Ginger Snaps (2000)

Director:

John Fawcett

Writers:

Karen Walton (story) &
John Fawcett (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 May 2001 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

She's got the curse

Plot:

This film uses werewolfism as a metaphor for puberty. One of the Fitzgerald sisters, suburban goth girl outcasts, gets bitten by something in the woods (and it ain't a neighborhood dog).

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Werewolf | Goth | Goth Girl | Puberty

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Emily Perkins	...	Brigitte
Katharine Isabelle	...	Ginger
Kris Lemche	...	Sam
Mimi Rogers	...	Pamela
Jesse Moss	...	Jason
Danielle Hampton	...	Trina
John Bourgeois	...	Henry
Peter Keleghan	...	Mr. Wayne
Christopher Redman	...	Ben
Jimmy MacInnis	...	Tim
Lindsay Leese	...	Nurse Ferry
Wendii Fulford	...	Ms. Sykes
Ann Baggley	...	Mother
Graeme Robertson	...	Toddler
Maxwell Robertson	...	Toddler
Pak-Kwong Ho	...	Janitor (as Pak-Kong Ho)
Bryon Bully	...	Hockey Kid
Steven Taylor	...	Puppy Kid
Nick Nolan	...	Creature / Gingerwolf
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joey Paul Gowdy	...	Student Blue Backpack (uncredited)
Lucy Lawless	...	Announcer on School's PA System (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
John Fawcett

Writing credits
Karen Walton		(story) &
John Fawcett		(story)
Karen Walton		(written by)

Produced by
Tina Goldlist	....	associate producer
Karen Lee Hall	....	producer
Steven Hoban	....	producer (as Steve Hoban)
Dan Lyon	....	executive producer (as Daniel Lyon)
Alicia Reilly Larson	....	executive producer (as Alicia Reilly-Larson)
Noah Segal	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mike Shields		(as Michael Shields)

Cinematography by
Thom Best		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Brett Sullivan

Casting by
Robin D. Cook

Production Design by
Todd Cherniawsky

Art Direction by
Mary Wilkinson

Set Decoration by
Eric McNab

Costume Design by
Lea Carlson

Makeup Department
Gérald Altenburg	....	wig maker (as Gerald Altenburg)
Sarah Fairbairn	....	makeup artist
Jenn Gould	....	makeup assistant: second unit (as Jen Gould)
Paul Jones	....	special makeup effects artist
Candice Ornstein	....	makeup assistant: second unit
Jordan Samuel	....	makeup artist
Suzanne Savage	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert J. Pazoro	....	production manager (as Roberta J. Pazdro)
Lori A. Waters	....	post-production supervisor (as Lori Waters)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Arias	....	second assistant director: second unit
Grant Harvey	....	second unit director
Sheldon Inkol	....	first assistant director: second unit
David McLennan	....	first assistant director
Craig Newman	....	third assistant director
Michelle Redel	....	trainee assistant director: second unit
Neil Winemaker	....	trainee assistant director
Laura Wood Fawcett	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Frank Consiglio	....	set dresser
Patrick Cooke	....	on-set dresser
Joanne Filleti	....	key painter (as Joanne F. Filleti)
Michael Followes	....	property master
Julia Holden	....	storyboard artist
Vincenzo Natali	....	storyboard artist
Dan Norton	....	first assistant art director
Derreck Roemer	....	assistant property master
Monique Roy	....	lead set dresser
Jack St. John	....	head carpenter
Frans Van Gerwen	....	construction coordinator
Joanna Weinstein	....	food stylist
Cindy Yetman	....	property master: second unit (uncredited)

Sound Department
Marina Adam	....	foley assistant
Tom Blainey	....	adr recordist
Fred Brennan	....	adr editor
Kathy Choi	....	second assistant sound editor
Susan Fairbairn	....	first assistant sound editor
Robert Fletcher	....	location sound recordist
Jeff Hamon	....	adr recordist
Garrett Kerr	....	supervising dialogue editor
Bob Lacivita	....	adr recordist
Mishann Lau	....	dialogue editor
Geoff Lippman	....	sound consultant: Dolby (as Geof Lipman)
Kirk Lynds	....	sound re-recording assistant
Stephen Marian	....	boom operator (as Steve Marian)
David McCallum	....	sound designer
David McCallum	....	supervising sound editor
Jason Milligan	....	boom operator
Steve Moore	....	sound re-recording assistant
Donna Powell	....	foley artist
Ian Rankin	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Ian Rankin	....	foley recordist
Lou Solakofski	....	sound re-recording mixer
Orest Sushko	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jane Tattersall	....	sound effects editor
Robert Warchol	....	sound effects editor
Randy Wilson	....	adr recordist
David Yonson	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Reg Ashby	....	special effects assistant
Patrick Baxter	....	foam latex coordinator
Rob Crawford	....	special effects assistant
Fifi Dadanka	....	effects artist
Carl Faber	....	effects artist
Matthew Galliford	....	effects artist
Kelly Groh	....	prosthetic costume coordinator
Shaune Harrison	....	key prosthetic artist
Kate Hill	....	key prosthetic artist
Tiar Hollub	....	effects artist
Brock Jolliffe	....	special effects supervisor
Paul Jones	....	creature effects
John Kernigan	....	prosthetic costume coordinator
Vicky Mifsud	....	prosthetic artist
Mike Pyette	....	effects artist
Rudy Rivas	....	special effects assistant
David Scott	....	effects artist
Dan Sheehan	....	effects artist
Anthony Veilleux	....	effects artist
Scott Patton	....	sculptor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
John Furniotis	....	visual effects supervisor
Jamie Hallett	....	digital composites
Jamie Hallett	....	opening title composite
Chris Nguyen	....	film scanning and recording
David Salter	....	digital composites
Bob Yoshioka	....	digital composites

Stunts
Brittney Banks	....	stunt performer
Shelley Cook	....	stunt coordinator
Kym Kristalie	....	stunt performer
Jessica Meyer	....	stunt performer
Regan Moore	....	stunt performer
Edward A. Queffelec	....	stunt rigger

Camera and Electrical Department
Terry Banting	....	gaffer: second unit (as Terry J. Banting)
Paul Begin	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Mark Berlet	....	gaffer
Paul Boucher	....	additional camera operator
Steven Chung	....	camera operator: EPK
Michael Curtis	....	third electrician
Margaret Demchenko	....	camera trainee
Maryse Frigon	....	second assistant camera
Mario Frisk	....	key grip: second unit
Ava Gerlitz	....	still photographer (as Ava V. Gerlitz)
Sophie Giraud	....	still photographer
James D. Grant	....	best boy grip
Kenneth S. Green	....	best boy electric: second unit (as Ken Green)
Kenneth S. Green	....	electrician (as Ken Green)
Patrick Hales	....	dolly grip
Sean Hearn	....	best boy electric: second unit
Jeff Hohener	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Andy Jekabsons	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Sean Jensen	....	Steadicam operator
Sean Jensen	....	camera operator
Chris Kelly	....	best boy grip: second unit
Chris Kelly	....	grip
Shaun Lawless	....	camera operator: "b" camera, second unit
Rick Leger	....	generator operator
Tom O'Reilly	....	key grip (as Thomas O'Reilly)
Loreen Ruddock	....	best girl electric
Lennon Shute	....	best boy grip: second unit
Gavin Smith	....	director of photography: second unit
Dean Stinchcombe	....	first assistant camera
Frank Varga	....	generator operator: second unit
Pief Weyman	....	still photographer (as L. Pief Weyman)
Chris Zacharuk	....	electrician

Casting Department
Megan Conacher	....	extras casting
Caroline Klein	....	extras casting assistant
Robert McGee	....	casting: USA
Linda Phillips-Palo	....	casting: USA (as Linda Philips-Palo)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sylvia Bohne	....	wardrobe assistant: second unit
Sheila Fitzpatrick	....	assistant costume designer
Marie Grogan Hales	....	wardrobe supervisor
Kelly Hood	....	wardrobe assistant
Stacy Laliberte	....	wardrobe assistant: second unit

Editorial Department
Michele Francis	....	first assistant editor
Ricardo Olivero	....	color timer
Catherine Rankin	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Howard Jones	....	composer: song "Temple from Within"
Tanya Kalmanovitch	....	music arranger: strings
Jason Lawrence	....	music recording assistant
Scot McFadyen	....	music supervisor
Beau Shiminsky	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Glen Avigdor	....	transportation captain
Allan Fear	....	driver
Lora Kitchener	....	transportation coordinator
Scott Magee	....	driver
Richard Miazek	....	driver
John Osmokrovic	....	driver
Doug Warren	....	driver

Other crew
Taryn Ash	....	stand-in
Mark 'The Bish' Bishop	....	production assistant
Debbie Bromley	....	location maintenance
Ken Chubb	....	story editor
Karen Colaco	....	production accountant
Jane Conway	....	animal wrangler
Conor Cronin	....	location scout
Marco Di Venanzo	....	location production assistant (as Marco 'Ratboy' Di Venanzo)
Lincoln D'Souza	....	assistant accountant (as Lincoln Desouza)
Lara Edwards	....	production legal: Heenan Blaikie
Charlotte Engel	....	production coordinator
Cori Ferguson	....	publicist
Dan Greenwood	....	production assistant
Orest Haba	....	location manager
Pamela Hackwell	....	contact lens technician
Violetta Hessing	....	animal wrangler
Mandy Ketcheson	....	contact lens technician
Victor Kushmaniuk	....	associate to producer
Rachel Landry	....	script supervisor
Sam Lee	....	production assistant
Tina Madden	....	script supervisor: second unit
Sasha Marusich	....	production accountant
David McKane	....	production assistant
Steven Merrick	....	location scout
Anne Marie Murphy	....	clearance
Anne Marie Murphy	....	legal researcher
Andrea Nesbitt	....	assistant production coordinator
Mark Osler	....	contact lens technician
Martin Osler	....	contact lens technician (as Dr. Martin Osler)
Jason Skrobar	....	production assistant
Rebecca Smith	....	post-production accountant
David Steinberg	....	production legal: Heenan Blaikie
Iain Stewart	....	location scout
Brian Weiner	....	tutor
Glen Wylie	....	assistant accountant
Kirk Jarrett	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
R. Emerson John	....	daily script supervisor (uncredited)

Thanks
Jonathan Agenski	....	thank you to (as Sprawl - Jonathan Agenski)
Stewart Aziz	....	thank you to
Shirley Barrie	....	thank you to
Robert E. Baruc	....	thank you to (as Robert Baruc)
Crissy Boylan	....	thank you to
Amy Caplan	....	thank you to
Semi Chellas	....	thank you to
Ken Cherniawsky	....	thank you to (as Ken)
Rose Cherniawsky	....	thank you to
Suzette Couture	....	thank you to
Janet E. Cuddy	....	thank you to (as Janet Cuddy)
Jennifer Cypher	....	thank you to
Inge Fawcett	....	thank you to
Keith Fawcett	....	thank you to (as Keith)
Nicola Gallimore	....	thank you to
Karen German	....	thank you to
Lynne Godin	....	thank you to
Joan Groote	....	thank you to
Bill Hall	....	thank you to
Marg Hall	....	thank you to (as Marg)
Tyler Harcott	....	thank you to
Fabiana Harvey	....	thank you to
Grant Harvey	....	thank you to (as Grant)
Jack Heath	....	thank you to
Kate Holloway	....	thank you to (as Kate)
Michael Holloway	....	thank you to
Jennifer Hollyer	....	thank you to
Roger Honeywell	....	thank you to
Geoff Hubbard	....	thank you to
Verda Johnston	....	thank you to (as Verda)
William Johnston	....	thank you to
Bernadette Joyce	....	thank you to
Ralph Kircher	....	thank you to (as Sprawl - Ralph Kircher)
Mary Larocque	....	thank you to
Lucy Lawless	....	thank you to
Janis Lundman	....	thank you to
Allan Magee	....	thank you to (as Al Magee)
Heidi Marshall	....	thank you to
Kevin May	....	thank you to
Michaelle McLean	....	thank you to (as Michaelle MacLean)
Lisa Miller Wood	....	thank you to
Adrienne Mitchell	....	thank you to
Jim Murphy	....	thank you to
Hugh Murray	....	thank you to
Vincenzo Natali	....	thank you to
Nigel Phelps	....	thank you to
Debbie Reeves	....	thank you to
Jeff Sackman	....	thank you to
Pierre Sarrazin	....	thank you to
Helen Souza	....	thank you to
Robert G. Tapert	....	thank you to (as Rob Tapert)
Cheri Turner	....	thank you to (as Cherie Turner)
Joanne Walton	....	thank you to (as Joanne)
Neale Walton	....	thank you to
Peter Wellington	....	thank you to
Anne Wood	....	thank you to
Carole Wood	....	thank you to (as Carole)
Laura Wood Fawcett	....	thank you to (as Laura Fawcett)
Grant Wood	....	thank you to
Michael Wood	....	thank you to
Jeremy Wright	....	thank you to
Scott Yoselow	....	thank you to
Lora Yowell	....	thank you to
Bernard Zukerman	....	thank you to (as Bernard Zuckerman)

Production Companies

• Copperheart Entertainment (present)
• Water Pictures (present)
• Motion International (present)
• Lions Gate Films (in association with)
• Unapix Entertainment Productions (in association with) (as Unapix Entertainment)
• Canadian Television Fund (produced with the participation of) (as the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, CTF: Licence Fee Program, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program)
• Téléfilm Canada (produced with the participation of) (as Telefilm Canada)
• Space: The Imagination Station (produced in association with)
• Movie Network, The (TMN) (produced with the participation of)
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) (with the assistance of)
• Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, The (with the participation of) (as The Government of Ontario - The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit)
• Casablanca Sound and Picture (financial support)
• Tattersall Sound (financial support)
• Oddbod Productions
• TVA International

Distributors

• Motion International (2000) (Canada) (all media)
• Unapix Entertainment Productions (2001) (USA)
• Lions Gate Films (2000) (non-USA) (all media) (sales)
• Cinema Village Features (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2001) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (for)
• RCV Film Distribution (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• TVA Films (2000) (Canada) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Artisan Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD) (retail)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• EuroVideo (2002) (Germany) (DVD) (rental)
• Planeta 2010 (Spain)
• SBP (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (VHS)
• TVA International (2001) (Canada) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Film Effects (digital visual effects)

Other Companies

• Hot Knives  catering
• Capers on Location  catering
• Absolutely Famished  catering
• Bulloch Entertainment Services  payroll services
• Reel Edibles Limited  craft service
• Casablanca Sound and Picture  foley recorded at (as Casablanca Sound & Picture)
• Film Effects  opticals
• Grove House Communications  AVID film composer provided by
• Sharpe Sound Studios  adr recorded at: Vancouver
• Casablanca Sound and Picture  adr recorded at: Toronto (as Casablanca Sound & Picture)
• Complex, The  adr recorded at: Los Angeles (as The Complex Studios)
• Casablanca Sound and Picture  re-recorded at (as Casablanca Sound & Picture)
• Tattersall Sound  post production services provided by
• Magnetic North, The  video transfers (as Magnetic North)
• DeLuxe Toronto  processing (as Deluxe Laboratories)
• Panavision Canada  camera equipment and lenses (as Panavision®)
• PS Production Services  grip and lighting equipment
• Heenan Blaikie Lawyers  production legal (as Heenan Blaikie)
• Eastern Script Service Inc.  legal research and clearances
• Motion Picture Bond Company, The  completion bond
• Jones Brown Insurance  insurance (as Jones Brown & Associates)
• Banque Nationale de Paris  bank financing (as Banque Nationale De Paris [Canada])
• Canadian Medical Response  paramedic services
• Scholastic  vampires, werewolves and other demons provided by
• The Image Bank  stock footage
• Jet Music Inc.  music produced by
• Sync Spot Digital Audio Post  music recorded and mixed at
• M-A-C  make-up provided by (as M*A*C)
• Casting Link  audition casting space provided by
• Rogers Publishing Ltd.  courtesy of (Chatelaine magazine) (as Chatelaine @ Rogers Publishing Ltd.)
• Expert Books  published by (The New Flower Expert - ©Dr. D.G. Hessayon 1999. All rights reserved.) (as Expert Books, a division of Transworld Publishers)
• Shock Stock  courtesy of ("The Cats" clip)
• Something Weird Video (SWV)  courtesy of ("The Cats" clip) (as Something Weird Video®)
• Roadrunner Records  soundtrack available on
• Acme Services and Maintenance  thank you to
• Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)  thank you to (as ACTRA)
• City of Brampton, The  thank you to
• City of Markham, The  thank you to (as The City Of Markham)
• City of Mississauga  thank you to (as The City Of Mississauga)
• DGC  thank you to (as DGC Directors Guild of Canada La Guilde Canadienne des Réalisateurs)
• Durex Canada  thank you to
• I.A.T.S.E. Local 667  thank you to (as I.A.T.S.E. 667)
• Life Brand Products  thank you to
• M.M.I. Product Placement  thank you to (as MMI Product Placement)
• Nabet/700  thank you to (as NABET 700 CEP)
• Premier Entertainment  thank you to
• Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy  thank you to
• York Region Parks and Recreation  thank you to

Also Known As:

Ginger Snaps (Argentina) (festival title) (Spain) [es]
Feroz (Mexico) (working title) [es]
Ginger Minge (Ireland: Irish Gaelic title) [ga]
Ginger Snaps (Finland) [fi]
Ginger Snaps - Das Biest in Dir (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Ginger Snaps - La poseída (Venezuela) [es]
I metamorfosi (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
I parea ton lykon (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Licantropia evolution (Italy) (video title) [it]
Possuída (Brazil) (DVD title) [pt]
Zdjecia Ginger (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

108 min | Argentina:110 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Italy:VM14 | Brazil:18 (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:C | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Copperheart Entertainment

Trivia:

Writer Karen Walton singled out Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle's audition tape and said their performances were the exact way she had envisioned the characters of Ginger and Brigitte. The two were cast as the leads.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ginger and Brigette are buying tampons, Ginger takes the box from Brigette twice without once giving it back.

Quotes:

Ginger: [about becoming a werewolf, drunk on blood] You love it. Should come for the ride. A little scratch. Swap some juice. We'll be our own pack, like before. It's so 'us' B.

Movie Connections:

References Werewolf of London (1935)

Soundtrack:

Vibe

Ginger snapped alright!

Somehow I had missed catching up with this almost "underground" flick although I had it mentally logged as one to check-out. (sorry, check 'oat'....it's Canadian) Addressed that problem yesterday when I picked up the dvd from a $5.95 bargain bin!

I'll keep it simple. This is, if not the best horror film I have ever seen...pretty damn close to it! It is the ONLY horror film that has ever "touched me" emotionally and that it achieved this is quite extraordinary. As a werewolf film it is simply outstanding - blows digitised crap like UNDERWORLD out of the water. The very budgetary constraints of the film HELPED ultimately - the director having to rely on old-fashioned "acting" to hold up viewer credibility. Although Isabelle is the "Ginger" of the title and she is soo damned good, it is Perkins as Brigitte that commands respect for her effort.

The Fitzgerald sisters with their fascination for 'staged horror' find themselves very much on the outer in the school social hierarchy. It is not until Ginger is bitten by a werewolf, in what is undoubtedly the most graphic and realistic lycanthropic savaging ever filmed...that they are forced even further into social isolation. What neither the sisters OR the film ever lose sight of however is their sisterly bond, itself consummated by a blood-pact at childhood.

There is nothing predictable or unoriginal about this film, from the script to the camera angles, right up to the heartfelt tragedy itself of Ginger's condition. And that is why this film leaves most other horror films in its wake - it is multi-dimensional with strong characterizations. Mimi Rogers even, in a smallish part as the girls' mother is spot on hitting the exact right note as a frustrated mother and increasingly unfulfilled wife.

The film weaves brilliantly the coming-of-age pains with the physical transformation brought on by the lycanthropic condition. Marvellous imagery of menstrual blood at critical moments.

Mention should also be made of Kris Lemche's role as Sam, the school druggie and the only friend they have, not that Ginger is interested. Somewhat Christian Slaterish in mannerisms, he contributes strongly to the film's success.

Superbly handled conclusion with both excellent werewolf effects and the saddest of photographic recollections....nothing one would expect to see in formula horror flicks devoted to this subject matter. The very last scene is both moving and inspired.

Obviously I am not alone in this perception. The film carries one of the highest rankings for its genre. I would personally nudge it up to a 7.5 but thats neither here nor there.

Why it received such limited theatrical release worldwide I cannot begin to imagine, but the production teams behind SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID...., CABIN FEVER, TCM, DOG SOLDIERS and myriad other clones, should take a long hard look at this and find out HOW to make (and stage) a horror film with pretty much no money!

I would have considered that $19.95 for the dvd was money well spent!