Review of Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004) by Adam R — 28 Feb 2017

Released the exact same year as Ginger Snaps 2, this film is, for some strange reason, a prequel rather than a second sequel. I can't, for the life of me, understand why a prequel was greenlit when the second movie ended on a cliffhanger. It's such a terribly wasted opportunity.

With that out of the way, this movie's biggest issue is that its completely pointless. It doesn't expand on the previous two films, and it doesn't even really do a whole lot with the series's lore.

Granted, it is nice to see Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins sharing the screen again. Their chemistry is still on point and they make the most of the material. It's just very unfortunate that they're saddled with forced dialogue and a subpar script.

The set design, makeup, and costumes do look really nice however considering the lower budget. The idea of setting the majority of the movie in a wooded outpost during wintertime creates a really tense atmosphere and sense of isolation; perfect for a horror movie. Once again though, the underwritten script just gives way to boring characters and a ho-hum story to carry it.

While by no means awful, Ginger Snaps Back is a very disappointing way to end the series. Aside from looking nice, there's really no point in seeing this film at all. Even fans of the first movie will likely not get much of anything from this. Best to skip it.