Synopsis
Brigitte (Emily Perkins), having dispatched her werewolf sister in Ginger Snaps, isnow living with the fact that the wolfsbane antidote concocted in the previous film is not a curefor lycanthropy. It can merely hold the transformation painfully at bay. Mistaken for an addictto more traditional drugs, Brigitte is picked up and placed in combination drug rehab centre andburn ward (don’t ask). She needs to escape, as she is being stalked by a werewolf who seeks amate. B…igitte reluctantly allies herself with Ghost (Tatiana Maslany), a young girl who is morethan a little disturbed.
The original Ginger Snaps is one of the best werewolf movies ever made. Arguably,it is THE best. One could hardly expect the sequel to reach such heights, and, sadly, it doesn’t.The idea of putting a werewolf into a rehab centre bursting with catty cliques is inspired, but verylittle is done with the idea. The werewolf is also kept hidden for far too long. Neither as witty noras scary as the original, Ginger Snaps 2 does benefit from an excellent performance byPerkins, and by the fact that its monsters and gore are not CGI. Enough of a horror film to begetting by on, but a definite comedown.
Audio
Now this here’s a surround track! The mix is extremely creative, and contributesimmeasurably to the menace in the film. Snarls and other sounds roar out of first one speaker,then the other, to very startling effect. The same is true for the ghostly voice of Ginger (KatharineIsabelle), which also travels from front to rear in seemingly random (but definitely creepy)patterns. The result is, in some respects, better than the theatrical experience.
Video
The widescreen transfer has generally good colours, but veers a tad towards the murky. Thereis some slight grain, and the image isn’t always perfectly sharp. The blacks are solid, however.Though not perfect, the transfer is definitely atmospheric, and more than good enough to get thejob done.
Special Features
Director Brett Sullivan, producer Paula Devonshire, and exec-producers John Fawcett andNoah Segal do the commentary, and it is a bit of an effort keeping all the voices straight. Theyare all enthusiastic about the film, and take us behind the scenes in a fairly thorough way. Thereare storyboard montages of a couple of scenes — the first with storyboards only, the second withfinished film comparison. There is a 12-minute montage of deleted scenes. The two galleries arevery brief (only three screens each). One is Brigitte’s journal, the other is Ghost’s comic book.Selecting the Lions Gate logo on the menu’s main screen triggers trailers for House of 1000Corpses, Serial Killing 101 and Cabin Fever. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
By no means a terrible film, and there are so many werewolf movies out there that are muchworse than this. It tries hard, but is still a shadow of the original.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Trailers
- Deleted Scenes
- Storyboards
- Brigitte’s Journal
- Ghost’s Comic Book Art
