Year: 2002
Language: English
Format: 35mm Colour
Runtime: 9 min
Director: Brad Peyton
Producer: Jim Mauro
Writer: Brad Peyton, Lee Hoverd
Cinematographer: Dylan Macleod
Editor: Kathy Weinkauf
Sound: Matt Chromecki
Music: Phillip Stanger
Narration: Maurice Wint
Cast: Nadia Litz, Joshua Close, Heidi Ford, Sarah Kanter, Sunday Muse
Production Company: Canadian Film Centre, Universal Films Inc.

This darkly twisted fairy-tale comedy tells of a recently deceased young girl (Nadia Litz) who tries to revive herself in order to befriend three rich girls from her old neighbourhood. An homage to director Tim Burton’s gleefully macabre mise en scène, Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl is distinguished by candy-coloured illustrated backdrops, tight story construction and a whimsical, rhyming narration in the style of Dr. Seuss.

After seeing this visually captivating, note-perfect film about self-acceptance and alienation at the Toronto International Film Festival®, director Jeremy Podeswa brought it to the attention of his New York-based agent. From there, it found its way to Tom Hanks, who was so impressed that he hired Peyton to direct The Spider and the Fly, an animated family film of which Hanks is the producer.

Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Live Action Short and won the award for Best Score at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

By: Andrew McIntosh