120 reviews
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed. * * 1/2 Actors: Emily Perkins, Tatiana Maslany, Eric Johnson Writer: Megan Martin Director: Brett Sullivan.
The second part of the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy picks up after the first one. Bridgitte has infected herself with Ginger's blood who has turned into a werewolf. In order to keep herself from becoming like her sister, she must inject herself daily with monkshood. After barely escaping a werewolf that has found her, she awakes in a clinic that treats all things including drug addiction. With her drugs taken away, Bridgitte can't escape what she is becoming.
I loved the 1st movie and I found the second one to be a worthwhile sequel. While the first one simmered with satire on female hormones and puberty, "Unleashed" is a straight horror film. It's too bad we don't see much of Ginger in this one, but she does turn up as a ghost who warns Bridgitte that another one waits for her. Bridgitte is a lot more confident and a lot hotter than the first one. But although this is her story, the one character that steals the show is a young girl at the hospital named Ghost. Bridgitte befriends this girl because she can help get her monkshood and I'm sure she feels a little bad that all the other patients make fun of her. There is a twist at the end of this movie that I was not expecting, but on my second viewing of it. I don't know how I could have missed it. All the warning signs were shown in the first thirty minutes.
If you haven't seen the first one you could just watch this one alone. It has a good enough story to keep you interested. It's not as fulfilling as the original, but it's a nice desert
The second part of the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy picks up after the first one. Bridgitte has infected herself with Ginger's blood who has turned into a werewolf. In order to keep herself from becoming like her sister, she must inject herself daily with monkshood. After barely escaping a werewolf that has found her, she awakes in a clinic that treats all things including drug addiction. With her drugs taken away, Bridgitte can't escape what she is becoming.
I loved the 1st movie and I found the second one to be a worthwhile sequel. While the first one simmered with satire on female hormones and puberty, "Unleashed" is a straight horror film. It's too bad we don't see much of Ginger in this one, but she does turn up as a ghost who warns Bridgitte that another one waits for her. Bridgitte is a lot more confident and a lot hotter than the first one. But although this is her story, the one character that steals the show is a young girl at the hospital named Ghost. Bridgitte befriends this girl because she can help get her monkshood and I'm sure she feels a little bad that all the other patients make fun of her. There is a twist at the end of this movie that I was not expecting, but on my second viewing of it. I don't know how I could have missed it. All the warning signs were shown in the first thirty minutes.
If you haven't seen the first one you could just watch this one alone. It has a good enough story to keep you interested. It's not as fulfilling as the original, but it's a nice desert
- supertom-3
- Oct 31, 2004
- Permalink
Brigitte (Emily Perkins) is going through a transformation that she is fighting, but will not be able to stop. Just when she thinks she is close, she gets locked up in a drug treatment facility. Perkins is fantastic in her depiction of someone who is fighting her own demons while no one can possibly understand them. She makes this movie and she is really fun to watch.
Also impressive is Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, Diary of the Dead) as Ghost. She seems a little flighty at first and we really don't get to know her until the very end. It is that ending where she comes into her own with a surprising twist.
The was a good sequel to the first film, and it picked up right where it left off. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) even makes a few ghostly appearances.
Well worth watching.
Also impressive is Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, Diary of the Dead) as Ghost. She seems a little flighty at first and we really don't get to know her until the very end. It is that ending where she comes into her own with a surprising twist.
The was a good sequel to the first film, and it picked up right where it left off. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) even makes a few ghostly appearances.
Well worth watching.
- lastliberal
- Oct 20, 2008
- Permalink
There are some films that just shouldn't have a sequel.
So, given that I firmly believe this about 'Ginger Snaps', 'Ginger Snaps Unleashed' clearly had a tough act to follow. And y'know, it didn't do too badly.
So by now we've all got the plot - Bridgit mainlining wolfsbane to not become like her sister, passes out in the snowy streets after another werewolf attack and wakes up in a rehab centre. Yada yada, this is IMDb, you can look up the plot summary earlier. But the way it develops...OK, it's no way as symbolic as the first film but it's damn logical. It all makes sense in context, right down to the *deeply* messed up ending. Which in some ways is a drawback because it's a little *too* realistic to always engage; it's a bit dull at times, just like rl. And all the characters are 2-dimensional except for Bridget, Ghost, and maybe the creepy Tyler.
But! Those three? Carry the movie. Emily Perkins is as great as she was in the first film, and Eric Johnson shows us that when it came to Smallville, *Lana* should have left on the bus to go into military. But the real find is Tatiana Maslany, who quite frankly is *terrifying* as Ghost. Which is maybe another criticism; given the ending I shouldn't have worked things out as quickly as I did, but that's not just due to Tatiana, that's also due to other clues in the film. This aside, she rocks as Ghost and it's great to see the kind of character Ghost is lead to the conclusion it does because frankly? Yeah, makes sense. And I really cannot say much more without spoiling it.
So, in conclusion. A lot of holes, not so special second time round, and too few 3 dimensional characters. But he cinematography is ace and very like the first (which makes sense given this one's director edited the first one, and John Fawcett did some unofficial second unit stuff on here too) and I think it's a film that'll grow on me. It's certainly worth a go - 7 out of 10.
So, given that I firmly believe this about 'Ginger Snaps', 'Ginger Snaps Unleashed' clearly had a tough act to follow. And y'know, it didn't do too badly.
So by now we've all got the plot - Bridgit mainlining wolfsbane to not become like her sister, passes out in the snowy streets after another werewolf attack and wakes up in a rehab centre. Yada yada, this is IMDb, you can look up the plot summary earlier. But the way it develops...OK, it's no way as symbolic as the first film but it's damn logical. It all makes sense in context, right down to the *deeply* messed up ending. Which in some ways is a drawback because it's a little *too* realistic to always engage; it's a bit dull at times, just like rl. And all the characters are 2-dimensional except for Bridget, Ghost, and maybe the creepy Tyler.
But! Those three? Carry the movie. Emily Perkins is as great as she was in the first film, and Eric Johnson shows us that when it came to Smallville, *Lana* should have left on the bus to go into military. But the real find is Tatiana Maslany, who quite frankly is *terrifying* as Ghost. Which is maybe another criticism; given the ending I shouldn't have worked things out as quickly as I did, but that's not just due to Tatiana, that's also due to other clues in the film. This aside, she rocks as Ghost and it's great to see the kind of character Ghost is lead to the conclusion it does because frankly? Yeah, makes sense. And I really cannot say much more without spoiling it.
So, in conclusion. A lot of holes, not so special second time round, and too few 3 dimensional characters. But he cinematography is ace and very like the first (which makes sense given this one's director edited the first one, and John Fawcett did some unofficial second unit stuff on here too) and I think it's a film that'll grow on me. It's certainly worth a go - 7 out of 10.
"Ginger Snaps" single-handedly raised my interest in lycanthropic cinema, and "Ginger Snaps Unleashed" is a remarkably strong sequel that works for many of the same reasons. Like the thoughtful horror cinema of George Romero, where deeper human issues boil under a more obvious horror surface, "Ginger Snaps" used lycanthropy as a metaphor for puberty and its impact on teenage relationships; "Unleashed" uses it as a metaphor for addiction, with Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins--"It"), sister of the ill-fated Ginger (Katharine Isabelle), injecting herself with wolfbane to curb her increasingly wolf-like tendencies. While in a rehab clinic for troubled teens, Brigitte forges a relationship with Ghost (Tatiana Maslany), a precocious girl whose seeming innocence unravels her secret. The new writing/directing team of Megan Martin and Brett Sullivan pick up where the previous film left off, skillfully bridging the two with a bare minimum of rehashed exposition, and the end result is extremely satisfying (though the machinations of "Unleashed"'s final third made me wish the script had tied some thematic/character arcs together better). Perkins, who is becoming a real horror ingénue, plays Brigitte with sympathy and sarcastic bite, and her relationship with Maslany comes close to matching the sense of sisterly love that provided the endearing backbone of the original "Ginger Snaps." "Unleashed" is the rare sequel that does its parent proud.
- Jonny_Numb
- Nov 17, 2007
- Permalink
I wasn't expecting to like this movie all that much. I did like Ginger Snaps, and thought that it was kind a of new twist on the tired old werewolf genre... but it didn't seem like it needed or warranted a sequel. This movie went in a direction that I wasn't expecting. Rather than just doing a retread of the first story, the filmmakers chose to follow Ginger's sister Brigitte into a mental institution after the events of the first movie. It becomes more of a psychological thriller, and focuses on whether or not Brigitte is really going to turn into a werewolf or if she might just be going crazy. Granted, that may be what a lot of people don't like about it, but I ended up really enjoying the movie. It was done with a decent amount of style and the concept was eerie enough to keep me watching. As far as sequels go, not a bad one.
- ghoulieguru
- Nov 30, 2004
- Permalink
- michaelRokeefe
- Sep 23, 2005
- Permalink
- FiendishDramaturgy
- Sep 12, 2004
- Permalink
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.
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.
- lost-in-limbo
- Jan 27, 2006
- Permalink
Infected by the blood of her werewolf sister Ginger, runaway teenager Brigitte (Emily Perkins) attempts to fight off her own inevitable transformation into a slavering, hairy monster through the repeated injection of wolf's bane (also known as monkshood). After suffering a bad reaction to the serum, she collapses in the street, and wakes to find herself a patient in the Happier Times Care Centre, a home for recovering drug addicts. Now, unable to access her wolf's bane, Brigitte gradually begins to exhibit signs of wolfishness. Cursed with increasingly pointed ears, haunted by ghostly memories of her sister Ginger (Katharine Isabelle), and hunted by a male werewolf that intends to mate with her, Brigitte puts her trust in weird blonde girl Ghost (Tatiana Maslany), who is fascinated by her condition.
The original Ginger Snaps used lycanthropy as a metaphor for puberty, and this follow up continues the theme, Brigitte's gradual transformation into an uncontrollable beast a metaphor for unbridled teenage lust. It's not a particularly insightful or compelling subtext, nor is it all that original—The Company Of Wolves did the same kind of thing twenty years earlier— but it does allow for one of the most unexpected scenes in the history of werewolf cinema, in which Brigitte dreams that she is taking part in an all-girl group masturbation class. Other off-kilter elements that ensure Unleashed is still worth a watch include Ginger's occasional hallucinatory appearances, the film's creepy rehab setting, Ghost's eccentric behaviour, and a bizarre industrial soundtrack.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
The original Ginger Snaps used lycanthropy as a metaphor for puberty, and this follow up continues the theme, Brigitte's gradual transformation into an uncontrollable beast a metaphor for unbridled teenage lust. It's not a particularly insightful or compelling subtext, nor is it all that original—The Company Of Wolves did the same kind of thing twenty years earlier— but it does allow for one of the most unexpected scenes in the history of werewolf cinema, in which Brigitte dreams that she is taking part in an all-girl group masturbation class. Other off-kilter elements that ensure Unleashed is still worth a watch include Ginger's occasional hallucinatory appearances, the film's creepy rehab setting, Ghost's eccentric behaviour, and a bizarre industrial soundtrack.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
- BA_Harrison
- Dec 23, 2015
- Permalink
I really wanted to like this sequel to what I consider a fantastic horror flick, Ginger Snaps...but came away from this feeling considerably disappointed. The flick sorely suffered sans the sass and appeal of Ginger, the few dream sequence shots of her just weren't enough to counter the ultra-depressing Emily. It appears that the creators of this version got sidetracked mid stream - hence the creation of Ghost. In what was to be a true creature feature, this is only a distraction, and should not have been central to the plot. To have a small girl lock the creature in the cellar and keep it there is simply preposterous. After all we have already seen the phenomenal strength of the werewolf - a cellar door is not going to pose much of a threat there. Ginger Snaps 2 is a perfect example of the delicate ground that is tread upon when creating sequels - and proof positive of why you just shouldn't do it.
You know t's such a shame that neither of these films went wide release. Sure they needed a little touching up in some places but these films are definate quality material. A breathe of fresh air in the horror films which is recreating itself once again as a truly important genre. Both of these films are good, and borderline great. they take somewhat sillacious storylines and make them somewhat believable filled with aggreassive dark humor and independent film dread. This sequel is pretty much a direct continuation of the original. It leaves the last films heroine Bridget infected and fighting her illness with the cure found in the last film. She's beginning to change when she's taken in by a youth facility and locked up for drug abuse. What insues is unfortunatly unwelcome and senseless visits from the first films title charachter but a vast mixing pool of other cringe inducing twists including the fact that a male werewolf has found her and wants to mate. A sleezy hospital guard who trades sexual favors for drugs. An innocent little girl obsessed with comic books. I wish I could truly give away the ending to you. Because it was so well done and I just didnt see it coming. And that is what this film prides itself on unpredictability. It goes in a completely opposite direction of where you though it was going and it makes sense. All in all the film has much to be successful with believable performances, especially from the film's lead Bridget, a good storyline, suspenseful direction, a creepy score all adding up to a startling refreshing take on an otherwise dying genre. Don't be fooled this sequel has major bite!
- rcavellero
- Apr 11, 2004
- Permalink
- claudio_carvalho
- May 23, 2005
- Permalink
Some years ago, when I watched "Ginger Snaps," I thought it was one of the best werewolf movies that I had seen in a long time. So perhaps it seems pretty strange that I've avoided watching this first sequel - but I've seen enough disappointing sequels that somehow I was reluctant to risk spoiling my memory of the first movie. Well, I finally bit (pun intended) and watched "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed." It didn't exactly spoil my memory of the first movie. It's not a bad movie. But it's nowhere near as good as the original.
I found the first movie had an interesting way of approaching Ginger's transformation into a werewolf, setting it in the context of female puberty and the beginnings of menstruation. In a weird sort of way it was a coming of age movie. It was a fresh way of approaching the whole werewolf idea. That was all missing in "Unleashed." This is a much straighter take on the concept. Ginger, of course, is gone - although Katharine Isabelle does take up the role again as a sort of ghost, I guess, who periodically visits Bridgette. Honestly, while it was nice to include her, the presence of Ginger even in this limited way wasn't really necessary. Emily Perkins is again in the role of Bridgette. She does well with it. She's now being stalked by a werewolf, and she's attempting to prevent her own transformation, injecting herself with monkshood - but it only seems to delay the process, and there is a gradual transformation taking place. Things get worse when she ends up in an institution for drug addicts, and is not allowed to have her "medicine."
All that was working well enough. Not as imaginative an approach as the original, but Perkins was doing well carrying the story, and there were enough edge of your seat moments and things that made you jump to make this a decent horror movie. But things do fall apart just a little bit. I personally did not like the character of Ghost, played by Tatiana Maslany. She just didn't appeal to me, and she was too front and centre in the movie, when really Bridgette was the only character in the whole movie that I particularly cared about. One somewhat irritating character aside, this movie did (mostly using the setting of the rehab facility) try to inject some humour into the story. The original was a very successful blend of humour and horror, but this one wasn't able to pull that off. Most of those attempts revolved around Dr. Brookner (Patricia Idlette) - some sort of psychologist or psychotherapist at the centre. But, to me, they didn't come across as funny. Silly more than anything, and forced - often without much connection to the heart of the story. The ending didn't really resolve too much, although it did set up another potential sequel. Strangely, though, the third movie in the series was a prequel of sorts - "Ginger Snaps Back" (which I haven't seen) being set in the 19th century, but still focusing on Ginger and Bridgette.
As I said, this isn't a bad movie, and it has some good scenes and a good performance from Emily Perkins. But overall, I'd still call it mediocre at best. (4/10)
I found the first movie had an interesting way of approaching Ginger's transformation into a werewolf, setting it in the context of female puberty and the beginnings of menstruation. In a weird sort of way it was a coming of age movie. It was a fresh way of approaching the whole werewolf idea. That was all missing in "Unleashed." This is a much straighter take on the concept. Ginger, of course, is gone - although Katharine Isabelle does take up the role again as a sort of ghost, I guess, who periodically visits Bridgette. Honestly, while it was nice to include her, the presence of Ginger even in this limited way wasn't really necessary. Emily Perkins is again in the role of Bridgette. She does well with it. She's now being stalked by a werewolf, and she's attempting to prevent her own transformation, injecting herself with monkshood - but it only seems to delay the process, and there is a gradual transformation taking place. Things get worse when she ends up in an institution for drug addicts, and is not allowed to have her "medicine."
All that was working well enough. Not as imaginative an approach as the original, but Perkins was doing well carrying the story, and there were enough edge of your seat moments and things that made you jump to make this a decent horror movie. But things do fall apart just a little bit. I personally did not like the character of Ghost, played by Tatiana Maslany. She just didn't appeal to me, and she was too front and centre in the movie, when really Bridgette was the only character in the whole movie that I particularly cared about. One somewhat irritating character aside, this movie did (mostly using the setting of the rehab facility) try to inject some humour into the story. The original was a very successful blend of humour and horror, but this one wasn't able to pull that off. Most of those attempts revolved around Dr. Brookner (Patricia Idlette) - some sort of psychologist or psychotherapist at the centre. But, to me, they didn't come across as funny. Silly more than anything, and forced - often without much connection to the heart of the story. The ending didn't really resolve too much, although it did set up another potential sequel. Strangely, though, the third movie in the series was a prequel of sorts - "Ginger Snaps Back" (which I haven't seen) being set in the 19th century, but still focusing on Ginger and Bridgette.
As I said, this isn't a bad movie, and it has some good scenes and a good performance from Emily Perkins. But overall, I'd still call it mediocre at best. (4/10)
This is a genuinely creepy film, with creepy plot, creepy filming and creepy story with several creepy scenes. A sequel inspired by but not a thematic continuation of the first. With most sequels you walk in expecting an extension of the first, all the things that worked in the first film delivered in the second. Seldom does the sequel collect the audacity to march off in a different direction.
This one bravely does and creates and entirely different film, a much darker one spun cleanly from the first.
Apologies to all the nay sayers but this is dead solid perfect.
A cult niche and maybe a lesson on how to do sequels ... get creative people on board to use the engine of unexpected popularity, or expected popularity, for inventive film making.
I'll own this one and the original.
Cool.
This one bravely does and creates and entirely different film, a much darker one spun cleanly from the first.
Apologies to all the nay sayers but this is dead solid perfect.
A cult niche and maybe a lesson on how to do sequels ... get creative people on board to use the engine of unexpected popularity, or expected popularity, for inventive film making.
I'll own this one and the original.
Cool.
Because the second film is so strongly connected to the first, the way this film ends is pretty strange considering how the overall story (from the first film) started. The ending isn't earned, nor does it connect to the overall themes presented and carried along the two films. This would have worked better as a standalone film; as a sequel, if falls a bit flat given how a character we've invested in for two movies and care about is treated in the end. So, while I'm not saying this film is bad (I don't think it is), it's not a good sequel. It's a very interesting standalone film if they hadn't leaned so heavily on the connection to the first film.
Still, the movie had great performances by Emily Perkins and Tatiana Maslany. As much as I didn't appreciate her ultimate goal, the Ghost character was well characterized, and the actress was very versatile in how she played her. A role like what Emily Perkins played (both in the first film and this one) could have EASILY been played vapidly, blandly, emotionlessly (Like Selma Blair in Hellboy or Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games), but she infused just the right amount of emotion into it. You could actually feel for her rather than just watch someone recite lines and act like a living zombie (like a LOT of mediocre albeit successful young actresses have done/do).
If there was anything that I straight-up disliked, it's one nitpick: I don't know if it was a wig or a bad bleach job, but I don't understand why they made Ghost blonde. Maybe she's meant to be "fair" (?), but her hair is very distracting the entire film. It looks terrible and not at all convincing. Seems like it's not a Ginger Snaps movie without a main character having bad hair.
Overall, it's an interesting, entertaining film, but it's docked some points for not being a good SEQUEL.
Still, the movie had great performances by Emily Perkins and Tatiana Maslany. As much as I didn't appreciate her ultimate goal, the Ghost character was well characterized, and the actress was very versatile in how she played her. A role like what Emily Perkins played (both in the first film and this one) could have EASILY been played vapidly, blandly, emotionlessly (Like Selma Blair in Hellboy or Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games), but she infused just the right amount of emotion into it. You could actually feel for her rather than just watch someone recite lines and act like a living zombie (like a LOT of mediocre albeit successful young actresses have done/do).
If there was anything that I straight-up disliked, it's one nitpick: I don't know if it was a wig or a bad bleach job, but I don't understand why they made Ghost blonde. Maybe she's meant to be "fair" (?), but her hair is very distracting the entire film. It looks terrible and not at all convincing. Seems like it's not a Ginger Snaps movie without a main character having bad hair.
Overall, it's an interesting, entertaining film, but it's docked some points for not being a good SEQUEL.
- TokyoGyaru
- Oct 1, 2021
- Permalink
After Ginger was bitten by a werewolf in "Ginger Snaps", her sister Brigitte did everything she could to save her as she began to transform into a wild woman with a taste for flesh over the course of the following month. But after an unexpected and tragic demise, Brigitte was left alone, now infected with the "curse" and on the run.
"Ginger Snaps" was a smart, touching, genuinely scary and often hilarious horror/drama/comedy that transcended horror clichés and proved that a big budget isn't always necessary to achieve a successful story and good scares. Now "Ginger Snaps" is "Unleashed" as Brigitte, (Emily Perkins, who is still outstanding) begins to mutate and go through the same, sometimes nastier, changes. Completely dependent on injecting Monkshood, which turns out to be only a temporary cure, Brigitte is attacked by another werewolf who's identity is unknown. She wakes up to her worst nightmare.
Now locked in a drug rehab clinic, the doctors believe she's a drug addict. They have no idea that if Brigitte doesn't escape, or get to her monkshood, the results will be deadly. Because without her cure, Brigitte is becoming what killed her sister. She begins to have a taste for flesh herself.
The film is definitely scary and it has some witty moments, and a good, tight plot. But as a huge fan of the first film, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed... this sequel is just so conventional, it's so much more serious and gory. It somewhat ruins the integrity of the first but it still manages to be an outstanding thriller, much better than your usual slasher crap. Tatyana Maslany is really good as Ghost, a troubled resident of the hospital who adopts an unnatural obsession for Brigitte. Overall the film is successfully smart and scary but don't expect to see anything like the first, keep an open mind and you'll enjoy this horror ride.
"Ginger Snaps" was a smart, touching, genuinely scary and often hilarious horror/drama/comedy that transcended horror clichés and proved that a big budget isn't always necessary to achieve a successful story and good scares. Now "Ginger Snaps" is "Unleashed" as Brigitte, (Emily Perkins, who is still outstanding) begins to mutate and go through the same, sometimes nastier, changes. Completely dependent on injecting Monkshood, which turns out to be only a temporary cure, Brigitte is attacked by another werewolf who's identity is unknown. She wakes up to her worst nightmare.
Now locked in a drug rehab clinic, the doctors believe she's a drug addict. They have no idea that if Brigitte doesn't escape, or get to her monkshood, the results will be deadly. Because without her cure, Brigitte is becoming what killed her sister. She begins to have a taste for flesh herself.
The film is definitely scary and it has some witty moments, and a good, tight plot. But as a huge fan of the first film, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed... this sequel is just so conventional, it's so much more serious and gory. It somewhat ruins the integrity of the first but it still manages to be an outstanding thriller, much better than your usual slasher crap. Tatyana Maslany is really good as Ghost, a troubled resident of the hospital who adopts an unnatural obsession for Brigitte. Overall the film is successfully smart and scary but don't expect to see anything like the first, keep an open mind and you'll enjoy this horror ride.
Brigitte (Emily Perkins) is going through a transformation that she is fighting, but will not be able to stop. Just when she thinks she is close, she gets locked up in a drug treatment facility. Perkins is fantastic in her depiction of someone who is fighting her own demons while no one can possibly understand them. She makes this movie and she is really fun to watch.
Also impressive is Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, Diary of the Dead) as Ghost. She seems a little flighty at first and we really don't get to know her until the very end. It is that ending where she comes into her own with a surprising twist. T he was a good sequel to the first film, and it picked up right where it left off. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) even makes a few ghostly appearances.
Well worth watching.
Also impressive is Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, Diary of the Dead) as Ghost. She seems a little flighty at first and we really don't get to know her until the very end. It is that ending where she comes into her own with a surprising twist. T he was a good sequel to the first film, and it picked up right where it left off. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) even makes a few ghostly appearances.
Well worth watching.
- lastliberal-853-253708
- Oct 25, 2013
- Permalink
- princessdestiny
- Jan 20, 2005
- Permalink
This is the only sequel I have seen that could be considered an improvement on its original.
I'm a great Fan of Ginger Snaps and was really excited about this film when i first heard about it, unfortunately when it arrived at the cinema I was to young to see it. I'm sure its always a gamble for people and film fans alike to buy movies on Tapoe/DVD with out viewing them first and for me this was a first. It was well worth the risk of my cash as I loved the film, the casting was especially good this time around ( the DVD showing the auditions in all their glory ) As far as the films go Emily Perkins takes her original part and runs with it, totally convincing the audience that she is trying to break away from her sister and the ghosts of the past.
The special effects and make up are of course grander this time around which enhances the horror side of things, but I my self view this more as a Drama that a Horror film. The suspense is really edgy and makes you want to fast forward to the next scene to see what happens next. As well as the stand allow story of Briditte's new company 'Ghost' making you want more as the plot continues. Even as a sequel this is a hard one to beat. I whole heartedly will you to see it, even if you have not yet view the first one.
I'm a great Fan of Ginger Snaps and was really excited about this film when i first heard about it, unfortunately when it arrived at the cinema I was to young to see it. I'm sure its always a gamble for people and film fans alike to buy movies on Tapoe/DVD with out viewing them first and for me this was a first. It was well worth the risk of my cash as I loved the film, the casting was especially good this time around ( the DVD showing the auditions in all their glory ) As far as the films go Emily Perkins takes her original part and runs with it, totally convincing the audience that she is trying to break away from her sister and the ghosts of the past.
The special effects and make up are of course grander this time around which enhances the horror side of things, but I my self view this more as a Drama that a Horror film. The suspense is really edgy and makes you want to fast forward to the next scene to see what happens next. As well as the stand allow story of Briditte's new company 'Ghost' making you want more as the plot continues. Even as a sequel this is a hard one to beat. I whole heartedly will you to see it, even if you have not yet view the first one.
- BlueDragon21120
- May 25, 2005
- Permalink
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. The screenplay is intelligent and clever. I enjoyed this film, mostly because of the convincing characters. I am aware of the criticism around this movie, claiming it is bad and not worth it. To all those who have said these things, I have to ask: What film were you watching? With charm and humor to spare, this film was among the top echelon of movies from 2004. At the end of the day, it's an entertaining film. Wonderful movie, and I should know.
- manitobaman81
- Sep 5, 2014
- Permalink
Brigitte (Emily Perkins) is trying to find a cure while experimenting with monkshood. Her dead sister Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) comes to her as a hallucination. Librarian Jeremy (Brendan Fletcher) who has come to see her is attacked by a werewolf and she is knocked unconscious. She is to sent to a rehab facility for girls. The place is full of damaged girls especially Ghost (Tatiana Maslany) who figures out that Brigitte is becoming a werewolf. Attendant Tyler (Eric Johnson) offers to give her monkshood for a price.
This movie misses the character of Ginger. Katharine Isabelle makes cameos as a ghost, but it's not the same thing. She supplied the sexuality in the first movie. This is mostly a solo Brigitte movie. Ghost is basically a stranger version of Brigitte. There is one good joke (Lesbian?) in this one. This doesn't deliver the same sense of charm or black comedy. It doesn't lack an overarching theme like female transformation of the original. It is darker, less imaginative, and without the fun of the first. Instead of Ginger's tail, the movie is locked in on Brigitte's ear. It's all a disappointment. Then the last section of the movie leaves the rehab center which is chock full of possible kills for a more limited final act.
This movie misses the character of Ginger. Katharine Isabelle makes cameos as a ghost, but it's not the same thing. She supplied the sexuality in the first movie. This is mostly a solo Brigitte movie. Ghost is basically a stranger version of Brigitte. There is one good joke (Lesbian?) in this one. This doesn't deliver the same sense of charm or black comedy. It doesn't lack an overarching theme like female transformation of the original. It is darker, less imaginative, and without the fun of the first. Instead of Ginger's tail, the movie is locked in on Brigitte's ear. It's all a disappointment. Then the last section of the movie leaves the rehab center which is chock full of possible kills for a more limited final act.
- SnoopyStyle
- May 20, 2014
- Permalink
After the explosively entertaining "Ginger Snaps", I had some doubts that the sequels could live up to the original. But in this one, we are greeted to a wonderful film picking up exactly where the first one left off: now with Bridget trying to stop herself from becoming a werewolf, and escaping from the rehab center she has been placed in.
If you find cutting and self-mutilation to be disgusting, then this is the film you want to either see or avoid. The opening credits are over a scene of Bridget in the bathtub, cutting herself to pieces. She continues to cut herself throughout the movie, as well as give herself injections.
The scenery is fantastic, as rehabs, hospitals and insane asylums are always great places for horror films if you know how to film them. The makers of this film know exactly what they're doing. Add secret passageways and you're set.
The new cast is also wonderful, easily making up for Ginger having a very small role. The cast now has several male staffers working in an all-girl rehab center, leading to such activities as trading sexual favors for drugs. But most importantly is a new character named "Ghost" (presumably because she's almost like an albino) who is fascinated with the occult and death and befriends Bridget after finding out she might be a werewolf.
Some interesting plot twists happen I can't reveal here, and as the wolf blood begins to overtake the human blood, things heat up. And then another werewolf shows up to try and mate.
Oh, heck. Just watch the movie. These guys have taken a worn-out horror staple (lycanthropy) and added such a new dimension to it that it's almost like an entirely new invention. Excelsior!
If you find cutting and self-mutilation to be disgusting, then this is the film you want to either see or avoid. The opening credits are over a scene of Bridget in the bathtub, cutting herself to pieces. She continues to cut herself throughout the movie, as well as give herself injections.
The scenery is fantastic, as rehabs, hospitals and insane asylums are always great places for horror films if you know how to film them. The makers of this film know exactly what they're doing. Add secret passageways and you're set.
The new cast is also wonderful, easily making up for Ginger having a very small role. The cast now has several male staffers working in an all-girl rehab center, leading to such activities as trading sexual favors for drugs. But most importantly is a new character named "Ghost" (presumably because she's almost like an albino) who is fascinated with the occult and death and befriends Bridget after finding out she might be a werewolf.
Some interesting plot twists happen I can't reveal here, and as the wolf blood begins to overtake the human blood, things heat up. And then another werewolf shows up to try and mate.
Oh, heck. Just watch the movie. These guys have taken a worn-out horror staple (lycanthropy) and added such a new dimension to it that it's almost like an entirely new invention. Excelsior!
Kudos to the makers for trying to make a sequel (or sequels as it happens) that actually develops the main character from the first film. Sadly character quickly takes a back seat to a heavy plot that leaves little time for the relationships that made the first movie different from all the other B-movie horrors.
The director (who was editor on the first movie) can't create scenes that take the time to tell the story. He just chops and moves on in a workmanlike fashion that leaves you uninvolved to Brigitte's plight. Plot points are left unclear (who exactly is following Brigitte? We must assume it's the idiot boy from the first movie) and at times the film looks very amateurish and cheap.
But overall, as far as sequels go, this isn't that bad. It has its moments and the ending is suitably dark. Let's hope Ginger Snaps 3 reignites the magic with both Brigitte and Ginger returning (Ginger has a rather pointless cameo in 2 as a ghost).
The director (who was editor on the first movie) can't create scenes that take the time to tell the story. He just chops and moves on in a workmanlike fashion that leaves you uninvolved to Brigitte's plight. Plot points are left unclear (who exactly is following Brigitte? We must assume it's the idiot boy from the first movie) and at times the film looks very amateurish and cheap.
But overall, as far as sequels go, this isn't that bad. It has its moments and the ending is suitably dark. Let's hope Ginger Snaps 3 reignites the magic with both Brigitte and Ginger returning (Ginger has a rather pointless cameo in 2 as a ghost).
- tramsbottom
- Apr 8, 2004
- Permalink
Ginger Snaps 2 starts off with Brigitte landing herself in a rehab clinic after she is discovered overdosing on the poisonous drug that she has to take in order to prevent herself from turning into a werewolf like her sister. As is to be expected, the guy who finds her lapsing into unconsciousness immediately concludes that she's overdosing on heroin and takes her to a hospital. I really liked that twist from the original film. Brigitte infected herself with her sister's contaminated blood to prove her determination to help her find a cure, which they never found. Ginger was killed, and Brigitte was never cured. A nice premise that is used to segway into a thriller that takes place in the old hospital setting.
In a display of the level of help that is to be expected from the hospital where Brigitte is being kept, she is quickly diagnosed as a lesbian by one member of the hospital staff. Excellent work there, lady. Before too long, Brigitte learns that a young girl named Ghost (who apparently lives in the hospital) is her only friend, but who reads so many horror comics that evidently it's normal for her to say things like "When you close your eyes is it hell you see?" Here's an odd thing about this character - she looks to be about ten years old, but is played by 19-year-old Tatiana Maslany.
It seems that Ghosts grandmother was horribly burned in a fire at home, which landed her and her granddaughter in the rehab facility featured in the movie. Why an accidental fire landed her in a rehab facility is a mystery that is thinly explained later in the film. Most of the tension in the movie is derived from the fact that Brigitte is being held in this hospital to be rehabilitated from a drug that she needs in order to prevent herself from turning into a werewolf and killing everyone in sight. Needless to say, it is not taken very well when she explains that if she is kept there, people will die.
Ginger makes occasional appearances as a vision of her former self, usually showing up to give Brigitte some useful insights into the changes that are taking place in her body, reprising the satire on female adolescence covered so well in the first film. My favorite example of this in the first sequel was when Brigitte presumably falls asleep during one of her meetings and dreams that the instructor is telling her and the rest of the girls to masturbate. When she wakes up, she runs to the bathroom and taps on one of her eyeballs, which seems to have turned to glass, and notices thick skin and hair on her palms. I knew that masturbation gives you hairy palms and makes you go blind, but I didn't know that werewolves had glass eyes. At least the metaphor worked halfway though.
We gradually see Brigitte's transformation into a werewolf as she constantly tries to find ways to stop it (usually ways which include things like slicing off the new growths that she doesn't like, like her pointy ears). Pretty nasty, but at least it's logical, right? What other choice does she have? Where the movie makes serious lapses in logic is in the setup of the hospital. Ghost has no reason for being there (except for one big reason, which we find out later but which no one in the hospital knows about), and the residents are locked down at night but allowed to wander outside at other times. One patient sells her body to one of the orderlies, who does this regularly, so that he will give her some narcotics, and when Brigitte walks in just after it happened, the girl offers her some. You think coke addicts have sex for drugs and then offer to share them?
Given that so much stock is put into the character of Ghost, it's amazing how badly written her part is. They tried to get her to fit into what they wanted her character to ultimately mean to the story, but had no idea how to make it happen. That's why you have this little kid living in a hospital, evidently sleeping in a chair next to her all but mummified grandmother, doing things with comic books that no kid does, especially not a girl, and talking about them like she's a professor of philosophy. She also sees the world as though it were a comic book, which is in keeping with the fate of her character, she even narrates occasionally, describing situations as though she were reading them off the page. I actually liked the speech-bubble narration that she prattled off occasionally, although sometimes it goes over the top. What, for example, is a "reign of moral terror?" Does that mean, like, terrorizing people who believe that homosexuals should be allowed to marry?
The end of the film was fairly good, I especially loved what became of the orderly that made a habit of forcing the girls in the hospital into sex acts with him, a practice which he indulged in so regularly that it is astounding he was never caught. There is an odd scene near the end when a deer has to be put out of its misery despite being completely eviscerated and on FIRE, but overall the ending was one of the stronger parts of the film. I had a hard time getting through the first half, but probably mostly because I still wanted to watch Halloween IV, Jasper, Texas, and the original Time Machine before the end of the night. Fans of the original should enjoy this, but if you had enough with part 1 you can skip this one. It's not any better.
In a display of the level of help that is to be expected from the hospital where Brigitte is being kept, she is quickly diagnosed as a lesbian by one member of the hospital staff. Excellent work there, lady. Before too long, Brigitte learns that a young girl named Ghost (who apparently lives in the hospital) is her only friend, but who reads so many horror comics that evidently it's normal for her to say things like "When you close your eyes is it hell you see?" Here's an odd thing about this character - she looks to be about ten years old, but is played by 19-year-old Tatiana Maslany.
It seems that Ghosts grandmother was horribly burned in a fire at home, which landed her and her granddaughter in the rehab facility featured in the movie. Why an accidental fire landed her in a rehab facility is a mystery that is thinly explained later in the film. Most of the tension in the movie is derived from the fact that Brigitte is being held in this hospital to be rehabilitated from a drug that she needs in order to prevent herself from turning into a werewolf and killing everyone in sight. Needless to say, it is not taken very well when she explains that if she is kept there, people will die.
Ginger makes occasional appearances as a vision of her former self, usually showing up to give Brigitte some useful insights into the changes that are taking place in her body, reprising the satire on female adolescence covered so well in the first film. My favorite example of this in the first sequel was when Brigitte presumably falls asleep during one of her meetings and dreams that the instructor is telling her and the rest of the girls to masturbate. When she wakes up, she runs to the bathroom and taps on one of her eyeballs, which seems to have turned to glass, and notices thick skin and hair on her palms. I knew that masturbation gives you hairy palms and makes you go blind, but I didn't know that werewolves had glass eyes. At least the metaphor worked halfway though.
We gradually see Brigitte's transformation into a werewolf as she constantly tries to find ways to stop it (usually ways which include things like slicing off the new growths that she doesn't like, like her pointy ears). Pretty nasty, but at least it's logical, right? What other choice does she have? Where the movie makes serious lapses in logic is in the setup of the hospital. Ghost has no reason for being there (except for one big reason, which we find out later but which no one in the hospital knows about), and the residents are locked down at night but allowed to wander outside at other times. One patient sells her body to one of the orderlies, who does this regularly, so that he will give her some narcotics, and when Brigitte walks in just after it happened, the girl offers her some. You think coke addicts have sex for drugs and then offer to share them?
Given that so much stock is put into the character of Ghost, it's amazing how badly written her part is. They tried to get her to fit into what they wanted her character to ultimately mean to the story, but had no idea how to make it happen. That's why you have this little kid living in a hospital, evidently sleeping in a chair next to her all but mummified grandmother, doing things with comic books that no kid does, especially not a girl, and talking about them like she's a professor of philosophy. She also sees the world as though it were a comic book, which is in keeping with the fate of her character, she even narrates occasionally, describing situations as though she were reading them off the page. I actually liked the speech-bubble narration that she prattled off occasionally, although sometimes it goes over the top. What, for example, is a "reign of moral terror?" Does that mean, like, terrorizing people who believe that homosexuals should be allowed to marry?
The end of the film was fairly good, I especially loved what became of the orderly that made a habit of forcing the girls in the hospital into sex acts with him, a practice which he indulged in so regularly that it is astounding he was never caught. There is an odd scene near the end when a deer has to be put out of its misery despite being completely eviscerated and on FIRE, but overall the ending was one of the stronger parts of the film. I had a hard time getting through the first half, but probably mostly because I still wanted to watch Halloween IV, Jasper, Texas, and the original Time Machine before the end of the night. Fans of the original should enjoy this, but if you had enough with part 1 you can skip this one. It's not any better.
- Anonymous_Maxine
- Dec 13, 2004
- Permalink