10/25: Ginger Snaps

10/25

In an attempt to complete horror creature bingo (I've hit zombies, vampires, and demons this year, leaving werewolves sadly forgotten), I chose the cult classic Ginger Snaps. Centered around two early-2000s goth sisters that are way too close, Ginger Snaps uses the transformation to a werewolf to mirror the struggles of a young woman coming of age.

Yeah, kinda like that. But, ya know, with werewolves.

Have you ever watched an older movie or TV show that other people have raved to you about and when it's over you realize... man, I missed the window that I should have seen this in? Yeah, that's how I feel here. Don't get me wrong: I can get the hype. This is an intelligently told story that is brutal while at the same time being able to tell us something deep about feminism, young womanhood, and sexuality. Add in a healthy dose of humor, and I get it. 

But, still... I just feel like I missed the window on this one. It feels a bit dated, and it was hard to overlook some of the silly ways the plot forces itself to work (I know it's a dumb detail, but when Brigitte (the younger sister) is pushed into a dead dog that somehow no one saw in a wide open field, it drove me nuts). I love me a good cult film so I understand that some things don't need to add up or work perfectly, but I also feel that there's a moment to see these kinds of movies in to truly appreciate them; sadly, I just missed it. I'm sure that if I showed Donnie Darko to someone today they wouldn't get it, but damn it if that movie didn't change my life when I saw it in high school.  

So as it stands, it's hard to give this one a rating. On one hand, I get the special place this has in people's hearts and it's a well made film, but on the other I just wasn't personally super into it. This rating I think does the best to reflect that.

7/10