I don’t know if it’s just me but I have a strong feeling that American horror movies these days that are directed towards Western teenage audiences, are no longer original nor clever. Whatever happened to classics like Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween (okay, well maybe Halloween may no longer seem very original nor clever but, come on, back in the day, though)? Usually what is given to us are sequels, remakes or just anything that finds an excuse to be gory. Well, here we have something a little different; here we have Ginger Snaps.
Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and Ginger (Katherine Isabelle) are two sisters who really do not give a single toss about life, which is why they have constant suicidal tendencies. They have even promised each other they will die together. However, on one full moon night – when Ginger has her first period – she and Brigitte decide to go out for a walk. As they take their evening stroll, a werewolf comes out of nowhere and suddenly attacks Ginger. However, Ginger’s wounds are healing quickly but the worst part is, she is starting to have a few physical and emotional changes. Brigitte suspects that her sister is turning into a, you guessed it, werewolf. Brigitte wants to desperately help her sister and so she asks for the help of Sam (Kris Lemche), who may have a solution to this supposed werewolf problem.
Whilst the film has several strong performances, I cannot say they make the characters very likeable, particularly the two female leads. Sure, they are well-developed and their suicidal tendencies are understandable but, as demonstrated in the opening credits sequence, their tendencies seem really overblown, which contributes to making these characters seem rather pretentious. A friend of mine asked me how else they can make an opening credits sequence for this film. As a response, all I can is that they could have gone for something a little more simple and less over-the-top, or maybe no title sequence at all. After all, sometimes less can mean more.
Another one of the film’s faults is that it unfortunately makes me question the plot/Brigitte. It makes me ask why she cannot see a genetic engineer to fix this werewolf problem instead of seeking for the help from the stoner that is Sam.
But with all that said I have to say that I enjoyed Ginger Snaps. Even though the plot does seem flawed, it is without a doubt, original. And unlike a lot of the teen horror films these days, this one is fairly scary, particularly its last 30 minutes, which deliver both a literal and metaphorical sense of claustrophobia. Its horror certainly does put the viewer on the edge of their seat or it can make them cower in it. Another positive is that the movie ends on quite an emotional note.
Ginger Snaps isn’t for everyone but horror fans should certainly check it out.
3 unsubtle coming-of-age undercurrents (as you can probably tell from the plot) out of 5
