Ginger Snaps

Two teenage sisters obsessed with death suddenly find themselves caught up in a werewolf transformation scenario, after one of the girls gets chewed up by a beast. Will the sisters become werewolves and wreak havoc all over the neighborhood? Will the girls realize that being a teenager is actually easier than being a werewolf? Will Jennifer Love Hewitt show up in a tight white top? All very interesting questions whose answers may be found within…

Blame Canada…for one of the cooler real horror movies to come out in the past few years. In fact, let’s figure out if this movie is made for you. Are you looking for a music video disguised as a horror flick? If so, this movie ain’t for you! Are you looking for a gaggle of gorgeous girls in tight tops prancing around as a killer slashes them up before boring us with his “raison-d’etre” in the end? If your answer is a resounding “yes”, please move on to the next movie review. But are you looking for some serious blood, some serious werewolf action, some decent black comedic elements and a creepy story about two suicidal sisters who must deal with the fact that one of them is turning into a full-blown werewolf? Well, if my last sentence is your vibe, then step up to the plate and chomp your teeth into this sucker (sorry guys, I just had to!) because horror movies haven’t reached this plateau of authenticity in quite some time. And would you believe that I actually felt for the two sisters as well? Absolutely, in fact, the last scene in this movie was actually quite touching, probably the best “girl horror” film that I’ve ever seen (too long to explain…see the movie). The special effects in the movie are solid, the lead actresses pull off some great moments and the supporting cast all work to make this film that much more complete. And you gotta love Mimi Rogers’ character! Hilarious!!

And I’m not even touching upon many of the sub tones in this movie, including that of ostracized teens, girls getting their first period and the act of “popping your cherry”. You could have a field day trying to figure out the symbolic elements rustling underneath this picture, but don’t worry, you needn’t pay attention to any of that, and you will still like this film, if you are a real horror fan (in my opinion). Is it a “scary” movie? Hmmm, well, probably not in the way that you’d think. The film isn’t packed with “boo” scares or anything, just an overriding feeling of terror, dread and melancholy. It’s got originality, a good story, characters to whom you could relate (I was never suicidal in my life but certainly know the feeling of being “left out”), creepiness, lotsa icky moments, some gruesome shots and a gloomy mood throughout. Now does that sound like your kind of evening? If so, this wolf’s for you. On the negative tip, the movie did have some slow spots, it definitely could have been cut by about 15-20 minutes and some of the steady cam shots made me woozy, but it’s all water under the bridge, if you ask me.

You see, I tend to complain about how Hollywood’s “horror movies” seem to be getting lamer and lamer every year, and how they all seem to be more about making a buck, scoring a hip soundtrack and landing the latest “babe of the week” as the lead (hmmm, I’m probably not far off!), and here comes a movie that flips them all the bird and creates a “real” horror movie with obvious passion for the genre and uniqueness in its approach. I probably would’ve scored this film a 7/10 under regular circumstances, but with the staleness of this genre being as it is, I simply cannot help but “up” this movie’s props for being innovative, straying outside the norm and creating a cool l’il flick that kicks most of them Hollywood photocopies to hell. Oh, and did I mention that this movie’s got a LOT of blood!! Bring tissues…oh, for so many reasons!!

(c) 2021 Berge Garabedian