GINGER SNAPS DVD FEATURES Region Reviewed: Region 2 Number of Discs: 1 Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Picture: 16:9 Anamorphic Special Features: Screen tests, trailer, featurette, Creation Of The Beast feature, cast notes, productions notes, scene access.

Ginger Snaps Plot: When two 'weird' death crazed sisters venture out one night, the elder, Ginger, is attacked by an unknown creature in the local woods. She survives the attack and very quickly recovers from her injuries, but then Ginger notices changes in herself, both physically and emotionally.

Ginger Snaps Review: I must admit, after picking up the dvd in the store, I thought to myself, not another damn teen slasher movie! Well, to my surprise, Ginger Snaps isn't another below par teen slasher pic. Oh no, in fact far from it, as John Fawcett's black comedy/ horror film was a delight to watch, even if it was a little uncomfortable in places. No, i'm not saying I was scared, just uncomfortable......Oh, well maybe a little afraid!

Because Ginger Snaps is a horror movie with a difference. In fact, i'd associate it more with something like The Virgin Suicides rather than Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. But then again it's nothing like The Virgin Suicides as it's all about a girl who gets bitten by a werewolf and then slowly starts turning into one herself. But the association with the aforementioned film, is with the two central characters, two sisters Bridgette and Ginger. They're both at the age when they start to see changes in their bodies.....you know. Ginger, on the night when she is attcked by a creature in the local woods, has her first period, and the film really is a metaphor for the changes she and millions of other teenage girls undergo at this point in their lives.

But lets not try and look deep into the underlying message here. This is a horror movie!

The two lead actresses, relatively unknown until this, Emily Perkins and Katherine Isabelle give two superb and totally believeable performances as Bridgette and Ginger. In the opening scenes they both feed off one another to form the bond of these two sisters, who are seen in the eyes of the rest of their school as outcasts. This bond is essential to the story.

As I said before, the films opening scene is very uncomfortable particularly as it features a little boy, playing in a sand pit who comes accross the severed foot of his pet dog. Then we're taken into possibly the best opening sequence of the year showing the two girls photographing themselves in numerous 'suicide' situations. The rest of the film is also similar, although some scenes are more funny than scary. But this is definately not one for the faint hearted.

The direction is pretty slick, although some scenes that set out to scare, fail to do so at all while others (that opening scene!) do in a chilling, but realistic way. And I suppose this is what makes Ginger Snaps work.


Ginger Snaps Disc Review: Ginger Snaps is presented on only one disc that includes scene access, a crappy five minute featurette into the production of the film, another even crappier feature on the creation of the werewolf, a slightly more interesting screen test feature and the bog standard theatrical trailer. The most annoying thing about the extras are that they all play in a window almost half the size of the screen. The picture transfer is OK, while the sound is fairly decent, but won't push the limits of you're Dolby setup. A let down.


Overall Rating - MOVIE: 7/10 - DISC: 4/10

Read our original Ginger Snaps theatrical release review.

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