Ginger Snaps

The outcast teenager sisters Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle) are very connected and have a weird pact of death between them. Their hobby is photography, more specifically morbid pictures of violent death scenes. On the full moon night the sixteen year-old Ginger has her first period, she is bitten by a wild animal, indeed a werewolf, but she omits the attack to her mother Pamela (Mimi Rogers). A couple of days later, Ginger changes her behavior; her body is covered by excessive hair; and she has the need of attacking dogs and other animals. While her mother believes that the menstruation is causing her changes of attitude, Brigitte seeks the cure with the local drug dealer Sam (Kris Lemche).

"Ginger Snaps" is one of the best movies of werewolf ever. This is the third time that I watch this movie, now on DVD, and I like the approach of the dramatic story, using the usual change of behavior of a teenager after her first period in parallel to a werewolf attack. The weird Fitzgerald sisters are brilliantly performed by Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle, and the conclusion is excellent. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Possuída" ("Possessed")

My previous review of 24 May 2005:

Gore, Weird and Original Horror Movie

Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger Fitzgerald (Katharine Isabelle) are very connected sisters and very weird and morbid persons, having a great attraction with death. On the night Ginger gets her first period, she is attacked by a furred beast and her behavior and mood change. Her mother and friends believe that this changing is caused by her hormones, but her sister believes that she was bitten by a werewolf. Sooner Brigitte sees that she is right and tries to save her sister from the terrible fate.

The first time I saw "Ginger Snaps", I did not like it, since I found the story too bloody and with an open end. Today I have just watched it for the second time because I bought the DVD with the sequence, and now I found "Ginger Snaps" a gore, weird and original horror movie. I changed completely my first opinion, and I really liked this movie. It is a very violent werewolf film, having two excellent lead actresses with great performances, Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle. Now I hope that the sequence does not spoil such a good story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Possuída" ("Possessed")

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!

A welcome change from the usual generic American offerings, this Canadian take on moody teens and the horrors of growing up has a laid-back, low-budget feel to it. The monster looks a bit plastic-y but the film is really about the sisters, and both roles are admirably filled by two capable but very different young starlets.

Perkins is compelling as the awkward, introverted class nerd, and Isabelle magnificent as the slightly scary, sexy, ex-nerd who turns into a real man-eater. Together they share a fascination for bloody re-enactments of death, and their scenes together are outstanding - if you're not too squeamish.

It's not really a scary horror, although it has it's moments. The performances from the entire cast are spot-on, and this makes it a very watchable film. Isabelle sizzles and Perkins fascinates, providing the icing on a tasty if unremarkable movie.

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.

I grow weary of horror films. I really do. I don't tend to enjoy the majority of serial killer slasher flicks because they're not my piece of cake. One, they don't scare me. Two, the quality of the films has greatly decreased since John Carpenter's "Halloween," and the result is a bunch of recycled slasher hits and their uncountable many sequels, all just replays of the last one. Three, the entire formula is getting old.

There are bands of teenagers and cult followers who love horror films. I am not one of those (un)lucky individuals. I respect well-made modern horror films, but I yearn for the olden days when horror implied something a little more than just blood-'n-guts-type serial killer movies with unbeatable foes battling virgins and non-virgins in ridiculous situations.

Yes, real horror films are truly hard to find nowadays, which is why "Ginger Snaps" -- a modestly-scaled Canadian werewolf movie -- succeeds as more than just another crude bit-by-a-werewolf-soon-you're-a-killer-man-beast movie. (Pardon the random and haphazard string of words.)

Werewolf movies are as old as the days. Over the years, with unflattering productions such as "Wolf" (1994), the legend and actual horror of werewolfs has decreased and the images of the beasts have turned into some sort of cute, cuddly dog figures.

"Ginger Snaps" is one of the darkest werewolf films made, and one of the most realistic, too. It's a story about a teenage girl who acquires the mythical hairraising powers of the species after being attacked and mauled in Canadian woods.

Ginger (Katharine Isabelle, who starred in this year's "Freddy vs. Jason") is a happy 16-year-old with a low social life status. Her 15-year-old sister, Brigitte (Emily Perkins), is the same way. But one night in the woods outside their home, both girls are attacked by a vicious beast, and soon Ginger starts going through some changes. First it's minor stuff, like hair sprouting in weird places. Then it's strange stuff, like growing a tail.

Soon she's the "cool girl" at school, hanging out with the right crowds and so on. Her sister is put off by Ginger's new image, and is uneasy with the new, cruel, cool Ginger, who no longer hangs out with her sister.

But the changes start to become too apparent, and she begins to gradually evolve into a hairy beast, which threatens not only Brigitte's life, but also those around her, especially after Ginger's blood craving starts to take over her senses.

The key to this film, I think, is its modest tone. It was a low-budget Canadian werewolf movie -- nothing more -- and it has an ingenuity about it. It's original, to a certain extent, even though the actual premise of werewolves has been used to death over the years.

This is a fun movie because of its unique view of werewolves. It brings the legend of the mythical beasts closer to reality -- it offers a perspective of what it may truly be like to acquire the abilities of the beast in today's age. Sure, the overall premise may be ridiculous, as werewolves are works of fiction, but if you ever want to know what it may be like -- just for fun -- then check this one out for a good thrill.

4/5 stars.

• John Ulmer