(Photo: Jake Chessum)

I was watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch—the episode where Sabrina and her friend make a vampire movie for college. I wanted to see if it would be fun to make a horror movie. My uncle sent me a book called $30 Film School. It taught me how to do lighting and how you set up the camera. I typed the script in red to make it scary. Then I got on the phone with my friend Liana to get her to be in my movie. I told her, “This movie will launch your career.”

We got vampire teeth and found this really cool spooky song on RoyaltyFreeMusic .com. We initially wanted to use garlic bread as a prop to attack Francesca, but my mom asked, “Do people really have garlic bread at a sleepover?” So I changed it to garlic potato chips!

My mom entered the film in a couple of film festivals. I didn’t actually think that my movie was going to go anywhere—but I’m very excited for the screening! This has been like a non-bumpy roller coaster.

I want to read Twilight, but my mom won’t let me. Maybe when I’m 13. I hope it’s still out then.

The New Girl in Town screens as part of the New Jersey International Film Festival on June 12.

As told to Alexis Swerdloff.

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Related:

• Archive: “Breaking”
• Table of Contents: Jun 15, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!