In the movie Ginger Snaps, Ginger (played by Katharine Isabelle) and her sister Bridget (Emily Perkins) are teenagers that are fascinated by death. They’ve even got one of those emo suicide pacts – “out by 16 or dead in the scene.” But when Ginger gets attacked by a beast, she starts to change. The beast that Bridget catches on camera is supposed to look like a werewolf, but the features look more similar to that of a large rat. (or R.O.U.S if you’ve seen The Princess Bride.)
The film’s underlying theme, which is hidden under a werewolf plotline, focuses on the difficulties teenage girls face when they get their period. The symbolic undertone the film has makes the story satiric and really helps keep Ginger Snaps fresh. The film’s ability to lighten the mood with teenage girl hormones while dealing with lycanthropy reminds the viewer of the lighthearted ’80s classic, Teen Wolf. This is a cult classic that brings campy werewolves back to the mainstream. Director John Fawcett, seems to recognize that you have to have humor to make werewolf movies work.
Ginger Snaps has aged pretty well since its release and has earned a cult following in the early 2000s. The film had two sequels, which had the same sisterly bond as the first. However, neither sequel succeeded in creating an interesting take on the female condition like the original Ginger Snaps had and managed to pull off.
movie night with Alex 