Customer Reviews

Ginger Snaps

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Ginger Snaps. What can I say about this movie? I saw it when I was seventeen years old on HBO and instantly fell in love with it before the opening credits were through. Gore and cheesy effects aside, I have to say this movie is brilliant. It was a pretty original spin on the werewolf theme. If you like animals, especially dogs, you might have a hard time watching this at some parts. For being a low budget film, it gets pretty graphic.
I love the relationship between the two sisters, Brigitte and Ginger, and how Ginger's transformation, which they at first mistake for puberty, tears them apart, but they are still connected by their sisterly bond.
The acting is great; I think they did a great job casting the leads, Ginger and Brigitte, the score is beautiful, and the story is captivating. I do have to say that the opening credits are still my favorite part of the movie. I think it portrays the relationship between Brigitte and Ginger very well and you also get a glimpse into their dark and sarcastic realities.
Great movie! I just got the trilogy for Christmas and I'm absolutely ecstatic! If you like Ginger Snaps, I definitely recommend watching the third movie of the trilogy; Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning.

It's a great little flick, but if you decide to pick it up, do whatever it takes to track down a copy of the Canadian Special Edition. It's R1, so no problem there. But it's in widescreen (this one is P&S), there's a commentary track, and a number of extras. This one's pretty much bare bones. So do yourself a favor and get Googling for a copy of the Canadian edition. You'll be glad you did.

I was afraid to buy this. It sounded too good to be true. A good werewolf movie? So many years (and bad films) after the Howling? You bet your life. GINGER SNAPS is not just good, it's great. And smart. Hip without being snide, slick yet retaining integrity, this is not just a good werewolf movie - or a good horror movie - it's just a great movie altogether.

Mimi Rogers aside, the cast were all unknown to this viewer yet could not have been more perfectly chosen for their roles. You know these characters (or you are these characters) and even though you may not be a lycanthrope, you're easily drawn in and aligned with their trials. This is no out-at-the-full-moon and back-at-dawn transformation, this is one long, drawn-out shapeshift; the misery of puberty. Even if you didn't grow a tail when you turned 16, if you felt like you might as well have, this is a movie for you.

Well-paced, expertly directed and, of course, PERFECTLY acted, GINGER SNAPS only disappoints slightly in the same way almost all werewolf films do: the final, full-on beast just never looks 100% convincing. Who cares? Getting there is all the fun and the film's final scene avoids the cliched, easy ending and goes for the heart.

I hear the two leads are in on production for GINGER SNAPS II as well as a prequel. I don't know where these could go, but I'll even give the dread horror sequel a chance based on this refreshingly strong, nearly flawless film. One of my favorite finds this year.

What would you do if you found that your sister was turning into a werewolf? This is the problem that faces Brigitte (Emily Perkins), when her sister Ginger (Katherine Isabelle) suddenly reaches womanhood and hairiness at the same time. The two young Goths, fascinated by suicide, loners in a normal high school suddenly find themselves at odds after years of close companionship. Ginger dives into a whirlwind of appetite - sex, drugs, and violence. Brigitte finds herself alienated, desperate to help a sister who cares less and less every day.

At first Ginger's powers are almost welcome. A chance to get even with the world and be free from the limitations of society and parents. But the change that is coming over her isn't a slight allergic reaction to moonlight. Inexorably, her body changes, and she must confront countless contradictions between her actions, and her remorse each step of the way.

For Brigitte the horror is losing a sister and waging a desperate struggle to reverse the process. Once Ginger was the leader, but now Brigitte must find her own power in a effort that becomes more painful as Ginger sinks into bestiality. Brigitte becomes the cleanup crew, the fixer, and the loyal friend. She also delivers much of the subtle sarcasm that keeps the audience unprepared for the tour-de-force ending.

Somebody should have warned me about this film. For some reason I got it in my head that this was something on the lighthearted side of horror. Instead it is one of those dark films that cross over from horror into the bleakest noir. The acting is surprisingly good, building gradually from hokey teenage horror to a kind of fevered tragic pitch that leaves you stunned in the final moments. The effects are a bit amateurish, but the impact isn't. The film has a surprising number of layers, from coming of age to self-realization.

There are no extras on this DVD. No subtitles, no languages, just the film and the trailer. And just for once I would actually like to hear the director comment of explain something of the concept of the film. But this is a low cost production, and I'm glad the transfer was successful.

In my perpetual quest to find werewolf movies that are not utter tripe, I stumbled across Ginger Snaps. I didn't know quite what to expect from a film with such an unconventional name. I got the "snaps" part (you know, wolves snap at people) but not the Ginger part.

Ginger, as it turns out, is Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle), a sulky goth chick preteen who is about to become a teen in a hurry. Her younger sister is Brigitte (Emily Perkins), who hides behind her hair. This dark duo, shades of Ghost World, enjoys staging gory death scenes and photographing them for art class. The girls are pros at it too, and the photographs we see plastered over their basement apartment are simultaneously disturbing and amusing.

The two girls are the daughters of Henry (John Bourgeois) and Pamela (Mimi Rogers). It's telling that the girls live in the basement together. They have a lot of freedom, a result of the parental strife going on upstairs.

As a young male, I remember coming back from junior high to high school and suddenly noticing that certain girls had blossomed into vivacious women. I wasn't the only one who noticed either. Ginger Snaps takes the perspective of the girls going through puberty, most specifically from Brigitte who is the younger of the two sisters. But of course, puberty just wouldn't be the same without a little lycanthropy.

As Ginger puts to the school nurse: "I've got hair in places I didn't before, I'm having weird urges, and there's a lot of blood." Sounds like a typical teen, right?

And that's what makes Ginger Snaps such an excellent film. It's not about werewolves. It's not about the usual blarney about how a werewolf is a man's inner beast. We've seen all that before. Yeah, men have the capacity for horrible violence. We see it so much in the movies now that it's hard to get upset about it.

Transposing the angst of puberty into a parable for lycanthropy is a brilliant stroke. We watch in horror as Ginger hurdles towards hot chick status: she wears tight-fitting clothes, starts wearing makeup, and goes after the boys. She's becoming a woman and a werewolf at the same time. It's only through the lens of a horror movie that we understand the horrors of womanhood. And by horrors, I mean blood. Lots and lots of it. Menstrual blood, people blood, blood dripping from mouths, guts torn open (mostly dogs).

Throughout, the film stays true to its roots as a teen horror that's about teens. They curse, they smoke pot, they ogle each other, and sometimes they're just plain mean. Now imagine all those traits in a werewolf driven by hormonal rages that replace lust with rage, with the superhuman strength to back it up...and you have Ginger Snaps.

Ginger finally does snap, despite her sister's best efforts to restrain her. Brigitte allies with the drug dealer (Sam, played by Kris Lemche) whose van killed the original werewolf to manufacture a cure, but Ginger's changes go well beyond vamping into weird territory when she starts growing a tail. And then the hunger starts and somebody dies.

The acting is superb, the music appropriate, the special effects up to par without using CGI. Every actor pulls their weight admirably. The parents act like concerned but clueless adults and the daughters act like angry, sarcastic teens.

I often reference how movies sometimes fail to stay true to the characters. This is another way of saying that happy endings should never be forced. Ginger Snaps never shies away from the stark realities of broken homes, social pressures, or biological changes. The ending is harsh but appropriate.

"Out by sixteen or dead in this scene but together forever," swear the two girls over and over before the changes begin. They never had a chance.

A new age, teen werewolf movie with a big bite. Two sisters obsessed with death get a taste of it up close and personal. Truly terrifying with some dark humor sprinkled here and there. Unknowns, Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle, would seem to have a bright future in the making. Lots of gore, frights, and raging hormones. Everything you would want in a good horror story. This one gets you by the throat and does not let go. Highly recommended for fright fans.
Thanks, and sleep well,
Tom

"Ginger Snaps" A Howling Good Time

"Ginger Snaps" takes the old cautionary tale of Little Red Riding and turns it on its furry ear. Instead of Lon Chaney Jr. howling at the moon and chasing poor unsuspecting girls through the woods - enter the Fitzgerald sisters, Ginger and Brigitte (Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins) two slightly morbid, teenage sisters entering puberty who are about to experience "the curse," and put a whole new humorous lycanthropic spin on the phrase "that time of month." Ginger has "the bite" put on her by a werewolf while walking through the woods with her sister. She then begins to experience "the change" much to the horror of her younger sister Brigitte. Ginger begins experiencing cramps, ill temper, hair in strange places, and a new found "taste" for boys much to the horror of Brigitte who must hide her sister's secret, clean up the mess, and find a way to help end the terrible curse before Ginger "snaps" again!

"Ginger Snaps" is a horror at it's best. The film benefits greatly by a strong cast, particularly Perkins and Isabelle as the Fitzgerald sisters, Kris Lemche as a dope dealing, knight in shining armor/love interest, and Mimi Rogers - who is a real hoot playing a well meaning but ineffectual "Beaver Cleaver" house mom trying to help her teenage daughters deal with the trials of puberty.

Though Karen Walton and John Fawcett's script was written tongue in cheek - the film has many genuinely horrific moments. There is more than enough blood, gore and entrails here to keep any bonafide horror fan happy. That being said, because this Canadian film production had a tight budget, it relies primarily on acting, atmosphere and suspense building to deliver the scares - probably a plus rather than a minus. Our lycanthrope is seen only in glimpses a la "Alien" until near the end of the film. Thankfully, the makeup and special effects it does employ are innovative and decently done.

Director John Hawcett does a fine job creating a dark chilling atmosphere. He moves the plot at a good pace, deftly interweaving moments of horror and humour. Though the scares come fast and frequent, Fawcett wisely takes the time to give us glimpses into the amusingly macabre life and relationships of the Fitzgerald sisters. Their situation may be fantastic and comic, but the Fitzgeralds, though misfits, are in many ways average teens, dealing with everyday teenage problems (problems with parents, teachers, peers, bullies, boys, etc.) and thus draw empathy from the audience. The gritty dialogue and snapshots of high school life help to underline this realism and contribute to the viewer's willing suspension of disbelief.

The only place where I felt the film didn't quite work was the ending which seemed cliché when compared to the innovativeness of earlier parts of the film. I won't go into any in depth criticism and spoil it for those who haven't seen the film, but suffice it to say that perhaps the reason for this may have been that it was written with a sequel in mind ("Ginger Snaps" ultimately became a trilogy).

As a caution, though definitely not gratuitous, some may feel that the language, gore, nudity and explicit sexuality is over the top.

Though not perfect, "Ginger Snaps" is still the most innovative horrifying piece of lycanthropic lunacy to come down the pike in decades. I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. "Ginger Snaps" is a howling good time!

Rob Rheubottom
Winnipeg, MB Canada

Not your typical modern horror film. The producers and writers actually spent time trying to tell a story rather than to dazzle us with cgi werewolf transformations. The two female leads are quite compelling and you'll definitely stay with it till the end. This first entry is the best in the series which slowly deteriorates during Part 2 and Part 3. You should definitely see Part 1 and then move at your own risk to the sequels. However, you might be pleasantly surprised if you don't get your hopes up too high.

Despite gathering high praise on the festival circuit, "Ginger Snaps," in a move of embarassing stupidity, was dumped straight to video by Artisan Ent. Hollywood, after a handful of rotten "Scream" clones (like "Valentine") had tanked at the box office, felt Horror films were on the way out, and never gave this fantastic film a chance to succeed. Well, don't be fooled by the fact that you've never heard of this movie until you saw it on the video/DVD shelf... it's great. Using the classic turning-into-a-werewolf scenario as a metaphor for a young girl's entrance into womanhood, this film finds a fresh new angle on an oft-told tale. And, beyond being a horror film, it's also very much, if not more, a character study of two goth sisters who, at the film's beginning, are virtually inseparable but, through the course of the film, grow further apart as one grows hairier and more lustful (for more than just sex) while the other remains an "innocent" little girl. Despite the low-budget, the SFX are effective, better than some artificial CGI (they primarily use puppetry and good ol' fashioned gore). The two girls who play the sisters are fantastic and are aided and abetted by a strong supporting cast. Do yourself a favor: don't let this clever flick pass you by. Why, after seeing it, you may just have to own it!

Just got a copy and watched a very underrated and excellent horror film from Canada. Ginger Snaps is one of the best werewolf films since the early 80's An American Werewolf In London, The Howling and Wolfen. The other werewolf film that can even rise up and stand up to Ginger Snaps is Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers.

This film takes the standard werewolf story and gives it a tone that is very close to some of David Cronenberg's films. The story deals with a couple of teenage sisters whose preoccupation with goth and death adds to the film's subtext of teenage angst and alienation within the confines of the high school environment. The sisters are played wonderfully by Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins. Isabelle plays the title role of Ginger while Perkins that of the younger sibling Brigitte.

The werewolf angle is used as a metaphor for puberty, especially the body changes a girl goes through towards becoming a woman. It is this use of a standard horror convention to explain the idea and concept of sex which makes this film very Cronenberg. Ginger Snaps is not all subtext and metaphors. This film has scares and blood aplenty. The make-up FX used for the werewolf is believable and there's not a CGI to be seen to give the effects that artificial look to them. These effects --- like those in Dog Soldiers --- owes much to those films listed above.

It seems that the upsurge in horror films these past 5 years have come from low to mid-budgeted efforts. It just goes to show that throwing loads and loads of cash to make a horror film doesn't mean it'll turn up good. Ginger Snaps shows that traditional horror filmmaking is not dead, but still alive and making a serious comeback.

I highly recommend.