Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004)

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.

Director:

Grant Harvey

Writers:

Christina Ray, Stephen Massicotte

Stars:

Katharine Isabelle, Emily Perkins, Nathaniel Arcand

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

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. And an enigmatic Indian hunter decides to help the girls, but one of the girls has been bitten by a werewolf. Brigitte and Ginger may have no one to turn to but themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1815 | 1810s | female protagonist | canadian horror | five word title | 

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Taglines:

Evil rises...

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brendan Fletcher previously costarred with Katharine Isabelle in the 2nd installment of this series Ginger Snaps Back 2 and the two also co-starred in Freddy Vs. Jason (2003). This movie was the first time in all 3 movies where they actually shared scenes together.

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Goofs

When the werewolf breaks into the fort, Brigitte's knife alternates between pointing upwards and downwards at least three times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brigitte: The Indians say the curse began in the time of the Ancients and was passed down through the blood of generations. There are legends of the Wendigo and the coming of the Red and the Black. Legends of the Day of Reckoning, when Death would consume the land, and good would face evil; of the day the curse would be broken forever - or grow stronger, and live on to plague generations to come. But ours was a story of survival; of two sisters bound by blood. A bond that would not be broken...

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Crazy Credits

Wolf.....Miko

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Alternate Versions

The DVD release contains deleted scenes. The additional footage is as follows:

• While looking for a set of keys, Finn tells the girls that he is a map maker. The girls ask what has happened at the fort. Finn doesn't answer them. They see a pile of werewolf drawings on a desk, and look at Finn questioningly. He says that the pictures are of old wives tales.
• An extended dinner scene with additional dialogue amongst the men. Seamus says that the scripture has made Gilbert twisted. James loudly questions Hunter's motives for staying at the fort. Seamus defends Hunter. Hunter puts a knife to James' throat before letting him go. Rowlands begins to make a speech before being interrupted by the howling of werewolves outside.
• Returning to the fort after helping Ginger escape, Brigitte is brought before Rowlands. Gilbert claims she is a disciple of the devil and will steal the souls of the men. Rowlands tells Brigitte that when he looked into his son's eyes before shooting him, he saw nothing. He then says that when he looks into Brigitte's eyes, he sees only her sister. He tells the men they can do what they want with Brigitte, and that he washes his hands of the whole thing.
• An extended burial scene where Gilbert makes several veiled attacks towards Seamus' personal life.

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Connections

Featured in Filmography: Ginger Snaps (2004)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English Cree

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning

Filming Locations:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

49 Films, Combustion, Lions Gate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1