For those of you who have seen the original “Ginger Snaps” films, yes, this one picks up pretty much right where the last one left off. It’s now little sister Brigitte’s turn to battle the raging wolf within. And for those of you who haven’t seen the original, well, you’d do well to check it out before seeing the second, even though this is the far superior film, it’s just not very forgiving for those who missed last week’s class. I’ve only seen good chunks of the first film and needed a little bringing up to speed by my girlfriend as this one unrolled. Those girlfriends obsessed with horror films sure come in handy.
Brigitte finds herself a brand new resident of a drug rehab clinic for addicted teens. “Hi, my name is Marsha and I’m a bitchy, snot-nosed addict.” “Hi, my name is Brigitte and I’m turning into a f*****g werewolf so stop yer sniveling.” You get the picture. Luckily the film doesn’t acquaint us very well with the rest of the inmates…er…patients…as that probably would’ve made for a test of the old patience and nobody wants that when they’re trying to have a good time. Instead, the focus lies almost entirely on Brigitte and her desperate struggle to put a cork in her werewolf tendencies until she makes a break from the clinic where things only get way worse for the hairy-palmed teen.
From what I saw of the original film, I liked, although I was disappointed to see that it kinda degraded into a “Buffy” episode towards the last third there. There’s no bullshit with this film, however. It’s rock solid from beginning to end – great scares, great tension, great gore, boy am I grateful. This film is a logical sequel to the original, staying faithful while standing on its own two feet and adding plenty of its own touches. There’s a new character here that plays chum to Brigitte that is absolutely brilliant. I’ll tell you no more as I don’t want to ruin the movie for you. Just know that if you want a great horror flick, you got a great horror flick with “Ginger Snaps 2”.
