Independent Film Festival Boston 2009

The summer after graduation is supposed to be filled with carefree days by the pool, endless nights at reckless parties, and one last chance to score before everyone heads off to college. Twin brothers Patrick and Carol Darling (Eric Lehning and Cody DeVos) learn that typical summer rituals are difficult to maintain when you're hiding the zombified corpse of your presumed-dead friend, Wendy Hearst (Shellie Shartzer), in the bathroom.

As she has been missing since graduation, Wendy's family and friends bury an empty coffin, trying to cope with the dark mystery surrounding her disappearance while cherishing their last days of adolescence together. However, when the Darling brothers discover Wendy's reanimated body by the river and stash the corpsed cutie in the bathroom where they're housesitting, their real summer of discovery begins. Though intentions may be pure and simple, actions can be devastating, and this small group of friends is about to discover that moving on and never looking back may be the only way to survive life after high school.

Tennessee natives and film collaborators the Deagol Brothers have crafted a stylish and moody teen melodrama that challenges the conventions set forth by John Hughes, embracing instead the simplicity of early-’90s indie auteurs while throwing a zombie into the mix. As a result, they create a style all their own.

- Dan McCallum