What is confusing is often scary, so it’s no wonder that one of the most confusing stages in a girl’s life — puberty — is often used for horror. In Carrie, the religious shame around a girl becoming a woman manifests as telekinetic powers. In Jennifer’s Body, misogyny and sexualization of women fuel a succubus’ fury. But in 2000, a little-known Canadian movie took sisterly bonds, growing up, and feminine rage, and projected it through a lens that makes perfect sense: lycanthropy.
Ginger Snaps follows morbid teens Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) who draw the ire of a feral dog, drawn to the scent of Ginger’s first period. Over the course of the following days, Brigitte watches as her sister transforms into something otherworldly, including growing a tail and fur. While Ginger copes with her new appetite, Brigitte has to decide if her sister is worth protecting or if she needs to protect the world from her sister.
