Horror Movie Review: Ginger Snaps Back

The third installment and purportedly the last (somehow I doubt it; I really, really want to see a second sequel. Ginger Snaps: Unleashed just can't simply end on the note it did and not have one. It just can't, I tell's ya!) is a prequel that tells in a roundabout sort of way, how the Fitzgerald sisters bloodline was cursed to carry the mark of the beast so to speak. I'm going to assume that this is what the movie is about, because logically it doesn't make sense any other way.

Anyhow, we find the Fitz's somewhere in the latter part of the 1800's outside in the freezing tundra of what one day we assume will be Bailey Downs. They stumble upon an old Indian encampment that has been torn apart with blood splattered everywhere. An old woman is all that survives and in that mystical pap that such wizened oldsters who are either Native American or have Gaelic roots are fond of spouting, she speaks a cryptic phrase: "Kill the Boy, or one Sister will kill the other." The sister's cut out of there before you can say "Carol Anne...Stay Away From The Light," and one stumbles right into a wolf trap. A Indian Hunter rescues the girls and takes them to a settlement that at all times are besieged by lycanthropic creatures, but seem to favor the night. Once inside, the girls have to deal with the weirdness of the few survivors that haven't been taken in the attacks, including a doctor with a fondness for leeches, a sadist, a Hellfire and Brimstone, woman-hating Preacher and a leader with a dark secret.

Soon it becomes apparent that one of the sisters is infected with The Curse, and eventually they flee back to the outside where once again they're at the mercy of the elements and the Werewolves. They find the Hunter and the Old Woman who have forseen the coming of the girls "One Red and One Black," who carry the curse of the Wendigo on them. This all leads back to the Fort where the Werewolves make one final assault on the place with a little help. One of the sisters make a drastic choice, and from there, we assume the Curse is in the Fitzgerald bloodline forever. "Together Forever," was the mantra for the first film and so it is for the prequel.

That is just one nod to the first movie, and there are others. If you're a die-hard fan of Ginger Snaps like I am, you'll catch them right away. If you haven't seen any of these films, shame on you. Go out rent, buy, or borrow the first one and watch it, else you won't have a real idea what is really going on. The scenery is dreary with the snow and sense of isolation and desolation and is effective for setting mood. I'm sad to report that other than Brigette and Ginger you really don't have any of the other characters redeeming enough to latch onto. The Werewolves are reminiscent of the ones in the sequel and the only time they're really shown is toward the end. CGI is present, but Thank God it's used sparingly. Lots of the red stuff flowing, and when it comes to creatures of these type, there's no such thing as too much.

I've heard a lot of griping about certain aspects of the film, and it's warranted in certain cases, but not so in others. From my review, it may seem that I didn't care for the film that much. I actually liked it and thought it was as good as you can expect from a third movie in a popular series. Yes, it had its downside's but it wasn't so bad that you could pan the film. I will say it's probably not the best one in the trio, but it's a damn sight better than many "firsts" in the Horror genre, and with so many crappy movies in said category, that's not too hard to pull off.

Rating: :voorhees: :voorhees: 1/2