In celebration of its 25th anniversary, cult horror classic Ginger Snaps is getting a fresh coat of paint via Lionsgate’s Vestron Collector’s Series. Once a pioneer of the home video market, the Vestron label is now dedicated to high-quality re-releases of horror films owned by Lionsgate, including standouts like Ken Russell’s Gothic and Anthony Hickox’s Waxwork. This marks the label’s 39th release, and features new cover art by Chelsea Lowe.
The film follows two teenage sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, who are obsessed with death. As children, they form a pack to either leave the suburbs forever or die together by the age of 16. After being bitten by a werewolf, Ginger becomes more aggressive, attracting the attention of boys at school. When the sisters’ enemies start turning up dead, Brigitte is forced to consider the implications of their obsession. This drives a wedge between the two that leads up to a bloody climax.
Ginger Snaps is notable for its gender-bent take on classic werewolf tales. While the majority of werewolf stories at the time focused on cisgender men struggling with “the beast within,” Ginger Snaps took two depressed teenage girls experiencing the onset of puberty as its focus. By linking Ginger’s wolf transformation inexorably to her menstrual cycle, the story remains relevant for its observations on the often disturbing inner lives of two young women coming of age in a male-dominated society. For Ginger, life as a werewolf is preferable to life as a homemaker like her mother, and therein lies the central conflict of the film.
Ginger Snaps is also notable for introducing the world to bona fide Scream Queen Katharine Isabelle. Though Isabelle had been working in film and TV for over a decade by the time Ginger Snaps wrapped, this would prove to be the role that made her a fan favorite for horror aficionados. Equally important is Emily Perkins’s role as Brigitte, whose struggle to contain Ginger’s transformation continues to unfold in the franchise follow-ups Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed and Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning. And lest we forget, Mimi Rogers in the role of the sisters’ long-suffering mother remains a comedic highlight of the film.
The re-release comes with several treats for diehard Ginger Snaps fans, including audio commentary from director John Fawcett and writer Karen Walton, as well as featurettes on the making of the film, the fandom surrounding it, and the creative process behind the wolf transformation scenes. Starting on May 19, you can pick up the 4K Blu-ray and enjoy the high-quality re-release along with myriad special features from the comfort of your own home. Just don’t get bitten.
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