Movie Report: The "Ginger Snaps" trilogy

"There's only one trilogy, you fucking morons." Randal Graves, Clerks II

Normally I wouldn't spend money on movies like these. I'd watch 'em, but I wouldn't pay to do it. And in this case, I've made fun of the stupid name while browsing through the video store. But we're playing a Werewolf game up north, and "Ginger Snaps" is mentioned in the list of source material as a good flick to watch. Curious, when I saw them on the two for a buck rack at Family Video, I snapped all three up.

I was pleasantly surprised. The first movie is dark and culty, with a distinct "Heathers" vibe. Sisters Ginger and Brigette are suburban goth outcasts who take death portraits for art class and hate the idea of growing up so much they have a suicide pact.

So Ginger has her first period, gets bit by something furry, and you know, the changes she goes through are pretty normal. Mood swings, bleeding, hairy legs, growing a tail, developing a taste for human flesh ...

Brigette hooks up with a drug dealer (who conveniently killed the first werewolf by hitting it with his van) and they try to find a cure. There's not a lot of disbelief here -- we go straight to "Yep, she's a werewolf. What do we do?"

A fun, bloody little movie. Special effects are pretty terrible, but hey, what do you expect for this budget? Besides -- you have to like any movie that has dried flowers from the craft store as a key plot point.


In "Ginger Snaps: Unleashed," we find Brigette, who is now fighting the werewolf curse with increasing doses of the drug she and Sam cooked up in the first movie.

She fights off a werewolf chasing her (we never find out who it is) but ends up in a mental hospital detox ward. Strangely enough, she's one of the most normal people there!

Brigette's gotta break out, fight off the werewolf and find a cure -- all before the next full moon.

"Unleashed" is a fun, creepy and smart (but not too smart) sequel to a decent little B flick. And there's some twists here that make it a little more interesting than your average splatter movie.


"Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning" is a genuine surprise. While it's normal for a movie to be decent and the sequels to suck, the third movie is by far the best of the three.

Ginger and Brigette are sisters in the early 1800s who find themselves trapped in a cursed trading fort on the edge of the wilderness. There's a cryptic Indian seer, lots of macabre atmosphere, pretty good special effects, decent performances all around -- not a bad movie at all. I would have paid to see this in the theater.

By this time the girls have great chemistry, and while some of the characters are stereotypical (I'm looking at you, preacher man!) it's a fun ride.