Horror, 2003, Canada
Director: Brett Sullivan
Cast: Katherine Isabelle, Tatania Maslany
Score: **

The first Ginger Snaps released in 2002 was a snappy, bitingly funny (pardon the puns) and inventive horror flick that was arguably the best Canadian film that year.  The plot concerned Ginger (Katherine Isabelle), bitten and transforming into a werewolf at the same time of her puberty.  Naturally, much to her chagrin and to the audience’s amusement, her strange behavior was dismissed by everyone as growing up pangs.  John Fawcett amazed the audience with his inspired direction that included a grand climax set during Halloween. The original script, written by Karen Walton also introduced quirky characters like the nonchalant mother and the local cool school pot supplier as the founder of the antidote to the werewolf transformation.  Brilliant!  Now two years later, fans and critics alike eagerly await the sequel.

The original Ginger Snaps last saw Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins), lying on top of the creature that had once been her sister Ginger, as it took its final breath.  In Brigitte’s hand was the hypodermic needle containing the liquid antidote that would prevent her from being a werewolf.  That is as far as the similarity of the two films goes.  The new Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (and the prequel is already in the making) moves the action from the suburbs to a drug rehabilitation clinic where Brigitte is ‘imprisoned’.  She meets an assortment of weirdoes that include a 14-year old by the name of ‘Ghost’ (Tatania Maslany) who eventually help her escape to save herself and whoever else gets in the way.

The script for Unleashed retains some of the wicked humor of the first Ginger Snaps- the initial segment has the librarian (a lively cameo by Canadian teen Brendan Fletcher) telling Brigitte he is on to her referring to him noticing her movements rather than her dilemma and a clinic worker attributing Brigitte’s blood sucking desires to her being a lesbian.  Characters are less fascinating though. The male role of the pot supplier is replaced by that of a rather bland but handsome morally corrupt Tyler (Eric Johnson) who supplies Brigitte her dosage in exchange for sexual favors.  The decision to push ‘Ghost’ as a major influence to the plot does not work too well either.  As a result, novice director Sullivan (John Fawcett now serves as executive producer) has to rely on the piling up of incident upon incident to keep the pace of the film going.  Though the potential of the drug rehabilitation setting is effectively developed with some keen observations and often laugh-out loud situations, the film soon runs out of steam by the second half.  Brigitte utters at one point: “If you keep me locked up, people are gonna die!” Apparently, the filmmakers take these words to heart with the film ultimately deteriorating into a typical werewolf flick with the monster laboriously stalking the victim and perfunctorily doing away with the minor characters.  The creature looks remarkably real and scary though – credit to the make-up and special effects crew.

The script still does not explain the ‘raison d’etre’ of the werewolf.  When Brigitte is questioned on where the monster comes from - the humorous reply “from the suburbs” just does not suffice.

In the original Ginger Snaps, Brigitte says to Ginger: “I’d rather be dead than what you are!” The film drags on so much that one only wishes for Brigitte to be out of her misery.  There is a prequel already in the making.  One can only hope it can sustain more interest than this disappointing entry!

GILBERT SEAH was born in Singapore and moved to Toronto in 1982. He is an engineer by profession, with a passion for the cinema. Since the age of 10, he has been to the movies almost daily. Having been brought up in the Asian, British and Canadian cultures, he is able to bring a distinct perspective to film.