4 out of 5

Director: John Fawcett

While Ginger Snaps lacks some final push to nudge it into 5-star amazing territory, every time I watch this film I am re-surprised by how stupifyingly awesome the combination of horror, commentary and satire is played. Ginger Snaps is essentially a werewolf film, couching the classic affliction as an infection. Oddball 16 year old Ginger gets bitten by a werewolf and starts to turn, negatively affecting the strong bond she has with her equally oddball 15 year old sister Brigitte. Layered on top of this are slabs of fascinating commentary relating to women, parents, puberty, high school, sex, etc. But over-hyping this movie isnt fair – it works as a straight horror film, not skimping on the blood or special effects or tension. As mentioned, theres some veneer over things that prevents it from being perfect, and if anything, its that its too hyper-real, almost: the reactions of everyone feels fair, from the children to the parents, the teachers and students, and so it retains this weird bottled-up feeling like it never really lets loose. This is also part of what makes it so smart, though… Still an original viewing, ten years on, Ginger Snaps is a strange and smart brew that can have wide ranging appeal for horror fans, dark comedy fans, and anyone whos open to funny-feeling gender commentary.