Synopsis
The two sisters from Ginger Snaps and Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed are back,only this time Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins are 19th-Century versions of themselves. Lostin the snowy Canadian frontier, they arrive at Fort Bailey, only to find a rather chilly welcome.The fort is besieged by werewolves, and the starving, demoralized garrison is suspicious of anystrangers. The sisters do find shelter, along with rampant misogyny and racism. If those dangersweren’… enough, it turns out that the commander’s son is turning into a werewolf, and he bitesGinger.
As with the first sequel, the prequel can’t really compare to the original. That perfectlyjudged blend of incisive wit and all-out horror stands out for the masterpiece it is bydemonstrating how difficult it is to recapture that magic formula. Ginger Snaps Backplays its horrors almost completely straight, and it does make some pointed comments about thexenophobia of white colonists. The werewolf effects are pretty solid for a film of this budget (andthere are more of them than in Unleashed), and the gore is satisfying too. This is a fairlydecent werewolf movie, then, one that need not hang its head in shame, but it does suffer incomparison to its illustrious forebear.
Audio
The audio comes in both 5.1 and 2.0. Often, when a choice is presented, this means that the5.1 is weak in the power of its surround elements, but there is no such problem here. The windand other spooky effects whoosh and roar from all sides. The placement is very good, too, andthere is a strong bass to both effects and music.
Video
The anamorphic widescreen picture has excellent colours: the palette ranges from the steelycold whites of the forest to the rich, deep, warm shades of the interior night scenes. The fleshtones are excellent, and the image itself is very sharp, untroubled by edge enhancement or grain.The blacks are suitably deep as well.
Special Features
As with the other releases in the series, the extras are generous to a fault. Director GrantHarvey, editor Ken Filewych and co-writer Stephen Massicotte handle the commentary, andmake sure to cover both thematic and technical issues. There are four deleted scenes, also withoptional commentary. Harvey’s “Video Diary” of the shoot also sets up the look of thefeaturettes: “Wolfboy” (make-up on said character), “Blood, Guts and Fire” (FX and make-up),“Production Design,” “Costume Design,” “Behind the Scenes” and “Fun on the Set” (the lattertwo being very similar records of antics during the shoot). The menu is fully animated andscored.
Closing Thoughts
A strong exercise in low-budget horror, one that would look even better if it didn’t have tofollow a classic.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
- Director’s Video Diary
- “Wolfboy” Featurette
- “Blood, Guts and Fire” Featurette
- “Production Design” Featurette
- “Costume Design” Featurette
- “Behind the Scenes” Featurette
- “Fun on the Set” Featurette
