Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed

Horrorphile

follow this blog subscribe by email

342 followers

5554 daily readers

rank of 1

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed

May 18th 2009 23:19

“We can't fight what's in us, B.”
“I'm not like you, Ginger... I'm stronger.”
“Oh really? That's not how I remember you the first fifteen years of your life.
“It's how I remember the last fifteen minutes of yours.”

Every now and again a sequel comes along that is actually not half bad. Different from the first movie, yet cut from the same hide. John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps (2000), which was written by Karen Walton, is amongst the better werewolf movies; a Canadian black comedy with a distinctly feminine twist in its hirsute tail. Ginger Snaps told the story of the Fitzgerald sisters, their close bond, and the curse that came between them.

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed Emily Perkins

Emily Perkins as Brigitte

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed (2004) continues the tale but with a different tone; now the older sister Ginger (Katherine Isabelle) is only a peripheral character, a spectre per say, while poor Brigitte has to deal with her Ginger’s terrible affliction brought on by cutting herself and mixing her own blood with her sister’s, which she unwisely thought would aid the sibling’s situation.

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed Katherine Isabelle

Katherine Isabelle as Ginger

Now Brigitte is addicted to Monkshood, aka Wolfsbane, one of nature’s poisons, that seems to be keeping the lycanthropy at bay. But after a tragic incident involving the librarian Jeremy (Brendan Fletcher) Brigitte is assumed to be some kind of junkie and is incarcerated in the local rehab clinic where she is befriended by young Ghost (Tatiana Maslany), a mischievous orphan with a thing for comic heroes.

Brigitte finds temporary relief injecting Wolfsbane

Another werewolf is prowling around and is keen to mate with Brigitte. Ghost wants to help and they escape the clinic and hole up in Ghost’s family home to deal with Brigitte’s predicament. With the unintentional assistance of the clinic’s resident sleazy asshole Tyler (Eric Johnson), the two girls find themselves in a corner.

A victim from the clinic

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed is an unusually dark and disturbing movie, with issues of drug addiction, matricide, savage carnality, blackmail, sexual harassment and the corruption of innocence. For a movie about teenagers it’s surprisingly adult. Megan Martin’s screenplay is fresh and invigorating, with many memorable lines: “My best-case scenario … is hair everywhere but my eyeballs, elongation of my spine until my skin splits, teats, and a growing tolerance, maybe even affection for, the smell and taste of feces - not just my own - and then, excruciating death.”

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed Emily Perkins and Tatiana Maslany

Brigitte and Ghost (Tatiana Maslany) on the lookout for werewolf

Brigitte reacts badly to a dose

Director Brett Sullivan keeps the mood creepy and atmospheric, and although the werewolf isn’t entirely convincing, the KNB Group (Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger) still provide some excellent effects work. The acting is very good with Emily Perkins’ perpetually tortured expression almost a character in itself. Tatiana Maslany’s Ghost provides an excellent parallel/reflection to Brigitte; pale, blond and slender, with her own agenda, which rears its subversive head at movie’s end.

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed is a brooding treatise on addiction and dysfunction with lycanthropy as metaphor, much like the first movie, only darker, more daring, and less obvious with its swarthy humour. Great sound design too. The movie's not to everyone’s tastes, but it definitely scratched my lupine itch. The production was done back-to-back with Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004) set in the 19th Century, which traces the ancestral origins of the Fitzgerald sisters and the werewolf curse.

Big bad werewolf takes a sniffy of Brigiitte and likes what he smells

Apparently “No Animals or werewolves were harmed during the production of this film.” Whew.

Here's the trailer:

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed Emily Perkins and Eric Johnson

Publicity still

101

Vote

subscribe to this blog by email

follow this blog on Orble

start your own blog

[ Link ]

Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

Related Posts:

Relate This Post

[ Previous - Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning ]

[ Next - Poltergeist ]

Comments

7 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Kleonaptra

May 19th 2009 00:33

Kalikapsychosis

ARG! I HAVE to get these. There are a few older movies Im after - any idea of a good place to look?

Comment by Bryn

May 19th 2009 03:23

Horrorphile

Kleo, You should be able to get both of these from JB Hi-Fi.

Comment by David O'Connell

May 19th 2009 06:15

Screen Fanatic

I wouldn't mind seeing this one at all, the first one was a mostly underrated gem but one that still seemed to generate a very strong cultish attraction to it. I have it on DVD but it's almost unwatchable in 4:3 - is there a better release out there Bryn?

Comment by Bryn

May 19th 2009 12:04

Horrorphile

David, I too was distressed thinking the only version of the original available was the full-screen, but I found a Canadian release which I bought through amazon. It wasn't cheap, as there don't seem to be many, but well worth it as there are heaps of cool extras.

Comment by JohnDoe

May 19th 2009 15:58

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn,

The second GingerSnap was a fun distraction but never really resonated with me...I did love the institutional scenes though.

Credit for them trying to take the myth of the first into a new arena but sadly it fell short for me and I found myself laughing at its absurdities more often that falling under its spell.

Comment by Damo

May 20th 2009 05:21

It sound like a dark and brooding film.

I only hope that the characters are interesting enough to may me care for them. So many horror films are ruined by have people that we would not care if they are dead or alive.

The Promo video looks very slick.

Comment by Bryn

May 20th 2009 06:56

Horrorphile

Damo, it helps to have watched the first movie, to ensure solid empathy for Brigitte's character ... The character of Ghost is a tad annoying, and the character of Tyler is an asshole. Ginger only appears fleetingly.

[ Previous - Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning ]

[ Next - Poltergeist ]

Add A Comment

To create a fully formatted comment please click here.

CLICK HERE TO LOGIN | CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Name or Orble Tag

Home Page (optional)

Comments

Notify me of replies

Notify extra people about this comment

Is this a private comment?

List the Email Addresses or Orble Tags of the people you would like to be notified about this comment

One per line max of 30

List the Email Addresses or Orble Tags of the people you would like to be notified about this private comment thread. Only the people in this list will be able to see or reply to your comment.

One per line max of 30

Your Name
(for the email going out to the above list, it can be different to your Orble Tag)

Your Email Address

(optional)

(required for reply notification)

Submit

March 2010

5 Posts

February 2010

12 Posts

January 2010

12 Posts