Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Grant Harvey

Writers:

Christina Ray (writer) &
Stephen Massicotte (writer)

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

Set in 19th Century Canada, Brigette and her sister Ginger take refuge in a Traders' Fort which later becomes under siege by some savage werewolves.

Plot Keywords:

Fort | Werewolf | Wendigo | Native American | Stabbed In The Head

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Katharine Isabelle	...	Ginger
Emily Perkins	...	Brigitte
Nathaniel Arcand	...	Hunter
JR Bourne	...	James
Hugh Dillon	...	Reverend Gilbert
Adrien Dorval	...	Seamus
Brendan Fletcher	...	Finn
David La Haye	...	Claude (as David LaHaye)
Tom McCamus	...	Wallace Rowlands
Matthew Walker	...	Doc Murphy
Fabian Bird	...	Milo
Kirk Jarrett	...	Owen
David MacInnis	...	Cormac
Stevie Mitchell	...	Geoffrey
Edna Rain	...	Elder

Also Known As:

Entre soeurs 3 - Le début (Canada: French title)
Ginger Snaps 3
Ginger Snaps III: The Beginning (Canada: English title) (working title)
Ginger Snaps: The Prequel (Canada: English title) (working title)
Hellwolf: You Will Be Eaten Alive (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Philippines:R-13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Company:

49 Films

Trivia:

Shot back-to-back with Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first leech scene (when they test if Brigitte is a werewolf or not) Brigitte's sock changes color from white to olive and then back to white again.

Quotes:

Ginger: [after being hit by James] You hit like a girl!
James: Well, we've got all night to fix that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare in Canada: Canadian Horror on Film (2004) (TV)

Watchable, but shallow

What made the original Ginger Snaps a classic horror movie is the way it used the genre to explore universal themes. It offered a unique take on sibling rivalry, death, suicide, puberty, feminism, sexuality and love. Most poignantly, it gave us Ginger, a complex character with a genuine hatred of herself and everything around her.

Ginger Snaps also introduced Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins, two talented, beautiful and utterly believable actresses. So while I was a bit put off by the premise of Ginger Snaps Back, I was excited for the chance to watch the girls reprise their roles.

Ginger Snaps Back is a very watchable movie. It re-imagines the sisters in a different era, which is interesting. It's creepy. The special effects are much better than in the original. The climax is very cool. And the sisters are both perfectly portrayed. Unfortunately, when it was over, I wasn't thinking about my own mortality. I was just thinking, "Hey, cool werewolves."

I was also irritated by the dialog. Most of the time, the characters speak in stilted sentences appropriate to the era. But occasionally, Ginger drops a pithy one liner or a curse word which seems completely out of place.

The supporting cast was filled with stereotypes. The harsh minister and the sage native American hunter were especially flat.

Ginger Snaps Back gives you two things. An entertaining werewolf movie. And an excuse to watch two talented actresses portray Ginger and Brigitte. But it doesn't give you anything beyond that.