To win the contest of her dreams, Zoe will have to turn her sister’s wedding into a horror film.

Zoe (Aida Valentine) is a macabre little girl,  an update Wednesday Addams, and she is trying to make a horror film with her friend Francis (Holden Goyette) as the undead werewolf. The timing is awkward as Zoe’s older sister Zilla (Sam Kamerman) comes home from college with a new fiancee (Mia Allen). Their father (Greg James) doesn’t adapt very well to news of both his daughter’s same-sex love and the young wedding, but it all gets even worse when the uptight and traditional in-laws come to town.

“Everybody be normal” hi-jinx ensues, and Zoe tries to continue her movie with wedding footage intercut with Francis, who is allergic to his costume, but devoted to the project.

I don’t normally like formulas in reviews, but this film definitely had a vibe of Ginger Snaps + The Birdcage as directed by Wes Anderson. It is charming and bloody and sweet-natured and every character is worth caring about.

“I dunno, falling in love isn’t as cool as biting people.” — Francis

Dress shopping went well

LGBT representation in the old horror films was non-existent, but many Queer viewers latched onto the werewolf as an analogy for the outsider appearing normal, but with a dread secret. The outsider artist following her dream and struggling in a world that doesn’t want her to be true to herself aligns perfectly. And of course, the literal lesbian love and parental disapproval and attempted awkward reconciliation are on the nose. The metaphor is layered on a bit thick, but it works, and anyone who has felt outside the norm will be able to identify with most of the characters and plot lines.

The city of Portland serves as a perfect backdrop, as almost the entire cast runs past a bemused protester carrying a sign reading, “Keep Portland Weird.”

“We got it covered,” says the beleaguered dad.

Zoe and Francis really are what makes this movie work, though, and anyone not rooting for them has never been a weird kid.

This is a first theatrical film from director Jessica Scalise and I, for one, plan to watch for anything else she does in the future, if this is a good example of what she is capable of.