Licantropia Evolution - Ritorno al presente

Ginger Snaps is one of the best revisionist horror movies I've seen - if you liked "Ravenous" you'll enjoy this. Contrary to a previous reviewer's remarks, the film is not heartlessly "cool" - no chilly hipster would be capable of the compassion this film shows to its outcast, unbeautiful characters. Like all the best horror films, the true subject of fear is very real - the earthquake effect of sexual maturity on teenagers, girls in this case, and the disruption of sibling relationships by differing levels of sexual maturity. It also speaks to a genuine post-Columbine concern. When youth culture admires alienation, morbid affectation and misanthropy, how can genuine psychosis be distinguished from acting out? The highest praise goes to Isabelle and Perkins, whose characterisation is superb. Mimi Rogers as the mother who raises denial to an art form is also excellent.

On the downside, the last twenty percent of the film declines into cliched stalk-and-slash, with typically idiotic behaviour by previously intelligent characters, and an embarrassingly polymeric monster. The humanoid werewolf makeup is so derivative of "Buffy" I'm surprised Optic Nerve didn't sue. Moreover, for its revisionist pretensions, the films underlying attitudes to sexuality are disappointingly regressive, as are the final fates to which it consigns its characters.

On balance though, highly recommended.

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.

Sisters Ginger and Brigitte are walking through the park when Ginger is attacked by some sort of wolf that leaves her badly cut before they get away. With Ginger on her period already she is upset about the various changes happening to her body but it is apparent to Brigitte that the changes occurring to Ginger are more sinister and she tries to find a solution.

Despite the fact that the title is far too clever and silly for the film it announces this is actually a very strong teen horror. In the midst of the usual teen slasher movies, this film stands out as one that doesn't fall into the usual clichés (either accidentally or knowingly) and just concentrates on being a good film. The script cleverly uses the changes of teenage years and the changes of the werewolf as one and it works very well on the whole. Ginger's change is gradual and well done by the script.

The film is gory but not in a bloodlust type way where teens are bumped off in gory ways for audience amusement. Here the film builds gradually with blood a constant thing but not in a sensationalist way. When the film comes to a close, it does well to not be diminishing by the sight of the wolf itself - often the hint of the creature is better than the actual effects, both work here. The cast are good on the whole. Of course the support cast do play the usual teen stereotypes but, unlike other of this genre, they are not just fodder. The best playing comes from Isabelle and Perkins- the former especially giving a really good performance that makes the script alive.

Overall this was a very pleasant surprise - a good teen horror movie. It may lack the clichés of it's peers, and maybe that is why it is not as well known as the others, but it is a great little film and, if you need any further evidence of it's calibre - the ending is one of taste and restraint, words not often associated with teenage slasher movies.

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!