Ginger Snaps Review

Written by: Constantce   

It’s a rare horror film that appeals to female interests.  For this, I love “Ginger Snaps.”  It stabbed me in the heart, but that knife twisted when it shone a light on the relationship between sisters.  Being stabbed by a movie is, of course, a good thing. 

There are seven years between my sister and I, even so, when we were girls, I slept on her floor in a sleeping bag, just to be close to her, and we would cry about the possibility of losing each other.  This is not such a far cry from the relationship between Ginger and Bridget, sisters growing up with normal parents in a normal town.  Everything around them is normal, except for the fact that dogs are being found dead, ripped to shreds by what is being called a “beast.”   Their suicide pact comes from the same place of love that me and Krista’s night-time tears did, that deep connection between sisters.  And where the movie goes is amazing, watching them grow up and apart.

Yes, I am talking about a horror movie.  Instead of straight adolescence, what comes between the girls is a werewolf infection.  Ginger, one year older, and beautiful, is bitten by a werewolf spurred by bloodlust, at Ginger’s first period. 

It was hard for me to watch this purely for the monster story, and so I enlisted Pete, my husband, for his take on things.  He wasn’t as enthralled with it, calling it a “chick flick with werewolves, no better than Twilight.”   Ouch!  And yet, well played, sir, with the comparison.  His issues were technical.  He ranted for a good five minutes about the weakness of Ginger’s transformation, the weakness of the werewolf breed that the movie uses.  “Werewolves are supposed to be indestructible!”  he shouted, “and werewolves are way tougher than deer!” he said, citing a scene where one does minor damage to a van.  He might disagree with me, but I still love it when he gets worked up over a movie. 

I watched him vent, wondering why it bothered him so much, until he said, “That weak-ass mom coddled them and was ready to blow up the dad because she did such a poor job raising her daughters.”  A-ha!  How could I have not seen it before?  He identified with the dad, who is painted as little more than scenery.  No wonder he could see nothing but problems with the film.  Whereas I was wrapped up completely by the main characters.

Ginger turns into a werewolf, that’s no secret if you haven’t yet seen it.   But what you won’t expect is how it affects her relationship with her sister/best friend, and how the two will have to fight nature to survive and continue to adulthood. 

“Ginger Snaps” is a must-see for a female horror fan.  I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before now.  It’s also a must-see if you appreciate horror through an unexpected lens.