# 6 - ginger snaps

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Director:  John Fawcett

Actors:  Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kris Lemche, and Mimi Rogers

Let me preface my review by saying that I am no Roger Ebert or Peter Travers.  I am not claiming to be a connoisseur of horror movies, nor am I suggesting that I am worthy of rating films for a renowned publication.   I’m simply a person who loves movies and who likes to write about “stuff”.  If you are not interested in scary movies or if you don’t like reading… then delete this immediately.

The movie is Ginger Snaps.  A very low-budget horror movie that certainly deserves it’s cult following.  It is Teen Wolf on steroids, with a bit of Carrie and Heathers thrown in for good measure.  But unlike Michael J Fox, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) isn’t surfing on top of vans or scoring winning free throw in slow-motion.  She is bleeding all over the place, growing a tail, and eating the neighborhood dogs.  Ahh, High School.

Ginger and her sister Brigitte (Emily Perkins) are not your typical goth outcasts.  Or maybe they are?  I’m not the authority on self-deprecation, but here are the facts…  they dress in dark clothes, stage their own death scenes for class projects, and have planned their joint suicide by the age of 16.  In a nutshell, they are a mother’s nightmare.  Luckily their Mom (Mimi Rogers) is completely clueless to their antics and thinks they are just late bloomers, socially and physically.

So when Ginger finally gets “the curse”, accompanied by lower back pain and abdominal cramps, her mother is delighted and celebrates with a strawberry shortcake oozing with bright red jelly… how appropriate.  That evening, while out playing a prank on a nasty popular girl, Ginger is attacked and bitten by a ferocious beast under a full moon.  Seemingly, it wasn’t a coincidence since Brigitte says that she’s seen this before.  “Bears attack chicks on the rag”.  (The dark humor in this movie is spot-on, and delivered with ease by the teenage actresses).  Only this was no bear.

When the wounds begin to heal at an alarming rate, Brigitte knows something is up.  The sharp fangs, sprouting hair, and slithery tail seal the deal.  Ginger is turning into a werewolf and it’s only a matter of time before the transformation is complete.  It’s up to Brigitte and the school drug dealer (Kris Lemche) to get the hypodermic concoction of Monkshood to cure her condition.

The special effects are superb considering the budget and the screenplay is fantastic (the end was a bit slow, but otherwise solid throughout).  Ginger Snaps is cinematic proof that you don’t need millions of dollars or fancy CGI to make a great movie.  This film is so much fun and is a must-see for even amateur horror fans.  Scary enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, witty enough to keep you entertained, and modernly classic enough for all generations. 

Ginger Snaps uses lycanthropy as a clever metaphor for adolescence.  Ginger is growing hair in unusual places, bleeding heavily, and suddenly lusting after boys.  Is that her inner werewolf or the curse of puberty?  Maybe both.  This is the brilliance of Karen Walton’s script… it is deep enough for those looking for something to analyze.  But simple enough to enjoy with a bag of popcorn and no thought process.  On the surface, this is just a straight-up scary teenage monster movie.  You will it enjoy it from either angle, I promise you.

Was Ginger Snaps scary?  Yes

Jami’s Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Would I recommend this movie:  Yes