In honor of the 25th anniversary of the cult film «Ginger Snaps »Lionsgate has released the Vestron Collector's Series (#39) in 4K UHD with a wealth of extras, including in-depth interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the creators and cast, as well as a Lionsgate Limited Extra under titled "The Treaty: Ginger Snaps Forever"« .
It's no secret that this werewolf-girl coming-of-age film was slowly building to success. But once it became popular, the wolf broke out, and audiences latched onto the death-obsessed Fitzgerald sisters. Released to rapturous fans, «Ginger Snaps» continues to find new audiences more than two decades after its release.
Gingerbread (Photo: Lionsgate)
The film's enduring appeal, which sheds light on all the weirdness of being a teenage girl in a world that seems designed to gloss over many aspects of puberty, coupled with its bitingly witty dialogue, iconic performances, and a realistic werewolf design that's a far cry from our favorite hairy movie beasts, has proven to be the key to its success.
Director John Fawcett admits that it wasn't until Lionsgate approached him about directing sequels that he realized things were going well. Katharine Isabelle, who plays Ginger, said the film's unexpected success is especially evident when she meets fans. "Every time I see someone with Ginger's face tattooed on them, I think, 'Wow!' There's been some amazing cosplay and amazing fan work, but yeah, the permanent tattoos are the most important thing to me.".
Gingerbread Man director John Fawcett and Katharine Isabelle (Photo: Lionsgate)
Isabelle's co-star, Emily Perkins, added, "I love hearing people's personal stories. Katherine, remember those bone pens our characters used to write with? People come up to me and say, 'Hey, my best friend and I made these bone pens.'".
Emily Perkins as Bridget Fitzgerald in "Ginger Snaps" wearing a bone handle and necklace (Photo: Lionsgate)
Bone pens aren't the only souvenirs that fans «Ginger Snaps» They're handmade, faithfully recreating the images from the film. Perkins showed off her bird necklace, inspired by those worn by Ginger and Bridget Fitzgerald in the film.
«"They put in the effort to do all this, they get tattoos, they create fan art, they make T-shirts. That's when you realize people like it," agreed the director. «"Ginger Snaps"» John Fawcett grew up a horror fan and really wanted to do something special with Ginger's werewolf makeup. "FANGORIA was incredibly important to me. I was young and collected them. I owned every issue, and I was really drawn to all the amazing, incredible makeup artists and special effects designers," Fawcett explained. "When we were making this film, that certainly influenced the decision to use exclusively practical makeup.".
Katharine Isabelle in her werewolf makeup from "Ginger Snaps" (Photo: Lionsgate)
«"I think that was the most challenging moment—the transition from the janitor's murder to Ginger showing up at the Halloween party. We were really nervous about that," Fawcett continued.
«"One of the key aspects of creating this monster and striving for uniqueness was that it was female. In this design, we wanted to show certain parts of the female anatomy within the monster. That was part of the idea. We were a bit fixated on it, but we simply wanted to make it as interesting and unique as possible, because something like this hadn't been seen very often before.".
Gingerbread (Photo: Lionsgate)
Isabelle explained that Ginger's werewolf transformation took place in several stages. "There was a first stage, a second, a third, and then the third stage was completely finished," she shared. "Just watching the artists work for hours, making molds of the body and head, you see how everything gradually comes together. Putting it all on is like stepping out of your own body. It definitely feels like dissociation, but it actually really helps your character, even in normal things where there's no prosthetics. Once you put on the hair, makeup, and costume, you think, 'Ah, now I feel like this person.'".
«"So taking it to the extreme with all those prosthetics really helps the actor a lot. It was an intense process, but it was definitely worth it in the end. I think the design turned out really well. There's a phase where she becomes a little more appealing before she becomes truly grotesque and terrifying. We all go through those phases.".
In a film full of killer one-liners and great, well-placed jokes that you might miss on first viewing, it's hard to pick a favorite, but the trio happily accepted the challenge and picked their personal favorite moments. For Isabelle, it's "When Mimi Rogers says, 'Maybe I'll just fill the house with gasoline.'".
«"And light a match?" Fawcett finished happily.
Gingerbread (Photo: Lionsgate)
«"And strike a match," Isabel laughed. "I thought that was really funny." Perkins is a fan of the Fitzgerald sisters' motto: "I love the line: 'Gone by 16 or dead in the act. Unite against life as we know it.' I love that.".
Gingerbread (Photo: Lionsgate)
As for Fawcett, she says, "I love Ginger's creepy line when she says, 'We're almost not related anymore.'".
Karen Walton, the film's screenwriter «Ginger Snaps, is so adept at crafting a distinctive brand of dark humor that the film remains on lists of the best films even more than two decades after its release.
«One of the things that makes this movie truly great is [screenwriter] Karen Walton’s lines,» Fawcett shared. “There are so many iconic lines in this script that people remember because they really, really remember those lines, so hats off to her.” Walton’s lines are brilliant, echoing a similar dark humor and wit. «Heathers» . Fawcett's direction and the dark, dispassionate performances of Isabel and Perkins bring Walton's words to ominous life. Isabel recalled another favorite line of Perkins's, related to the Fitzgerald family dog: "Did you kill Norman?" and noted "all that dark humor" that makes the film so wonderful overall.
New 4K release of the film «Ginger Snaps» Lionsgate Limited's release is now available and a must-see for longtime fans, and highly recommended for those unfamiliar with this iconic werewolf horror film. See the full list of bonus features below.
For more information, see Mike Gingold's original review. for the film "Ginger Snaps"« , where he calls it "certainly one of the two best independent horror films made in North America in the last few years (the other being Larry Fessenden's Wendigo), and it instills new hope in the genre even as it continues to face challenges in the marketplace.".
Extras for the film "Ginger Snaps" in the Vestron BD + Digital Collector's Edition:
Additional materials for the film: Audio Commentary with Director John Fawcett Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Karen Walton The Gingerbread Man Documentary: Blood, Teeth, and Fur The Coming of Age: Puberty in Horror Films The Making of the Film The Cast Auditions and Rehearsals The Making of the Beast John Fawcett Art Direction Deleted Scenes TV Spots Theatrical Trailers
Lionsgate Limited Extra: The Pact: Ginger Snaps Forever