Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good horror flick
Review: When my boyfriend brought home Ginger Snaps, I sighed unhappily. It seemed he had been perusing the wall of low-budget no brainer horror flicks once again. However, the seemingly cheesey premise of Ginger Snaps developed itself into a great horror movie. Katherine Isabelle gave a great performance as the troubled teen and soon to be werewolf. Although the effects were less than dazzling, the overall impact of the movie was truly scary! Not since the Blair Witch Project have I so thoroughly enjoyed a horror movie. Since that first time, we've rented Ginger Snaps twice more!
Rating:
Summary: An overlooked gem!!
Review: I rented Ginger Snaps based on a review I read in Entertainment Weekly during the film's limited theatrical release last fall. I wasn't expecting much even though that review was fairly positive. When the movie was over I just sat there in stunned silence. A truly excellent horror film!! For starters, if you don't get creeped out by the opening title sequence, you must already be dead. Secondly, this movie has so many wonderful layers that I can't even cover them all in this space. It's a horror movie, a black comedy, a coming of age story, a family drama, a social satire and on and on and on and it covers all of these bases beautifully. And on top of all that it is SCARY SCARY SCARY!!!! It was so refreshing to see, once the monster rears it's head, an actual animatronic creation rather than some glossy, phony digital creation. Just rent this movie. You don't even have to be a horror fan. Just shut up and rent it!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, but ruined in America....
Review: Who doesn't letterbox these days? American distributors that have no clue what their audience wants, that's who.Probably the best horror movie I've seen since... can't remember a better one. The acting is better than expected, and it delightfully breaks away from the Scream mold. If you are internet savvy though, pick up the Canadian version of this disc.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Horror Film Ever
Review: I saw this funny, touching, and ironic film at SXSW 2001 in Austin--loved it so much I went twice. I've yet to see another feminist horror film that's remotely as clever. Lots of blood, though. But hey, it's horror! Classic depiction of teenage girl angst--real, not Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE!
Review: Yes, it really is a great movie. Smart, engaging, and witty in a REAL way, not in the usual post-"Scream" self-referential kind of way.
--BUT-- if you are a fan at ALL of this movie, do avoid the American ARTISAN release. Not only is it a poor pan-and-scan release, but it also is devoid of ANY extras.
Instead, be sure to suss-out the extras-packed Canadian version which has a crisp, bright letterboxed image and MUCH better box-art.
It really is worth it. This horrible Artisan-release is just another in a long line of sub-par releases they seem to be specializing in these days... pity!
Rating:
Summary: The best horror flick i've seen in ages.
Review: I literally just finished watching this movie, and i want to write this out while it's still fresh in my mind. It's so good i'm going to leave some things out, for brevity, or so as not to spoil it if you haven't seen it. The horror genre is about as played out as they get. Worse still is the teen-geared slasher (Please God, don't ever make me look at that Scream mask again). So, imagine my delight when a movie that fits that pigeonhole still surprises me, keeps me interested, and, wonder of wonders, actually scares me from time to time. This is a gorefest, sure, but a top-of-the line one. The premise, first of all, is pretty clever. Use the transformation from human to something wholly unfamiliar, brutal and horrifying as a metaphor for the changes young people, specifically young women, face when "the curse" kicks in. In the case of our antiheroine Ginger, these two coincide. The night her first period begins, she is mauled by some enormous beast we hardly see, in a panicky sequence filled with quick cuts and shaky camerawork. (This technique may irk some viewers by being too stylish; i thought it added chaos and confusion to the scene in a way that worked.) After the attack, her body begins gradually to, uh, blossom, in ways that terrify and fascinate her, and that may seem eerily familiar to pubescent girls. Odd sudden hair growth, new body parts sprouting up (Ginger starts growing a grotesquely realistic tail), and new shall-we-say "hungers" are perfectly normal parts of becoming a woman, or so she's told by out-to-lunch guidance counsellors and gee-whiz June Cleaver wannabe Mom.
(The "grownups just don't understand" thing may seem cliché now, but it didn't when you were 15.) The acting is great all around. Katharine Isabelle does a fantastic job of portraying Ginger's combination of horror and pride at the transformation she's undergoing. Emily Perkins does equally well with the more subtle job of sister Brigitte's on-the-one-hand fear for her older sister's health, and on-the-other-hand underlying envy that this metamorphosis is leaving her behind as her sister becomes, well, whatever she's becoming. There are a couple levels here, and the two actors are so good, they hold it together seamlessly. They also nail every opportunity for comic relief. The dialogue is sharp and lifelike, way beyond the drivel that Hollywood seems to think flows from the mouths of teens. The effect is that the humour keeps the story from getting bogged down in grimness but never distracts you from the fear running through each scene. One other note on Perkins' performance. She carries the emotional weight of this movie; as Ginger becomes less and less human, we see Brigitte transforming as well, deperately trying to save her doomed sister. The script gives her a bit more to do than scream and run, and she takes full advantage. The credit for my emotional response to the tragedy of this story is mostly hers. And the special effects. Well, as several other reviewers have said, bravo for shunning the CGI route. For all i know the decision to use puppets and real-life models instead of scream-at-thin-air-and-we'll-draw-it-in-later stuff might have been due to budget. Whatever. It works. The beast itself appears only rarely and briefly, building suspense and actually making us afraid of what's behind the next corner. (remember why "Alien" was good?) When we do see it, the creature dodges the risk of being, well, silly-looking, as many latex-and fur horrors are, and is as menacing as it needs to be. The film at times had a B-movie feel, i assumed that was intentional. I didn't need it to be slick and expensive-looking. I just wanted well-made, and scary. This movie more than delivers. It exceeded my expectations.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Werewolves films in a long time.
Review: When two Oddball sisters named Brigette (Emily Perkins) and Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) are obessed with death. When the both of them are planning to play a cruel prank on one of thier classmates. On that night, Ginger is attack and gets bitten by a Werewolf. Rapidly Ginger wounds are fixen but she`s turning into one slowly and her hormoans are up the roof, because of the curse. Clever black comedy with Horror Elements. Filmed in Canada. Mimi Rogers is funny and well cast as thier over-protective mother. Perkins and Isabelle gives fine performance in this one of a kind werewolf film since An American Werewolf in London. DVD`s has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer with an fine Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. But This DVD is from Canada. It`s from Columbia/Tri-Star/TVA International/Lions Gate Home Video/Unapix Entertainiment. DVD is Digitally Mastered for Anamorphic Video and Sound.-Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio Transfer.-English:Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. French:Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. Scene Selections. No Subtitles for English, French or Spanish and No Closed Captioned. DVD is Packed with Extras as:An running commentary track by Director:John Fawcett. An running commentary track by Writer:Karen Walton. Deleted Scenes with/without separate commentary tracks by Fawcett and Walton. Featurette.Cast & Crew Information.Theatrical Trailers & T.V. Spots. Behind the Scenes on Designing the Werewolf.Screen Test & Rehearsals.Production Design Artwork:Bailey Downs, Illustrations and Logos magazine covers. Hidden Feature. This film recieve Three Genie Awards nominations, including:Best Cinematography-Thom Best, Best Editing-Brett Sullivan and Best Sound Editing. Walton recieve an Prize for Best Original Screenplay at the Canadian Comedy Award. Do not miss this wonderful flick. Grade:A-.
Rating:
Summary: This movie gets in your head...
Review: Or, at least, it got in mine. Like a song that keeps playing, I found myself alternatively laughing and being depressed over this film for the following week (watching it over and over only slightly lessened this). I think, like me, anyone who didn't fit in during their high school years will immediately identify with the main characters. I think that this movie works as a horror film for all the reasons that most horror movies are fun to watch, but not scary. Horror, true horror, doesn't rely on things jumping out at the screen when you least (or most) expect it. The scariest form of horror is psychological. Ginger Snaps doesn't go for cheap scares, it pulls you in with it's unusual approach. Try and name a villain in this movie... there isn't one. Anonymously masked killers don't scare me. My loved one changing in front of my eyes... now THAT scares me. By the by, the collectors edition is available on DVD in Canada, and it contains all sorts of juicy features that this one doesn't have (like widescreen).
Rating:
Summary: An overlooked horror film from Canada
Review: Ok, well when I first heard the title of this film, I had no clue what it was about. Then I saw the trailer and I thought, ah, another stupid American teen "horror" flick. But THEN, I read some reviews on-line after the film had come out on DVD. And I was quite surprised to learn how many people thought it was a really good movie! In fact, one site even named the Canadian release one of the best 10 DVDs of the year! Wow. Based on such reviews, I decided to buy the DVD, sight-unseen (glad I did!). The version I got was the Artisan American version (pretty inexpensive used if you can find it). The Canadian version is the better DVD though, as it is the "special" edition with Dolby Surround, widescreen, commentary, featurettes, screen tests, etc. The American version is full frame and only as a trailer...it's pro logic sound, too, not Dolby surround. Apparently, the film was a matted widescreen, so you probably see more of the film on the American version, but it's about 1.85:1, I think, so the difference isn't that much. Anyhow, the film is very good! I join with the appraising chorus. It deals with two Goth-y teen sisters, one of whom (Ginger) gets bitten one night by a wild animal. From that point on, a strange metamorphosis comes over her. This is a werewolf movie and it takes the subject matter quite seriously. The two leading actresses are really good and don't spend the movie pouting or trying to be glamorous. Instead, they actually ACT believably. This is not a "Scream" film or a "I know last summer blah blah" film. There are true horror elements here as well as a true emotional base. You care about the lead actresses as well as the story (unlike most American films which sadly have devolved into a series of chases or CGI scenes that don't really add much to any perceivable plotline). In fact, the special effect work in this film is almost an afterthought. Now, I'm a film buff, so I've seen a lot of movies. Take my word, this film is EASILY one of the best horror films I've seen in a while. It is to monster horror movies what "Sixth Sense" is to ghost stories or "The Haunting" (original 60s version) is to haunted house movies. Strong 5 stars!!
Rating:
Summary: The worst DVD I own
Review: This is a great film but an awful DVD. This is the first DVD I have seen that does not have scene selection! How lame is that. The sound is 2.0 and in the middle of the movie the dubbing is off. Their voices do not correspond with the lip movements at all. It's like watching an old kung fu movie. It's cool for a while but then starts to really piss you off. Ginger Snaps is a very cool flick. It sucks that Artisan did not think enough of this film to package it more favorably. I highly recommend this movie, but don't think the DVD is going to be anything great. I'm sure they will rerelease it soon in a mucch better version. Cheers!
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