Ginger Snaps (2000)

Movie Info

We’re so goth it hurts…

Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) aren’t your normal sisters.  They are fascinated by death, hate all their classmates, and aren’t that interested in boys.  When Ginger gets her period and is attacked by a werewolf, Ginger begins to change.  With Ginger more aggressive, more sexual, and more dangerous, Brigitte finds Ginger’s infection is becoming a problem and separating their tight bond.  Ginger has to be saved before it’s too late and Brigitte could be the only chance.

Directed by John Fawcett, Ginger Snaps is a horror satire.  The film received criticism during filming due to state funding by Canada after the Columbine shooting and a shooting in Canada.  The film was released to mostly positive reviews and has gained a cult following over the years.

I heard the buzz on Ginger Snaps pretty early.  Soon after its release, it was already being labeled a cult film and since I like werewolf films, I was interested in seeing it.  The movie did deliver but it is one of those films that the social commentary of the film is better than the actual story.

Grrrr…I’m a werewolf

The movie ties being a werewolf to puberty and going through changes.  It tries to find a balance between Scream and The Company of Wolves (which also made a lot of the same messages…with an artsy approach).  It is an interesting character study of two sisters and how things change with adulthood (plus, the pressure of being a teenager and school).  The actual plot of the story seems to wander a bit and falls into some horror tropes, but the ideas behind the story raise it above the clichés.

Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are solid as the leads.  The goth Fitzgerald sisters are a cliché of outsiders (intentionally) that they are kind of pathetic while also being better than the plastic preppy schoolmates.  Mimi Rogers is a bit over the top as the mother (who is one of the weaker aspects of the story) and Jesse Moss feels a bit wasted in the end.  Lucy Lawless makes a small “cameo” as the PA announcer (so she doesn’t really appear on camera).

Ginger….you need a Milkbone

Ginger Snaps isn’t the most visual werewolf movie.  The pre-wolf-out Ginger looks a lot like the vampires from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  The werewolf isn’t the best werewolf I’ve seen and looks a little too puppet-y, but once again the themes of the movie help carry it.

Ginger Snaps is an interesting film that takes the werewolf film in a different direction, but it also takes the teen film challenge.  Ironically, Kevin Williamson who modernized the teen horror film with Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer attempted a werewolf film in Cursed…but it didn’t really work as well as Ginger Snaps.  The movie’s cult success led to sequels (which were less successful).  Ginger Snaps was followed by Gingers Snaps 2:  Unleashed in 2004.

Related Links:

Ginger Snaps 2:  Unleashed (2004)

Ginger Snaps Back:  The Beginning (2004)