thus ended my zombie film. I instead, made a short experimental film called, 'Anybody's Taco?'. Anyway, check this movie out.
If you like this, also check out: 'American Movie', 'Hide and Creep' and 'Pathogen'
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