7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Ginger and Brigitte, two sisters trapped in suburbia, are obsessed with mayhem, torture and death until they get a taste of the real thing. Bitten by a wild animal, Ginger begins to mutate into a sexy, uncontrolled woman, with some nasty canine tendencies.
Starring: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Mimi Rogers, Kris Lemche, Jesse Moss (II)Horror | 100% |
Supernatural | 17% |
Dark humor | 6% |
Teen | 3% |
Coming of age | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Is it time to retire that well worn phrase “damsel in distress?” Is there any masculine version of that cliché? Horror films would be hard pressed to dispense with that concept, let alone the actual term, for let’s face it—a lot of what informs horror films is indeed women (often young and nubile) getting stalked or otherwise terrorized. Is that all there is to horror? Of course not, but girls in threatening circumstances have been a horror staple for so long that it’s almost hard to think of the genre without such artifices. Ginger Snaps injects a little “grrl” power into the horror idiom, depicting two Goth sisters who initially come across as the kind of kids your parents always warned you to stay away from, but who then get swept up in a tale of lycanthropy. The film tries—perhaps a bit too hard—to meld the girls’ pubescence with one of the sister’s transformation into a werewolf, but through it all, the two females at the core of the story are frequently the predator rather than the prey, and that in and of itself sets this long controversial film apart from many of its genre siblings. Ginger Snaps, with its subtext of two roiling schoolmates who exact a certain amount of carnage on their teachers and classmates, was released when many were still in a state of shock from then relatively recent school shootings like Columbine. But Ginger Snaps isn’t really about alienated youth—or perhaps more accurately isn’t just about alienated youth. This is a horror film with perhaps more on its mind than the “mere” blood and guts that are regularly on display throughout its running time. The film may never quite make the connections it’s seeking to, but it’s often a fascinating and maybe even a valiant attempt.
Ginger Snaps is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (an imprint of Shout! Factory) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Shot on a very modest budget, Ginger Snaps ends up looking surprisingly well detailed most of the time in this new high definition presentation. Colors, while muted a lot of the time (the film takes place largely in autumn), are nicely saturated, and when the film gets into its Grand Guignol displays of blood and guts, the reds and oranges pop extremely vividly. The film is not overly sharp by contemporary standards, but close-ups still reveal excellent fine detail. While contrast is generally strong, the film is slightly hobbled by inadequate shadow detail, something that makes what's actually going on throughout the longish climax a bit hard to ferret out at times. There are no stability issues here, and the film retains a natural looking grain structure.
Ginger Snaps features both a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix as well as a really immersive and well done DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. While there's nothing at all to complain about in the 2.0 mix, those with surround systems will definitely want to opt for the 5.1 mix, as there has been great attention paid to widely splayed foley effects, good support of LFE, and nice dispersion of the moody score by Michael Shields. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand, and fidelity is excellent, with no problems of any kind to warrant any worry. Dynamic range is extremely wide, especially in the 5.1 iteration.
Ginger Snaps may not quite make all the connections it's obviously aiming for, but the film is notable for featuring two girls who initially seem powerless, but soon take matters into their own hands (and/or jaws). Some of the film's goofier elements, like a somewhat addle pated mom played by Mimi Rogers, are more distracting than anything, but this is one horror film that at least tries for something a bit more ambitious than just an increasing body count (though there's plenty of carnage for blood and guts fans). This new Blu-ray boasts solid technical merits and comes with a really impressive supplementary package. Recommended.
Restored Edition
1981
2014-2016
1941
2011
1982
Includes "Drácula"
1931
Late Phases
2014
1936
2019
1943
2015
1942
1961
1970
1976
Collector’s Edition
2024
2002
Night of the Demon
1957
Season 1
2013-2014
Stephen King's It
1990