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Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kristopher Lemche, Mimi Rogers, Jesse Moss ... see more see more... , Peter Keleghan , John Bourgeois , Nick Nolan

In the generic Canadian suburb of Bailey Downs live Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), 15-year-old sisters committed to introversion, menstruation anxiety, and terminal misanthr... read more read more...opy. Three years late for their first period, they spend their time staging gruesome death scenes for their own amusement, amidst the willful ignorance of their relentlessly perky mother (Mimi Rogers). On the night Ginger finally gets her period, the sisters are attacked in the woods by a ferocious creature that may have some connection to "The Beast of Bailey Downs," a predator currently disemboweling its way through the local dog population. The girls survive the attack, and Ginger's wounds heal quickly, but her attitude grows even more bizarre, as hair sprouts from her scars and a tail grows from her spine. Adding to the terror, she starts dating boys. A panicked Brigitte forces herself to befriend Sam (Kris Lemche), the high school pot supplier, whose brand of ganja may be the only cure for Ginger's troubling ailment. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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75% liked it

52,404 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

47 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: John Fawcett

Release Date: April 21, 2001

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DVD Release Date: October 23, 2001

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Stats: 2,736 reviews

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GS Ginger snaps. Katharine Isabelle Katharine Isabelle GINGER SNAPS-katharine isabelle ginger snaps Ginger Snaps. Emily Perkins ginger snaps movie Kris Lemche A blood-soaked Emily Perkins Are you *sure* it's just cramps? Ginger Snaps. Katharine Isabelle ginger snaps Kris Lemche katharine isabelle Katharine Isabelle
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Flixster Reviews (2,736)

  • aquateen2
    April 8, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    There's a lot of reasons why this film is more memorable than other teen horror movies. For one thing, everything in Ginger Snaps is kept consistent including, the frights, the irony and the belly aching ... read morelaughs. The lead duo give it all they've got and that's rarely seen in this type of movie. Backed up with a decent script, an array of likable and real characters and a cleverly built in social commentary, Ginger Snaps suceeds beyond all other films with this over used premise. I'm really surprised this one was forgotten, because it's damn well the coolest one out there.
  • EightThirty
    January 28, 2012
    EightThirty
    13/07/2010 (ONLINE)

    My kind of "Chick Flick". This film is dreadfully good and the girls are absolutely what I like, they're dark, deliberate and deadly... indeed a dangerous combination.

    It's been a while since I've seen a decent "horror flick" and I'm still pretty... read more buzzed out about this movie. I saw the sequel years back and I've always wanted to see where it all started and I'm glad I finally did.

    This is definitely one for them "Horror Heads" and indeed a treat!
  • ScoopOnline
    November 28, 2011
    ScoopOnline
    The prequel was a tiny bit too iritating for me. But I enjoyed the sequel.
    I am not saying not watch it. It was just perhaps it was me. Well just like the Movie Bloody Mary, this will stay a Mystery why I didnt catch it.
  • riverdale237
    November 4, 2011
    riverdale237
    Ginger Snaps, has almost everything I want in a werewolf film. Characters I can relate too? Check. Great scares? Check. A few laughs? Check. Great acting? Check. Meaningful message? Check. Granted, it has a few flaws but for the most part, this is a smart, dark, beautiful film th... read moreat truly deserves it's cult status. It's one of the few feminist horror films out there that is actually REALLY good (Jennifer's Body is another great one, but that's a story for another day)

    First of all, like I said, this movie has flaws. There isn;t a whole lot of action, and the kills, while being extremely bloody, are almost always off screen. Not to mention we don't even SEE Ginger/Werewolf until the end of the movie. For those expecting an action packed horror movie, you have come to the wrong place.

    Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad. The actors were all really good, particularly Emily Perkins as Brigette, a social goth outcast who practically idolizes her older sister Ginger. She put plenty of energy and emotion into her performance. Katherine Isabelle did a great job as well as Ginger, she was very realistic in a role that was hard to make seem real.

    I think the best thing about this film is that I connect with the characters. Both Brigette and Ginger (Mostly Brigette) are bullied mercilessly at school. Ginger, on the other hand, fights back against the system against her. She kicks the dogs of popular kids and beats the crap out of the meanest girl in school Trina. Never have I respected a character as much as I respect Ginger from "Ginger Snaps".

    "Ginger Snaps" does have an incredibly scary werewolf, once we can actually see it. For a movie that had such a low budget, they really managed to create a cool, and downright creepy looking monster.

    However, the best thing about this movie is probably the relationship between the two sisters. "Out by 16 or dead on the scene, together forever" as they say. They have a friendship as close as any cinematic friendship I've ever seen, which becomes increasingly difficult as Ginger's lycanthropy causes her to become more sexually active, popular and extremely violent.

    While "Ginger Snaps" may not be as good as "The Wolfman" it is an amazing movie in it's own right. It has wit, humor and meaning, especially towards the end. I loved it.
  • flixsterman
    January 26, 2011
    flixsterman
    Cult classic teen angst with high aspirations and second rate special effects. Credit Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle for keeping it interesting.
  • ceWEBrity
    November 6, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    Ginger Snaps is deliciously 90s, which makes it a much greater surprise that it was actually made in 2001. In many ways, this feels like the film time forgot, a film ignorant of trends or commercialism, one that kind of does whatever the fuck it wants. It's sloppily structured an... read mored cheap, with so much falling apart at the same time that it becomes exhausting trying to keep track of it all. The latter half slows down and deemphasizes the wittiness of the script, which is easily the film's strongest asset. This makes it difficult to truly follow through with unless you're willing to get involved with the characters. They're over the top, much like everything else in this film, but as a picture of razor-edged excess Ginger Snaps satisfies. The dialogue is a perfect union between sharp and ridiculous, sort of like Canadian Juno, and both sisters deliver it with obvious relish. The film seems meant only to please. How can you NOT feel good when the bitchy antagonist gets her due at the hands of the sisters? Perhaps it's a little manipulative in this way, but for me the film worked despite its broadness.

    Ginger Snaps is maybe a little overrated in its cult canon status, and the metaphorization of puberty through lycanthropy isn't really as clever as people seem to think it is. As a growing-up angst flick fraught with gory werewolf violence, however, it absolutely hits the spot. Lower your expectations accordingly and you'll find this to be a fun, campy ride worthy of your time.
  • MissMorganLeee
    September 11, 2010
    MissMorganLeee
    I think I watched this movie about 4 or 5 times before I saw it the whole way through...This is a great campy movie to watch. Especially durring halloween. I always look forward to seeing it on AMC when they have thier Halloween special on.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    A top Werewolf film! (At last!) The young cast do well as does Fawcett in only his second film!
  • matertenebraum
    September 21, 2008
    matertenebraum
    Sisters Ginger and Brigitte are walking through the park when Ginger is attacked by some sort of wolf that leaves her badly cut before they get away. With Ginger on her period already she is upset about the various changes happening to her body but it is apparent to Brigitte that... read more the changes occurring to Ginger are more sinister and she tries to find a solution.

    Despite the fact that the title is far too clever and silly for the film it announces this is actually a very strong teen horror. In the midst of the usual teen slasher movies, this film stands out as one that doesn't fall into the usual clichés (either accidentally or knowingly) and just concentrates on being a good film. The script cleverly uses the changes of teenage years and the changes of the werewolf as one and it works very well on the whole. Ginger's change is gradual and well done by the script.

    The film is gory but not in a bloodlust type way where teens are bumped off in gory ways for audience amusement. Here the film builds gradually with blood a constant thing but not in a sensationalist way. When the film comes to a close, it does well to not be diminishing by the sight of the wolf itself - often the hint of the creature is better than the actual effects, both work here. The cast are good on the whole. Of course the support cast do play the usual teen stereotypes but, unlike other of this genre, they are not just fodder. The best playing comes from Isabelle and Perkins- the former especially giving a really good performance that makes the script alive.

    Overall this was a very pleasant surprise - a good teen horror movie. It may lack the clichés of it's peers, and maybe that is why it is not as well known as the others, but it is a great little film and, if you need any further evidence of it's calibre - the ending is one of taste and restraint, words not often associated with teenage slasher movies.
  • Deano78
    May 16, 2008
    Deano78
    A very cool modern take on the werewolf genre. Mixing in a lot of teenage angst as well, the young cast do very well and the werewolf effects are very good.

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Critic Reviews

Derek Elley
September 24, 2007
Derek Elley, Variety

A quietly subversive my-sister-is-turning-into-a-werewolf movie that doesn't wimp out at the end. Full Review

Ray Conlogue
March 19, 2002
Ray Conlogue, Globe and Mail

The ideas are thin, and the scene-by-scene execution of them is bumbling. Full Review

Peter Howell
November 23, 2001
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A superbly realized take on the perils of being different in a world that demands conformity. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
November 13, 2001
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

It deserves a cult following among satire-loving, feminist-minded gore aficionados who appreciate a well-made human tail. Full Review

Charles Taylor
October 26, 2001
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

Canada. Werewolves. It's the smartest and funniest scary movie in a long time -- and a true feminist horror film. Full Review

Dave Kehr
October 25, 2001
Dave Kehr, New York Times

Fawcett is fundamentally a sly, dry satirist, with a distinct sensibility and a promising talent of his own. Full Review

Dennis Lim
October 23, 2001
Dennis Lim, Village Voice

The linkage between puberty and lycanthropy ... is imagined with enough savage wit to count as an act of genre resuscitation. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
October 8, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The best teenage werewolf movie ever made. Full Review

Sarah Wenk
January 2, 2011
Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media

Very, very violent horror flick. Full Review

Lucius Gore
June 18, 2008
Lucius Gore, ESplatter

A stunning teen angst/werewolf film from 2001, this was the best lycanthrope movie since An American Werewolf in London. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Ginger: I said I'd die for you!
    • Brigitte: No. You said you'd die with me. Cause you had nothing better to do.
    • Brigitte: Are you sure it's just cramps?
    • Ginger: Just so you know, the words 'just' and 'cramps,' they don't go together.
    • Ginger: A girl can only be a slut, a bitch, a tease, or the virgin next door.
    • Ginger: Suicide is like, the ultimate f*** you.
    • Pamela: (talking to Ginger) Beating up girls? Cutting class? I'm very disappointed in you.
    • Sam: Biology, now there's something you can sink your teeth into, so to speak. You're real. Your problem is real. The solution is real.
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Ginger Snaps Trivia

  • in Ginger Snaps, what does Ginger turn into?  Answer »
  • What is the name of the two sisters in "Ginger Snaps"?  Answer »
  • In the movie Ginger Snaps what do Ginger and Bridget call it when you get your period?  Answer »
  • In the movie 'Ginger Snaps' what appendage does ginger grow and try to cut off?  Answer »
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