Ginger Snaps review for the 2022 Hallozeen What We're Watching!

Here's a lil review I wrote for a horror review zine we put out each Hallozeen. Here is the transcript for your readerly pleasures!

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Baby's first horror film...

Ginger Snaps 

(2000)

Content: animal death, suicide, self harm, uterus activities…

When Liz pitched the 2022 What We're Watching theme, my thoughts shot to Ginger Snaps. Now, truthfully, I have already seen Ginger Snaps twice. This will be my third watch, but before I get into it all over again, I will tell you about my first watch.

Picture a thirteen-year-old's first invitation to an unsupervised birthday party in 2005. Tomato sauce was being injected into party pies in a manner that was truly uncomfortable. Kelis' Milkshake was getting a little sour out in that yard. And our gracious host Charmaine had scoured the shelves of Video Easy for all the finest (and cheapest) horror DVDs. 

We gathered around intent on watching that horror smorgasbord in the dead of night, but we had spooked ourselves considerably by holding a very DIY séance. Whoever we contacted did us a favour, as we were perhaps a little too fresh to process the pubescent parable that is Ginger Snaps in the wee dark hours. 

The next morning and after sleeping off the sugar and teen hype, Charmaine had divined that Ginger Snaps was to be watched. 

I was in the unfortunate position of being a thirteen-year-old who's peers were all getting their periods and pubescing freely, while I was behind, mirrored on screen as Brigitte. 

And I was an spooky emo teen.

This coming of age horror follows two too-cool-for-life sisters, bonded together by blood and a mutual death wish. Their cosy little Canadian suburb is rocked by a string of animal attacks. 

Divorced from its horror aspect, Ginger Snaps is a very good coming of age film for all who have ever experienced menstruation and close siblings. It is certainly not for the sensitive, as it has plenty of very gory practical effects depicting animal and body horror. 

And while all that is very my jam now, it wasn't for the fresh eyed young Helen amped on cola and prepubescent dread. We watched the film, and you know the perfect thing to do after watching a film featuring girls getting ravaged in the woods? Go for a stromp about the Thompson River. 

Out there, I rolled that film in my head over and over, burning that imagery into my fresh young retinas. It wasn't until 3 nights after watching it that I finally got some sleep. 

And now it is one of my favourite films. It's like that, when you watch something that has an impact on you, it sticks. 

Ginger Snaps is such a good watch. Watch it, go on. Do it for the sisterly bonding, the teen angst, the cute werewolf puppet, the ride or die mum, the JANITOR!