Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Brett Sullivan

Writers:

Karen Walton (characters)
Megan Martin (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It only dies if you do.

Plot:

The late Ginger's sister Brigitte, now a werewolf herself, must try to find a cure for her blood lust before the next full moon while hiding out in a rehab clinic from a relentless werewolf.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Drug Addict | Erotica | Hospital | Disfigurement

Cast

Emily Perkins	...	Brigitte
Brendan Fletcher	...	Jeremy
Katharine Isabelle	...	Ginger
Tatiana Maslany	...	Ghost
Susan Adam	...	Barbara
Janet Kidder	...	Alice Severson
Chris Fassbender	...	Luke
Pascale Hutton	...	Beth-Ann
Michelle Beaudoin	...	Winnie
Eric Johnson	...	Tyler
David McNally	...	Marcus
Patricia Idlette	...	Dr. Eleonor Brookner
Lydia Lau	...	Koral
Coralie Cairns	...	Nurse
Shaun Johnston	...	Jack

Also Known As:

Entre soeurs II: Déchainées (Canada: French title) (DVD box title)
Ginger Snaps 2 (Canada: English title) (working title)
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (USA) (DVD box title)
Ginger Snaps: The Sequel (Canada: English title) (working title)
Werewolf: Gingersnaps (Philippines: English title)
Aullidos de terror (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Ginger Snaps II: Los malditos (Spain) [es]
Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (Germany) (festival title) [de]
Ginger snaps - Résurrection (France) [fr]
Ginger snaps II: Entfesselt (Germany) [de]
Licantropia apocalypse (Italy) (video title) [it]
Possuídas 2 - Força Incontrolável (Brazil) [pt]
Zdjecia Ginger II (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, some language and drug use.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Germany:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

49th Parallel Productions

Trivia:

The scene where Tyler goes in to take back Brigitte's monkshood in the ladies bathroom is actually a ladies bathroom, which caused problems while filming (especially in the scenes of the stall).

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood on the closet door appears and disappears when Ginger is trying to get out.

Quotes:

Ghost: Late at night, in secret chambers, he carried out his reign of moral terror.
Tyler: Isn't that mortal terror?
Ghost: No.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare in Canada: Canadian Horror on Film (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Bad Girl

This isn't one of those diminishing returns.

Brigitte now has the virus in her blood that destroyed her sister Ginger in the first film. So to prevent herself from changing into the beast she injects monksblood into her system, but after an overdose she wakes up in a rehabilitation clinic. Which now she has become so attached to the syrup and without it, the affects of the curse starts to transform within her. From the physical to the mental attributes. But also on her tail is that of a male werewolf who wants to mate with her and Ginger is keeping a tab on her by haunting her mind.

I remember when I picked up 'Ginger Snaps' I was expecting another mediocre or below-average werewolf flick. Gosh, I was wrong! Just like 'Dog Soldiers' it was more then good and added some new life to the whimpering sub-genre. And I'm happy to say it worked out again in this monstrous sequel and I was actually digging this one a tad more, though that was up until the stalling sequences involving hiding out in a house. It would've been great to see more Katharine Isabelle as Ginger too, but you can't have it all your own way I guess. I wasn't expecting anything incredibly special, but it did have big boots to fill and we all know the law of diminishing returns. Well, this sequel keeps far away form that trend and doesn't lean away from the quirky and offbeat nature of its predecessor, but it actually enhances it with a very morbid and cold-hearted appeal. It's depressing to the bone, I but I get kick out of any films that create this sort of tone! Though what made the original rejuvenating was that it had warm and natural relationships between the characters, especially between Bridget and Ginger, but also with the parents. Because of the sequel's depressing vibe, it does lack the heartache of the horrifying matter that drove the sisters even closer in the first film. Also it sorely does miss the characteristic interactions between the sisters. Although saying that they do share some screen time here, but only in small doses meaning far less impact.

The plot is an absorbing one, which doesn't break a whole lot of new ground like the original, but still comes up with enough hunger to set it out from most other horror flicks of the last decade, but also adding another dimension to the tale. Just like in the first film and like many reviewers have painted it's a metaphor for adolescent life, from angst, drugs and sex. But this cocktail is mixed with a refreshing twist involving the werewolf mythology, introducing the metaphor part of all of this. The snappy script holds up well and the story moves along pretty quickly with enough excitement initiated and the twists are far from easy to detect. No way is this story's structure predictable! The actual ending was kind of clever, but felt odd and left me feeling a little unsatisfied. The editing was swiftly sharp and potent to the pacing. It also recaptures the slickly handled production of that of the original, but it looks like it had more to work with here. That's especially because the special effects and werewolf designs were vastly better this time around and the attacks were more callous and bloodier. The isolated setting was made to great use with its cold wintry backdrop and gloomy awe. The action might have up the ante in this sequel, but so did the soundtrack by igniting itself with the Gothic and haunting tunes that made the original great. The upbeat tempo of the soundtrack bounds the mood. The spectral sound effects also worked its way into the picture and it was hard to shut out its thumping vibration throughout. The out-and-out stylistic camera-work sinuously develops some inventive shots. The direction by Brett Sullivan is above par and he hones down his skills with preciseness but adding such tautness and tension to the picture. The performances were magnificent. Emily Perkins comes out of the shadow of Katharine Isabelle here, and she made the most of it by turning in a convincing performance. Tatiana Maslany as Ghost one of the kids in the clinic provides on the humour side of things and Eric Johnson is perfectly scummy as one of the workers at the clinic. Katharine Isabelle makes some small but yet effective glimpses and adds in with some voice-overs. This production most definitely went one step bigger.

After two worthy werewolf films, I wonder if the film makers can repeat this winning formula in their third flick of the series Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004) or will it come crashing back to earth with a thud. The sequel is very much on par with the original and definitely well worth the look. Actually I would say it's a must-see if you seen the original.