Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.
Well here is the start of my “Ginger Snaps” franchise review, I’m looking forward to reviewing this cult franchise so lets get on with it!
Our leading ladies, Emily Perkins (Brigitte) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger) aka ‘The Fitzgerald sisters’. A pair of outsiders who are obsessed with death and share a very close bond. That is until one of them is attacked by a werewolf, then all hell breaks loose. Along with the irony of stars Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins auditioning on the same day the two actresses were also born in the same hospital, attended the same pre-school, elementary school, and private school, and worked through the same talent agency, I think that’s very creepy!
Before the film even started though there where problems, Karen Walton was apprehensive about writing the film because of the horror genre’s reputation of negatively portraying women. Director John Fawcett convinced her that the film would break these clichés, so luckily she took the job. Also due to the fact that the film features teenagers in violent situations the production had difficulty getting funding because of the Columbine massacre and other school shootings that had recently occurred.
When it comes to a films budget, big doesn’t necessarily mean better and “Ginger Snaps” is great proof of that, the constraints of it’s budget actually helped this film. Director John Fawcett refused to have CGI effects in the film, opting for all of the special creature effects to be done with prosthetics and make-up, Katharine Isabelle’s monster makeup would take three hours to apply and an additional 45 minutes to remove after shooting. I praise him for this move and hold him in high regard for it, it was a bold move to make but it ultimately paid off.
The cast, crew and everyone involved in the film did an amazing job but I’d like to congratulate writer Karen Walton on writing a fantastic story filled with many layers and subtle tones. The films story is very much a ‘coming of age’ plot filled with werewolf mythology. I know women who have told me they have very much identified with this film from when they went through puberty themselves, I think the fact a woman wrote it truly helps the films tone and personality.
“Ginger Snaps” is a fantastic werewolf film that has achieved cult status and rightly so, if you haven’t seen the film yet then you need to get your priorities sorted!
Miscellaneous facts about the film:
Among the students paged over the school’s PA system by an uncredited Lucy Lawless are Samuel and Theodore Raimi. Ted Raimi is Lawless’ co-star on Xena: Warrior Princess; Ted’s brother Sam Raimi is the show’s executive producer.
Brigitte’s hair is a wig.
The role of Ginger originally was offered to Sarah Polley and Natasha Lyonne, but they both turned it down.
Although Katharine Isabelle is supposed to be playing Emily Perkins’ older sister, she is actually five years younger than Emily.
Writer Karen Walton singled out Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle’s audition tape and said their performances were the exact way she had envisioned the characters of Ginger and Brigitte. The two were cast as the leads.
The producers searched for six months to find the right actresses for the roles of Ginger and Brigitte, but were having no luck. Ironically, after such a long casting process Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins auditioned on the same day and landed both roles.
Shot in six weeks.
The opening shots of the girls’ fake suicides had to be shot on location at an actual home. Someone would have to distract the homeowner’s four-year-old child whenever the actresses, who would be covered by fake gore, would have to come inside to change.
Many of the “day” scenes had to be scheduled to be shot at night. The crew brought in a large 18-kilowatt light to flood the locations with light so it would appear to be day on film. Reportedly, the light was strong enough to be seen by aircraft passing overhead.
The film’s final cut was turned out in just eight weeks, an unusually short time for editing. The editing was nominated for a Genie award though.
This film was the fifth highest grossing Canadian film of 2001.
Despite the fact that this was filmed in the standard spherical format, “Filmed in Panavision” is listed in the end credits.
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