#11 -- Ginger Snaps (2000)

Director: John Fawcett

Rating: 5 / 5

Out by sixteen, or dead in the scene, but together forever

This movie stars Katharine Isabelle (who has become one of my favorite actresses) and Emily Perkins (you might remember her as a young Beverly in Stephen King's "It") as two outcast sisters in high school. They are picked on constantly, but Ginger doesn't mind at all; she is a tough girl and can stick up for her self. Brigitte is the shy one, and she needs her sister.

For a project in school, they take photos of each other "being dead." These photos are completely incredible and show exactly how twisted the sisters are. They also have a pact to commit suicide when they both turn sixteen. And their motto is "out by sixteen or dead in the scene, but together forever."

When a girl at school hurts Brigitte, Ginger vows to get revenge. They plan to kidnap the girl's dog and hide it, to make it look as if it were killed by The Beast of Baily Downs (a beast who has been killing the local dogs). When they get there, though, the dog is already dead. So, they decide to move him to be sure that she will see. In the midst of all this, Ginger gets "the curse." If you're a female reading this, you know what that means. If you're a male, well...I'm sure you can figure it out. Anyhow, as they're leaving Ginger is attacked by a wild animal (The Beast). 

Immediately Ginger begins to change. She becomes sexually promiscuous and distant from her sister. She is fighting with other girls and getting in trouble at school. She starts off by killing the neighbor's dog ("He just kept barking, and barking, and barking"), and ends up killing one of her teachers and a janitor. They begin spiraling downward as Ginger tries to have as much fun as possible, while Brigitte searches desperately for a cure for her sister.

She finds this cure with the local stoner and pot-grower. It is a flower that they must break down into a liquid and inject into the infected. While transporting Ginger in the back of Sam's van, her change is completed. They are chased throughout their house, and Brigitte finally has the chance to inject the cure.

Yes, even as a werewolf, she still has boobs.

Ginger Snaps is one of the best werewolf movies out there. The effects are wonderful, the transformation scenes are gruesome and frightening, the characters are lovable, quirky, and interesting, and at the heart of it...it's a sweet story about two sisters who will do anything for one another. When I first saw it, it scared me half to death; now it's easily one of my favorite movies. So if you're into werewolves, you've probably already seen it. But if not, you should go do that right now!