Ginger Snaps (2000) I'm glad growing up wasn't like this for me

Who says horror films with women in it can't be appreciated by the guys? 'Gingersnaps' is about two insular (and, dare I say it, a little on the weird side) who stay together all time, rather man making friends with their peers at highschool, even going as far as to say that one day, if they have nothing to look forward to on their sixteenth birthdays, they'll end their lives together.

However, as their 'sweet sixteen' draws ever closer, two things happen to the older of the sisters, Ginger.  First of all a boy in her year starts to find her attractive.  The second is that she becomes a werewolf.  Naturally, she confides in her younger sibling and they scour every reference book and online guide to find something that may change her back.

If you've seen one werewolf film then you probably know about the tropes that accompany the genre, i.e. full moons, silver bullets and changing back forth - sometimes uncontrollably with an insatiable blood lust. 'Gingersnaps' actually conforms to most of them, but it's main difference (or should I say strength?) is that despite the cast being largely teenager, it's a very adult film and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the drawbacks of being caught up in this crazy sort of supernatural incident.

Add to this the unavoidable sprinkling of social commentary as the story loosely compares a girl's first period with 'the change.' Obviously, here the 'change' is a more darker affair involving monthly blood.

'Gingersnaps' found a hard time finding its audience (especially in America) due the violent themes among its teenage cast, but its success in places like the UK and Canada kept it going until America seemed to discover it as a late night horror movie.

One to watch if you're a fan of the werewolf genre, or just for the original take for the story.  Don't expect too much in 'creature effects' - they don't properly come until the end and, although it's nice to see practical effects over CGI, the wolf itself looks a bit rubbery.  

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one