Licantropia Evolution - Ritorno al presente

Somehow I had missed catching up with this almost "underground" flick although I had it mentally logged as one to check-out. (sorry, check 'oat'....it's Canadian) Addressed that problem yesterday when I picked up the dvd from a $5.95 bargain bin!

I'll keep it simple. This is, if not the best horror film I have ever seen...pretty damn close to it! It is the ONLY horror film that has ever "touched me" emotionally and that it achieved this is quite extraordinary. As a werewolf film it is simply outstanding - blows digitised crap like UNDERWORLD out of the water. The very budgetary constraints of the film HELPED ultimately - the director having to rely on old-fashioned "acting" to hold up viewer credibility. Although Isabelle is the "Ginger" of the title and she is soo damned good, it is Perkins as Brigitte that commands respect for her effort.

The Fitzgerald sisters with their fascination for 'staged horror' find themselves very much on the outer in the school social hierarchy. It is not until Ginger is bitten by a werewolf, in what is undoubtedly the most graphic and realistic lycanthropic savaging ever filmed...that they are forced even further into social isolation. What neither the sisters OR the film ever lose sight of however is their sisterly bond, itself consummated by a blood-pact at childhood.

There is nothing predictable or unoriginal about this film, from the script to the camera angles, right up to the heartfelt tragedy itself of Ginger's condition. And that is why this film leaves most other horror films in its wake - it is multi-dimensional with strong characterizations. Mimi Rogers even, in a smallish part as the girls' mother is spot on hitting the exact right note as a frustrated mother and increasingly unfulfilled wife.

The film weaves brilliantly the coming-of-age pains with the physical transformation brought on by the lycanthropic condition. Marvellous imagery of menstrual blood at critical moments.

Mention should also be made of Kris Lemche's role as Sam, the school druggie and the only friend they have, not that Ginger is interested. Somewhat Christian Slaterish in mannerisms, he contributes strongly to the film's success.

Superbly handled conclusion with both excellent werewolf effects and the saddest of photographic recollections....nothing one would expect to see in formula horror flicks devoted to this subject matter. The very last scene is both moving and inspired.

Obviously I am not alone in this perception. The film carries one of the highest rankings for its genre. I would personally nudge it up to a 7.5 but thats neither here nor there.

Why it received such limited theatrical release worldwide I cannot begin to imagine, but the production teams behind SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID...., CABIN FEVER, TCM, DOG SOLDIERS and myriad other clones, should take a long hard look at this and find out HOW to make (and stage) a horror film with pretty much no money!

I would have considered that $19.95 for the dvd was money well spent!

Plenty of films equate the bloody lusts of vampires with sexual desire, usually without much subtlety or imagination; but John Fawcett's film 'Ginger Snaps' makes a rather more explicit link: one between lycanthropy and puberty. In fact, so lovingly does the film recreate the world of two Gothic sisters (including their hopeless mother, who wants them to be normal and happy in a way that doesn't help anyone) that becoming a werewolf seems like nothing more than a natural extension to the growing pains of a disturbed teenager. It's the believable psychology that makes this film genuinely scary, even though it's almost completely devoid of special effects until the very end; and even in the final showdown, one can still half-believe in the kinship of girl and beast. Overall, it's proof you can make a high class horror film set not in some fantastic landscape, but in the bland anonymity of suburban Canada.

Whoever marketed 'Ginger Snaps' should get some kind of award for sabotage! Looking at the packaging and it's name-dropping of 'The Craft'(??!) one would think you were in for your typical late 90s "ironic" MTV teen horror ala 'Scream' and the '..Last Summer' series, or some sort of 'Buffy' cash in. I nearly avoided watching it for exactly that reason. Am I glad I didn't!

'Ginger Snaps', while not totally perfect, is one of the freshest horror movies I've seen in ages, and one of the best werewolf movies of recent years. You can read the plot elsewhere so I won't bore you by repeating it. But I have to comment on the excellent script, with its realistic portrayal of teen life. No 90210/'Seventh Heaven' whitewash here! The teens act and talk like REAL PEOPLE, and the honesty about sex, drugs and puberty is rarely seen in contemporary movies, horror or otherwise.

I said not totally perfect because the climax was a let down. The last 20-25 minutes of the film lost its way a bit, and dragged in places. A bit more tightening up and a stronger ending could have made 'Ginger Snaps' a classic. As it is it's an original spin on an old concept, and highly recommended viewing!

Ah... it does my heart good to see that the first decent werewolf movie since "An American Werewolf in London" came from independent roots. The fact that it came from Canada is even more refreshing. Do horror movies have to be made outside the US to be intelligent? Look at the current trend of remaking all the Japanese and Korean horror movies. Look at Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" from the UK. Look also at the immensely talented Guillermo Del Toro and the fact that his best movies (Cronos and Devil's Backbone) are both essentially foreign films. Maybe there's a trend there. Maybe Americans don't know how to make original horror movies anymore. I certainly hope not. But regardless, this is a worthy contribution to the werewolf genre, and fits nicely with "American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" - despite the rather shoddy FX by hackmasters KNB, the story managed to rise above its budgetary constraints. Definitely worth a watch for fans of werewolf films who are looking for something a little better than "Bad Moon" or "Silver Bullet".

Ginger Snaps is a low budget Canadian horror film that also has a subtext of growing up and puberty.

Bridgette (Emily Perkins) and Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) are two sisters who are very close and have fascination about death. They stage and photograph death scenes and regarded as weird at High School where they are regarded as outcasts and suffer from bullying. Ginger is one year older than Bridgette and is starting her period rather late.

Ginger gets attacked by a werewolf very close to her first period and her body undergoes changes. Hair, mood swings, pains, bleeding, sexualisation and a tail. You see the parallels to growing up and becoming a werewolf. Heck there is even a 28 day cycle!

Of course as the blood lust takes effect Ginger gets more savage and starts to kill. This is after the guys at High School find her hot and appealing which means she has no trouble attracting victims. Its left to Bridgette and high school drug dealer Sam to find a cure for lycanthropy and save Ginger.

There is nothing much original about a werewolf film. Writer Karen Walton has given this film a feminist twist and a lot of it is due to the bond between the two sisters and Bridgette wanting to save Ginger out of that love.

Director John Fawcett goes for a more realistic portrayal of High School life and more honest representation of family relationships when children hit adolescent. Mimi Rogers plays the mother and although the father does not speak a lot when he does his remarks are rather waspish.

The film suffers slightly from its low budget and it could been tighter. I think the climax loses its way a bit and should had been better presented.

Its a rare combination of intellectual horror and dark comedy which works to an extent but never quiet pulls it off successfully.