Movie Review - Ginger Snaps (2000): A Howling Goodtime

"Ginger Snaps" takes the old cautionary tale of Little Red Riding and turns it on its furry ear. Instead of Lon Chaney Jr. howling at the moon and chasing poor unsuspecting girls through the woods - enter the Fitzgerald sisters, Ginger and Brigitte (Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins) two slightly morbid, teenage sisters entering puberty who are about to experience "the curse," and put a whole new humorous lycanthropic spin on the phrase "that time of month." Ginger has "the bite" put on her by a werewolf while walking through the woods with her sister. She then begins to experience "the change" much to the horror of her younger sister Brigitte. Ginger begins experiencing cramps, ill temper, hair in strange places, and a new found "taste" for boys much to the horror of Brigitte who must hide her sister's secret, clean up the mess, and find a way to help end the terrible curse before Ginger "snaps" again!

"Ginger Snaps" is a horror at it's best. The film benefits greatly by a strong cast, particularly Perkins and Isabelle as the Fitzgerald sisters, Kris Lemche as a dope dealing, knight in shining armor/love interest, and Mimi Rogers - who is a real hoot playing a well meaning but ineffectual "Beaver Cleaver" house mom trying to help her teenage daughters deal with the trials of puberty.

Though Karen Walton and John Fawcett's script was written tongue in cheek - the film has many genuinely horrific moments. There is more than enough blood, gore and entrails here to keep any bonafide horror fan happy. That being said, because this Canadian film production had a tight budget, it relies primarily on acting, atmosphere and suspense building to deliver the scares - probably a plus rather than a minus. Our lycanthrope is seen only in glimpses a la "Alien" until near the end of the film. Thankfully, the makeup and special effects it does employ are innovative and decently done.

Director John Hawcett does a fine job creating a dark chilling atmosphere. He moves the plot at a good pace, deftly interweaving moments of horror and humour. Though the scares come fast and frequent, Fawcett wisely takes the time to give us glimpses into the amusingly macabre life and relationships of the Fitzgerald sisters. Their situation may be fantastic and comic, but the Fitzgeralds, though misfits, are in many ways average teens, dealing with everyday teenage problems (problems with parents, teachers, peers, bullies, boys, etc.) and thus draw empathy from the audience. The gritty dialogue and snapshots of high school life help to underline this realism and contribute to the viewer's willing suspension of disbelief.
The place where I felt the film didn't quite work was the ending. It seemed cliché when compared to the innovativeness of earlier parts of the film. I won't go into any in depth criticism and spoil it for those who haven't seen the film, but suffice it to say that perhaps the reason for this may have been that it was written with a sequel in mind ("Ginger Snaps" ultimately became a trilogy).

Though not perfect, "Ginger Snaps" is still the most innovative horrifying piece of lycanthropic lunacy to come down the pike in decades. I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. "Ginger Snaps" is a howling good time!

Rob Rheubottom