Sisters Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) get re-imagined for a different time and place in this yarn. The two girls are all on their own in the bleak winter of 19th century Canada, and take shelter in a traders' fort where the residents aren't all very welcoming. Unfortunately, the fort is often under siege by violent canine beasts, and to make matters worse, Ginger is bitten by the werewolf that's already in their midst.
More predictable and formulaic than the previous two films, "Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning" has a less provocative script as well, but it's still good at portraying a dedicated sibling devotion. It ties what goes here to the legend of the Wendigo, as well. And it's good at depicting the fear and ignorance of these not-that-macho men that now surround Ginger and Brigitte.
All of this said, changing the environment for the now familiar sibling characters proves to be a good idea, adding a lot of genuinely spooky atmosphere. The gore by KNB is excellent, but their werewolf design leaves something to be desired. The music score composed by Alex Khaskin is superbly ominous. And the film is not lit by cinematographer Michael Marshall any more than it needs to be, adding to the overwhelming mood of the piece.
The girls are compelling to watch, as always. They're assisted by a strong Canadian cast including Nathaniel Arcand as an Indian hunter, Hugh Dillon of rock band The Headstones as the pontificating Reverend, Brendan Fletcher (who acted with Perkins in "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed" and Isabelle in "Freddy V. Jason") as the amiable Finn, Tom McCamus as Rowlands, the guy who's more or less in charge of the fort, Matthew Walker as the doctor fond of using leeches in his work, and Stevie Mitchell as the creepy little Geoffrey.
Things do get rather anachronistic: the antiquated dialogue and delivery are sometimes interrupted by much more modern-sounding utterances of variations on the F-word. And things are played VERY straight, with none of the dark humour that marked the previous two films.
Still, hardcore horror fans are sure to derive some entertainment out of it.
Seven out of 10.
More predictable and formulaic than the previous two films, "Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning" has a less provocative script as well, but it's still good at portraying a dedicated sibling devotion. It ties what goes here to the legend of the Wendigo, as well. And it's good at depicting the fear and ignorance of these not-that-macho men that now surround Ginger and Brigitte.
All of this said, changing the environment for the now familiar sibling characters proves to be a good idea, adding a lot of genuinely spooky atmosphere. The gore by KNB is excellent, but their werewolf design leaves something to be desired. The music score composed by Alex Khaskin is superbly ominous. And the film is not lit by cinematographer Michael Marshall any more than it needs to be, adding to the overwhelming mood of the piece.
The girls are compelling to watch, as always. They're assisted by a strong Canadian cast including Nathaniel Arcand as an Indian hunter, Hugh Dillon of rock band The Headstones as the pontificating Reverend, Brendan Fletcher (who acted with Perkins in "Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed" and Isabelle in "Freddy V. Jason") as the amiable Finn, Tom McCamus as Rowlands, the guy who's more or less in charge of the fort, Matthew Walker as the doctor fond of using leeches in his work, and Stevie Mitchell as the creepy little Geoffrey.
Things do get rather anachronistic: the antiquated dialogue and delivery are sometimes interrupted by much more modern-sounding utterances of variations on the F-word. And things are played VERY straight, with none of the dark humour that marked the previous two films.
Still, hardcore horror fans are sure to derive some entertainment out of it.
Seven out of 10.