Ginger Snaps

Director: John Fawcett
Year Released: 2000
Rating: 3.0

Teen sisters Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), both fascinated with gore and neither popular at school, have their lives change when Ginger finally gets her first period (the Curse!) and is bitten by a loose werewolf (!), which turns her into a sex-obsessed flesh-eater (Brigitte tries to help her but it's a losing battle). What sounds like a dopey Z-grade concept is actually an efficient and ferocious B-movie worthy of cult status: the dialogue is sharp, the subtext is rich (it's a metaphor for, among other things, a fear of growing up) and the effects are better than expected (no CGI!): Fawcett keeps his camera active while his actresses scramble around, soaked in viscera, frantic to hide the growing body count (the girls' mother, played by Mimi Rogers, is exceptionally patient with them). Most horror movies - with larger budgets and star power - only dream of being this resourceful and sharp ... and who knew the local pot dealer could be a useful ally in times of crisis? Oh Canada, may you never cease to amaze....