Ginger Snaps is a 2000 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by John Fawcett, who also co-wrote the film with Karen Walton. It stars Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle as two teenage sisters who have a fascination with death. The film's supporting cast includes Kris Lemche, Jesse Moss, Danielle Hampton, John Bourgeois, Peter Keleghan and Mimi Rogers.
After premiering at the Munich Fantasy Filmfest and screening at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, the film was released in theaters to commercial and critical success. It has amassed a cult following since its release. It was followed by a sequel, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, and a prequel, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, which were filmed back-to-back and both released in 2004.
Plot[]
In Bailey Downs, a rash of dog killings has been occurring. Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald are teenage sisters who harbor a fascination with death and, as children, formed a pact to move out of the suburb or die together by the age of 16. One night, while on the way to kidnap a dog owned by school bully Trina Sinclair, Ginger begins her first period. The scent of blood results in the girls being attacked by the creature responsible for the maulings. The creature bites and wounds Ginger, and Brigitte rescues her. As the girls flee, the creature is run over by a van belonging to Sam Miller, a local drug dealer.
Following the attack, Ginger undergoes transformations that concern Brigitte. Ginger's wounds heal quickly, and she soon starts to behave aggressively, grow hair from her scars, sprout a tail, and menstruate heavily. Ignoring Brigitte's warnings, Ginger has unprotected sex with a classmate named Jason McCardy, furiously beats Trina in public, and kills a neighbor's dog. Brigitte finds Sam for information on what his van struck, and they agree that Ginger was attacked by a werewolf and is transforming into one. At Sam's suggestion, Brigitte tries a silver ring piercing treatment on Ginger, but it proves to be ineffective. Sam then suggests infusing an extract of monkshood, a perennial plant only found in the spring.
Trina shows up at the Fitzgerald house to accuse Ginger of kidnapping her dog. She fights with Ginger and is accidentally killed. The sisters narrowly avoid their parents while hiding the body in a freezer. Brigitte accidentally breaks off two of Trina's fingers while trying to remove the corpse, and the fingers are misplaced while burying Trina in the tool shed. Brigitte tells her sister she cannot go out anymore, but Ginger remains defiant.
On Halloween, Brigitte takes monkshood purchased by her mother for a craft project and asks Sam to make the cure. Sam successfully creates a monkshood extract. While trying to track down Ginger, Brigitte is attacked by Jason (who was infected by Ginger due to unprotected sex), and she defends herself by using the monkshood syringe on him. She witnesses his immediate change in behavior, which proves it is a cure. At school, Brigitte discovers Ginger's murder of a faculty member and witnesses her killing another. Ginger then discloses her intent to target Sam next at the Greenhouse Bash, a Halloween party hosted by him, leaving Brigitte alone.
The girls' mother finds the fingers and Trina's corpse, and goes looking for her daughters. She finds Brigitte and picks her up. As she drives Brigitte to the Greenhouse Bash, she tells her that she will protect them at all costs. Brigitte arrives at the party to find Ginger hurting Sam for rejecting her sexual advances. Brigitte wounds Ginger's and her own palm and clasps their hands together, infecting herself with Ginger's blood. She convinces Ginger of her loyalty and genuine willingness to help her. As the sisters leave, Brigitte decides to abandon her mother. Outside, Ginger feels her transformation approaching and Sam knocks her unconscious with a shovel. Brigitte and Sam take Ginger back to the Fitzgerald house in his van to prepare more of the cure for her.
Ginger regains consciousness and fully transforms into a werewolf on the way home and escapes the van. Aware that she has transformed, Sam and Brigitte hide in the pantry as Sam makes the cure. When he goes to find Ginger, a transformed Ginger attacks and drags him away. After finding Sam, injured and bloody, Brigitte tries to save him by drinking his blood to calm Ginger, but is unable to go through with it. Ginger senses Brigitte's revulsion and insincerity, and kills Sam.
As Ginger stalks Brigitte through the basement, Brigitte returns to the room where they grew up. Brigitte defends herself while holding the syringe in one hand and a knife in the other. Ginger lunges at Brigitte and into the knife, fatally wounding herself. Looking at photographs of themselves on the walls, Brigitte lays her head upon her dying sister's chest and weeps.