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Brigitte now has the virus in her blood that destroyed her sister Ginger in the first film. So to prevent herself from changing into the beast she injects monksblood into her system, but after an overdose she wakes up in a rehabilitation clinic. Which now she has become so attached to the syrup and without it, the affects of the curse starts to transform within her. From the physical to the mental attributes. But also on her tail is that of a male werewolf who wants to mate with her and Ginger is keeping a tab on her by haunting her mind.

I remember when I picked up 'Ginger Snaps' I was expecting another mediocre or below-average werewolf flick. Gosh, I was wrong! Just like 'Dog Soldiers' it was more then good and added some new life to the whimpering sub-genre. And I'm happy to say it worked out again in this monstrous sequel and I was actually digging this one a tad more, though that was up until the stalling sequences involving hiding out in a house. It would've been great to see more Katharine Isabelle as Ginger too, but you can't have it all your own way I guess. I wasn't expecting anything incredibly special, but it did have big boots to fill and we all know the law of diminishing returns. Well, this sequel keeps far away form that trend and doesn't lean away from the quirky and offbeat nature of its predecessor, but it actually enhances it with a very morbid and cold-hearted appeal. It's depressing to the bone, I but I get kick out of any films that create this sort of tone! Though what made the original rejuvenating was that it had warm and natural relationships between the characters, especially between Bridget and Ginger, but also with the parents. Because of the sequel's depressing vibe, it does lack the heartache of the horrifying matter that drove the sisters even closer in the first film. Also it sorely does miss the characteristic interactions between the sisters. Although saying that they do share some screen time here, but only in small doses meaning far less impact.

The plot is an absorbing one, which doesn't break a whole lot of new ground like the original, but still comes up with enough hunger to set it out from most other horror flicks of the last decade, but also adding another dimension to the tale. Just like in the first film and like many reviewers have painted it's a metaphor for adolescent life, from angst, drugs and sex. But this cocktail is mixed with a refreshing twist involving the werewolf mythology, introducing the metaphor part of all of this. The snappy script holds up well and the story moves along pretty quickly with enough excitement initiated and the twists are far from easy to detect. No way is this story's structure predictable! The actual ending was kind of clever, but felt odd and left me feeling a little unsatisfied. The editing was swiftly sharp and potent to the pacing. It also recaptures the slickly handled production of that of the original, but it looks like it had more to work with here. That's especially because the special effects and werewolf designs were vastly better this time around and the attacks were more callous and bloodier. The isolated setting was made to great use with its cold wintry backdrop and gloomy awe. The action might have up the ante in this sequel, but so did the soundtrack by igniting itself with the Gothic and haunting tunes that made the original great. The upbeat tempo of the soundtrack bounds the mood. The spectral sound effects also worked its way into the picture and it was hard to shut out its thumping vibration throughout. The out-and-out stylistic camera-work sinuously develops some inventive shots. The direction by Brett Sullivan is above par and he hones down his skills with preciseness but adding such tautness and tension to the picture. The performances were magnificent. Emily Perkins comes out of the shadow of Katharine Isabelle here, and she made the most of it by turning in a convincing performance. Tatiana Maslany as Ghost one of the kids in the clinic provides on the humour side of things and Eric Johnson is perfectly scummy as one of the workers at the clinic. Katharine Isabelle makes some small but yet effective glimpses and adds in with some voice-overs. This production most definitely went one step bigger.

After two worthy werewolf films, I wonder if the film makers can repeat this winning formula in their third flick of the series Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004) or will it come crashing back to earth with a thud. The sequel is very much on par with the original and definitely well worth the look. Actually I would say it's a must-see if you seen the original.

Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed. * * 1/2 Actors: Emily Perkins, Tatiana Maslany, Eric Johnson Writer: Megan Martin Director: Brett Sullivan.

The second part of the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy picks up after the first one. Bridgitte has infected herself with Ginger's blood who has turned into a werewolf. In order to keep herself from becoming like her sister, she must inject herself daily with monkshood. After barely escaping a werewolf that has found her, she awakes in a clinic that treats all things including drug addiction. With her drugs taken away, Bridgitte can't escape what she is becoming.

I loved the 1st movie and I found the second one to be a worthwhile sequel. While the first one simmered with satire on female hormones and puberty, "Unleashed" is a straight horror film. It's too bad we don't see much of Ginger in this one, but she does turn up as a ghost who warns Bridgitte that another one waits for her. Bridgitte is a lot more confident and a lot hotter than the first one. But although this is her story, the one character that steals the show is a young girl at the hospital named Ghost. Bridgitte befriends this girl because she can help get her monkshood and I'm sure she feels a little bad that all the other patients make fun of her. There is a twist at the end of this movie that I was not expecting, but on my second viewing of it. I don't know how I could have missed it. All the warning signs were shown in the first thirty minutes.

If you haven't seen the first one you could just watch this one alone. It has a good enough story to keep you interested. It's not as fulfilling as the original, but it's a nice desert

After the explosively entertaining "Ginger Snaps", I had some doubts that the sequels could live up to the original. But in this one, we are greeted to a wonderful film picking up exactly where the first one left off: now with Bridget trying to stop herself from becoming a werewolf, and escaping from the rehab center she has been placed in.

If you find cutting and self-mutilation to be disgusting, then this is the film you want to either see or avoid. The opening credits are over a scene of Bridget in the bathtub, cutting herself to pieces. She continues to cut herself throughout the movie, as well as give herself injections.

The scenery is fantastic, as rehabs, hospitals and insane asylums are always great places for horror films if you know how to film them. The makers of this film know exactly what they're doing. Add secret passageways and you're set.

The new cast is also wonderful, easily making up for Ginger having a very small role. The cast now has several male staffers working in an all-girl rehab center, leading to such activities as trading sexual favors for drugs. But most importantly is a new character named "Ghost" (presumably because she's almost like an albino) who is fascinated with the occult and death and befriends Bridget after finding out she might be a werewolf.

Some interesting plot twists happen I can't reveal here, and as the wolf blood begins to overtake the human blood, things heat up. And then another werewolf shows up to try and mate.

Oh, heck. Just watch the movie. These guys have taken a worn-out horror staple (lycanthropy) and added such a new dimension to it that it's almost like an entirely new invention. Excelsior!

Because the second film is so strongly connected to the first, the way this film ends is pretty strange considering how the overall story (from the first film) started. The ending isn't earned, nor does it connect to the overall themes presented and carried along the two films. This would have worked better as a standalone film; as a sequel, if falls a bit flat given how a character we've invested in for two movies and care about is treated in the end. So, while I'm not saying this film is bad (I don't think it is), it's not a good sequel. It's a very interesting standalone film if they hadn't leaned so heavily on the connection to the first film.

Still, the movie had great performances by Emily Perkins and Tatiana Maslany. As much as I didn't appreciate her ultimate goal, the Ghost character was well characterized, and the actress was very versatile in how she played her. A role like what Emily Perkins played (both in the first film and this one) could have EASILY been played vapidly, blandly, emotionlessly (Like Selma Blair in Hellboy or Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games), but she infused just the right amount of emotion into it. You could actually feel for her rather than just watch someone recite lines and act like a living zombie (like a LOT of mediocre albeit successful young actresses have done/do).

If there was anything that I straight-up disliked, it's one nitpick: I don't know if it was a wig or a bad bleach job, but I don't understand why they made Ghost blonde. Maybe she's meant to be "fair" (?), but her hair is very distracting the entire film. It looks terrible and not at all convincing. Seems like it's not a Ginger Snaps movie without a main character having bad hair.

Overall, it's an interesting, entertaining film, but it's docked some points for not being a good SEQUEL.

I wasn't expecting to like this movie all that much. I did like Ginger Snaps, and thought that it was kind a of new twist on the tired old werewolf genre... but it didn't seem like it needed or warranted a sequel. This movie went in a direction that I wasn't expecting. Rather than just doing a retread of the first story, the filmmakers chose to follow Ginger's sister Brigitte into a mental institution after the events of the first movie. It becomes more of a psychological thriller, and focuses on whether or not Brigitte is really going to turn into a werewolf or if she might just be going crazy. Granted, that may be what a lot of people don't like about it, but I ended up really enjoying the movie. It was done with a decent amount of style and the concept was eerie enough to keep me watching. As far as sequels go, not a bad one.