Dan Abel’s review published on Letterboxd:
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs - Season 3 - Episode 4 - Film 1
Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald are teenage sisters who have a fascination with death, so much so that they take fake murder scene pictures of each other as victims of different methods of death. One night while plotting to kidnap the bully's dog, Ginger is attacked by a creature that smells her menstrual blood. A creature that is responsible for the deaths of many local dogs. Within hours her wounds are healed, she's growing hair in strange places and her personality isn't quite was it was yesterday.
Ginger Snaps is one of those films that has always been on the fringe of my watchlist but I just never got around to seeing it. One of those films that cause gasps when I tell people I've never seen it. Joe Bob Briggs has finally forced it upon me and I'm glad. Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle have excellent chemistry together as sisters to a point where they could totally pass for siblings in real life. Most of the supporting cast is pretty good too. I won't spoil who the person is but they do their best Miles Dyson imitation with their labored gasps for breath before death. That made me chuckle as it's the main thing I remember about Dyson right before he blows up Cyberdine in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
The pacing of the plot is solid from beginning to end and there's some decent gore in here! A bunch of dead dogs and a few dead people all done well. The werewolf design certainly isn't the greatest but overall the makeup and FX teams did a damn good job with a small budget. I usually chose not to dig deep into underlying meanings in film but I think this is an allegory for a girl becoming a woman. For most of this film I had a similar feeling that I got from watching May. By the end it mostly redeemed itself and it's a fun watch but it's extremely overrated. I am making sure to add this to my "must re-watch" list because I think this might be one of those films that will grow on me with multiple viewings.
Although this film was released in 2000 it's a 90's horror film through and through. Looking forward to the two sequels. Definitely recommended for horror fans of all ages but especially those who love that 90's feel. I'm not really sure how to explain that feel but you know what I mean. Check it out!
