Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Genre: Horror, Drama
Sub-category: Monster - Werewolf, Teen
Setting: Small Town
Predictability: Not Really Predictable
Scare Factor: I checked under my bed and in my closet
Gore Factor: Mild Gore
Look-at-these: No Nudity

Synopsis: Brigitte and Ginger are two teens obsessed with death and suicide. They spend every moment together at the exclusion of others and the idea of leaving the world together is what seems to cement them together. The sisters are awaiting their first menstrual cycle when Ginger is bitten by a werewolf that has been terrorizing the local dogs. Changes begin to happen, but not all of them have to do with puberty. Brigitte and her new love interest come across a possible cure, but will it be in time and can they avoid being bitten in the process? Will these two sisters maintain their promise of "Together forever?"

Title: I have to say that I will probably never eat another Ginger Snap cookie. They just don't have the same appeal anymore. Ginger is the title character and well, she snaps. Truthfully, the snap is more of a gradual change than a sudden shift.

This portion of the review reveals plot points.

Analysis: Ginger Snaps is truly a dark film, from the acting to the cinematography. Katharine Isabelle (Snow Day, Bones) and Emily Perkins (Insomnia) have an amazing chemistry. Their sisterhood is easily believed and their cumulative pessimism is almost drowning. The gloomy tone that Isabelle and Perkins set is nicely complemented by the dark photography. The low lighting helps to build the depressing atmosphere that Director John Fawcett clearly desires. Adding to the credibility of the film are appearances by screen veterans John Bourgeois and Mimi Rogers.

Ginger Snaps puts a whole new spin on the Werewolf. The film transitions the use of the werewolf from a howling beast to a metaphor for change. In the beginning, both girls fear growing up and growing apart so much that they plan to commit suicide together. Ginger is older and the first to be bitten, by the werewolf and by the puberty fairy. Ginger, like many other teens, begins to notice boys and experiment with drugs. At the same time she is literally changing into a monster. I believe that the werewolf is meant to symbolize the physical and emotional changes experienced during the teenage years. The monster accurately reflects the mood swings that most teens experience -- just ask any parent. And the physical changes can be no less obvious than those of a werewolf, at least when the changes are occurring to you or someone close to you.

Brigitte resents these changes in Ginger. She wants things to stay the same and she certainly does not want to be left alone in this world. She ultimately discovers a way to reverse the changes in Ginger, but not in time and not before she is bitten by her sister. In the end, Brigitte comes to realize that some changes just can't be stopped. No matter how much we fear changes, they are inevitable. Brigitte ultimately decides that if her sister will change, then so will she. The changes that once seemed so ominous and horrific now don't seem quite so bad. Despite the fact that her sister is now a werewolf, she still finds great comfort in her presence. This is evident in the final scene, one of the very best that I have ever viewed. Nothing will tear these two apart, not puberty and certainly not lycanthropy. The sad ending is somehow uplifting. This movie has made a great contribution to the genre and can be viewed on many levels.

I suppose Ginger Snaps is a wolf in sheep's clothing, or rather a drama in a horror film's case. On the surface, the film a classic werewolf horror flick. Beneath the surface, Ginger Snaps is a riveting teen drama that puts the rest of the genre to shame. Truly, this is a film for all audiences.

Final Comments: This movie is full of symbolism but can be enjoyed strictly as a werewolf thriller. The use of some pretty hairy attack scenes makes this movie worth seeing for the horror enthusiast while the underlying tale of two sisters growing apart makes the movie so much more. I strongly recommend this movie for anyone who truly wants to see a horror movie that offers a real human emotion besides fear. This tale of two sisters is a new innovation of the classic love story.

Similar Movies: I have never seen anything quite like this before.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older