Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed

REVIEW
The original Ginger Snaps (2001) has become nothing short of a contemporary genre classic, a low-budget Canadian teen werewolf yarn that became an instant fan favorite for its witty dialogue, sharp social and sexual subtext, dead-on performances, and genuinely effective horror sequences. Three years later, two sequels are now emerging, and if the initial entry, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, is any indication, perhaps the entire Snaps series will wind up being long-term keepers (the third entry, a period-piece prequel entitled Ginger Snaps Back, will be released on video later this year). Is Snaps 2 as good as the original film? No, not quite (that would’ve been an insurmountable task)—but it’s not for lack of skill and imagination, and this sequel emerges as the rare horror follow-up that deserves comparison to its predecessor. The sequel follows surviving sister Brigitte (Emily Perkins), on the lam after her late sister Ginger’s lycanthropic evolution and bloodbath. Haunted by occasional visits from Ginger (the lovely Katherine Isabelle), Brigitte must mainline wolfsbane in order to avoid her own transformation, and her addiction gets her tossed into a rehab clinic for young female junkies. Cut off from her supply, Brigitte must make an escape to avoid becoming what eventually destroyed her sister. While one misses the sibling chemistry that made the original Snaps such a memorably human horror film (Ginger’s rare appearances in the sequel don’t quite convey the same bond), this sequel boasts the same wonderful Perkins performance, subversive wit, and impressive werewolf effects (actually improved here) that fueled the first film. If the metaphor of drug addiction present here isn’t as satirically loaded as the inaugural film’s allegorical explorations of burgeoning adolescent sexuality, Snaps 2 director Brett Sullivan (the original film’s editor) nonetheless brings a great degree of sensitivity and intelligence to the storyline, and this marks Snaps as a continuing horror series well worth following.