Customer Reviews

Ginger Snaps [Import]

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Great Canadian Cult Film! Wish they made more than 3! Watched most all Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle (HOT) movies!

je trouve ce film vraiment génial de sa version french traduit pour le Quebec Qui se nomme Entre soeurs. Un histoire qui se tien du début à la fin, un film facile à écouter et à regarder des million de fois, j'adore ce film de loup garou je le recommande au personnne qui aime les film dans ce concept je le trouve simplement MERVEILLEUX!

I saw part 2 sitting in the rental section and laughed and thought it was going to be a horrible movie, so I didn't pick it up...even though I love B movies. But I came to Amazon to look at some customer reviews of part 1 and part 2. To my surprise there were great reviews of the movies. So..I said to hell with it and bought this movie from Amazon. A few days later it shows up and I throw it in the DVD player and me and 4 of my buddies started to watch it. All of us got a kick out of this movie (even though we didn't like the ending that much). The beatdown on the school field was classic to us guys and we had to rewind it twice to watch it..lol. This aint your typical Werewolf movie, which is a good thing! If you are a fan of renting those movies that aren't block buster hits...'B' movies...then you owe it to yourself to pick this movie up. I'm 100% satisfied I bought it and now I'm waiting on part 2 to show up in the mail!

Gingersnaps is one of the most original and savvy horror movies of the genre. The story centers around two teenagers, sisters who represent opposites on the spectrum of physical beauty. They aren't interested in boys or the shallow social life of their local high school. Sexual harassment and peer hazing are endured with wry boredom by our heroes. These girls are jaded--partly by the lack of meaning in their lives and by the superficial values of adolescence that judge them by their appearance and ability to fit in. They play out their lack of interest in life by their fascination with filming one another in elaborate death scenes. Everything changes when one of the sisters becomes a werewolf.

"Gingersnaps" is brilliantly filmed in bleak suburbia by Canadian John Fawcett (director of Taken, and Queer as Folk), and co-written by Fawcett and Karen Walton. The actresses are superb; Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are perfect as misfit teenagers.

This hip underground horror film is substantial entertainment. It succeeds as a good quality werewolf film and it provides pithy cultural observations.

I remember coming across this DVD a few years ago in the horror section and thinking that it was just another teen movie. I later found out that it was a werewolf movie, which is one of my preferred themes in horror (there aren't that many good ones out there) and I therefore ended up watching it. IT BLEW ME AWAY!!! This is a great movie with all the right elements: great story, great effects, a lot of blood for those who like gore and good acting. If you're a fan of horror and especially werewolves, DO NOT miss this movie.
If you decide to buy the movie instead of renting it, buy the special collector's (Canadian) edition. It includes a lot of extra features that are not available on the regular edition. Ginger Snaps II is also available on DVD and is just as great as this movie. Ginger Snaps III (aka Ginger Snaps Back or Ginger Snaps: The Beginning) is being released on DVD in Canada in August 2004 and in US in September.

"Ginger Snaps" A Howling Good Time

"Ginger Snaps" takes the old cautionary tale of Little Red Riding and turns it on its furry ear. Instead of Lon Chaney Jr. howling at the moon and chasing poor unsuspecting girls through the woods - enter the Fitzgerald sisters, Ginger and Brigitte (Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins) two slightly morbid, teenage sisters entering puberty who are about to experience "the curse," and put a whole new humorous lycanthropic spin on the phrase "that time of month." Ginger has "the bite" put on her by a werewolf while walking through the woods with her sister. She then begins to experience "the change" much to the horror of her younger sister Brigitte. Ginger begins experiencing cramps, ill temper, hair in strange places, and a new found "taste" for boys much to the horror of Brigitte who must hide her sister's secret, clean up the mess, and find a way to help end the terrible curse before Ginger "snaps" again!

"Ginger Snaps" is a horror at it's best. The film benefits greatly by a strong cast, particularly Perkins and Isabelle as the Fitzgerald sisters, Kris Lemche as a dope dealing, knight in shining armor/love interest, and Mimi Rogers - who is a real hoot playing a well meaning but ineffectual "Beaver Cleaver" house mom trying to help her teenage daughters deal with the trials of puberty.

Though Karen Walton and John Fawcett's script was written tongue in cheek - the film has many genuinely horrific moments. There is more than enough blood, gore and entrails here to keep any bonafide horror fan happy. That being said, because this Canadian film production had a tight budget, it relies primarily on acting, atmosphere and suspense building to deliver the scares - probably a plus rather than a minus. Our lycanthrope is seen only in glimpses a la "Alien" until near the end of the film. Thankfully, the makeup and special effects it does employ are innovative and decently done.

Director John Hawcett does a fine job creating a dark chilling atmosphere. He moves the plot at a good pace, deftly interweaving moments of horror and humour. Though the scares come fast and frequent, Fawcett wisely takes the time to give us glimpses into the amusingly macabre life and relationships of the Fitzgerald sisters. Their situation may be fantastic and comic, but the Fitzgeralds, though misfits, are in many ways average teens, dealing with everyday teenage problems (problems with parents, teachers, peers, bullies, boys, etc.) and thus draw empathy from the audience. The gritty dialogue and snapshots of high school life help to underline this realism and contribute to the viewer's willing suspension of disbelief.

The only place where I felt the film didn't quite work was the ending which seemed cliché when compared to the innovativeness of earlier parts of the film. I won't go into any in depth criticism and spoil it for those who haven't seen the film, but suffice it to say that perhaps the reason for this may have been that it was written with a sequel in mind ("Ginger Snaps" ultimately became a trilogy).

As a caution, though definitely not gratuitous, some may feel that the language, gore, nudity and explicit sexuality is over the top.
Though not perfect, "Ginger Snaps" is still the most innovative horrifying piece of lycanthropic lunacy to come down the pike in decades. I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. "Ginger Snaps" is a howling good time!

Rob Rheubottom
Winnipeg, MB Canada

A rocking little werewolf flick, lots of blood and fun! Too bad the sequels were so bad...

couple of sisters with vivid imagination are misunderstood. One gets bit by a "you know what" and the fun begins. Naturedly this is mistaken for a different type of change in life.

All the elements are there:

Caring (haven't got a clue) parents.

Blond with nasty attitude antagonist.

Drug dealer that does werewolf studies on the side.

Lots of neighbors with tasty pets.

Occasional gratuitous sex scene (the camera breaks away before the sweaty parts.)

You get the idea.

Will a cure be found and they all live happily ever after or is it curtains for the victims(s)?

The movie does have its unique way of mixing the standard elements to come out with the average "nipper" story. The only social redeeming value is the sisters' fidelity.

Great product! Seller is 100% reliable. Dvd in excellent condition. Packaging 100%. Recommendable. Thanks a lot! Hope doing business again!

Ginger Snaps takes the old myth of the werewolfs and gave it a brand new look. A darkly humorous streak colors this Canadian production (which spawned two sequels) that smartly parallels lycanthropy with puberty. Morbid teenaged sisters Ginger and Brigitte find themselves growing apart after Ginger is bitten by a werewolf and begins to undergo unusual "changes." There's three things that makes this film so special then all the other crap that come out nowadays. First, this movies give a new look to the lycanthropy which makes it very different from all the others werewolf movies, like American Werewolf In London, The Wolfman and The Howling. Now you might be wondering, " How can this movie be any different from all these other films that you just mentioned ". Well, let me explain. In any other Werewolf movies, when someone is bitten, or scratched by a werewolf, the transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon. Well, in this film (and the sequels), they gradually become one as days goes by. The second major aspect in this film are the strong performance by Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle as the two sisters, and the chemistry they have is just stunning. At one point, you could actually believe that they are sisters. If Twilight is only for girls, well Ginger Snaps is for both. And if your afraid that there's is maybe not enough blood or gore in this movie, don't worry there's plenty in the last twenty minutes. The third and final thing that make this movie outstanding is the ending, i won't spoil it, but i will say, that it's breathtaking and very poetic. I've been a horror movie fan my entire life, and it's been a while since i've seen such a great horror film like this one. A Canadian film was needed to show in Hollywood how to make a horror movie.

Rating: Two very big thumbs up !