[For The Love Of Franchises] “A Bond That Would Not Be Broken”: Exploring Sisterhood Within The Ginger Snaps Franchise

Maintaining consistency within film franchises is difficult. Most use the tried and tested formula of lather, rinse and repeating the first film over and over, which causes fatigue and frustration. One series that tried something different, is the Ginger Snaps trilogy. Each film has its own distinct tone, narrative, and style.

Released in 2000, Ginger Snaps introduced the ill-fated Fitzgerald sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins). Ginger Snaps weaved being bitten by a werewolf into a perfect metaphor of the transition from girl to womanhood, utilising the lunar cycle and insatiable bloodlust as a conduit for menstruation and sexual awakening. Three years later in 2004 came both a sequel, Ginger Snaps Unleashed, and prequel, Ginger Snaps Back. The sequel brought in an addiction angle, and the prequel unveiled the origin of the sisters' woes. When combined, the three films are a fully realised and cohesive trilogy. 

Like many horror movies, Ginger Snaps was conceived as a stand-alone film. Only through its popularity was it granted further life. What set Ginger Snaps apart was its strong female story, something which became a calling card of the series. Original co-writer Karen Walton disliked horror due to the genre's inability to write women in an appealing way. With Ginger Snaps, Walton changed this perception. Although she didn’t return for either sequel or prequel, she paved the way for fellow female writers, Megan Martin and Christina Ray. Each woman imbued their Ginger Snaps film with a vital female voice to sell the strong feminine themes and dynamics. 

Sisterhood is the constant driving force of the franchise. The trilogy demonstrates the troubling power of blood ties, with Ginger and Brigitte’s bond presented as something to both admire and fear. Unlike the archetypal bickering teenage girls, these sisters are exceptionally close. In Ginger Snaps, the two have an all-consuming, almost oppressively intense connection. Their fixation on each other isolates them from everyone else. They are aloof, snobbish, and confrontational to their classmates, and insubordinate to their parents. In the same school year, they share every moment of their lives. Whilst they might not be twins, the two are kindred dark spirits, their macabre fascinations further alienating them from society. In an extreme act of sisterhood, the pair have pledged themselves to one another. Their pact, “out by sixteen, or dead on the scene” highlights the ferocity of the bond that they share. 

This trilogy is built around the complicated dynamic between Ginger and Brigitte. Although close, there is little about their relationship that could be described as healthy. From the outset it is obvious that Ginger rules the roost. As the older sibling, Ginger’s role of leader isn’t an unusual one; however, the way that Ginger wields her authority borders on toxic. Even before being attacked and bitten, Ginger is the feistier and more forceful of the two. She asserts her authority and control over Brigitte at every opportunity. Being the younger sister, Brigitte has grown up under Ginger’s wing and happily remains in line, content to be an obedient shadow. It is only after Ginger is attacked that the power imbalance begins to be righted. 

Once Ginger is bitten, the tether that has kept the sisters linked begins to sever. Prior to transforming, Ginger exerts an unconscious hold over Brigitte, a side-effect of her own self-involvement. Ginger is oblivious to the rules she has enforced upon Brigitte. As the beast starts to take over, Ginger, or the she-wolf within, becomes aware of the power she has and her manipulation of Brigitte increases, using her affliction to garner sympathy. Ginger's latent possessive and controlling streak amplifies, she craves dominance over all and so needs Brigitte to submit. When faced with this more aggressive version of her sister, Brigitte finally sees Ginger’s toxic traits. Awoken from her sister’s spell, Brigitte is horrified, but in spite of this revelation, her love remains. 

Brigitte’s concern for Ginger is evident from the moment of attack. As Ginger is dragged around the park, Brigitte is bereft. The relief she experiences when she realises Ginger has survived the assault is fleeting, replaced immediately with comprehension of the gravity of their situation. It is Brigitte that understands the supernatural threat destroying her sister and, armed with this knowledge, seeks out a cure. Brigitte’s dedication to saving Ginger sees her transition from protected to protector. Help comes from local drug-dealer, Sam (Kris Lemche), who like Brigitte, is aware that werewolves are real. Ever the faithful sister, when Brigitte approaches Sam for help, she does not betray Ginger’s secret. Trust is a vital component of sisterhood and keen to respect that sacred oath, Brigitte instead presents herself as the victim. 

The introduction of Sam stirs Ginger’s jealousy. Convinced that Sam has amorous intentions for her younger sister, Ginger’s possessive and protective instincts kick in. Her bad attitude widens the gap between the sisters; Sam’s involvement works a wedge between them despite there being no romantic entanglement. Films of any genre get swept away building romantic subplots and horror is no exception. Whilst dominant female stories are steadily becoming more normalised, back at the start of the noughties, the horror landscape was very different. Ginger Snaps came in the wake of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Urban Legend. Despite having a central female lead, each has a romantic relationship to form a cornerstone to the story - Sydney and Billy, Julie and Ray, Natalie and Paul. These entanglements detract and dilute the independence of the heroine. Ginger Snaps forgoes tradition, keeping the love between sisters as the emotional core.

It is Brigitte’s sororal devotion that ultimately drives her to kill her sister. As the full moon arrives, Ginger’s transformation from girl to beast is complete. For the first time, Ginger fully turns on Brigitte and begins hunting her as any predator would pursue its prey. Realising that nothing remains of Ginger, Brigitte battles the monster. As she finally manages to gain the upper hand, there is a melancholy to the ending. Brigitte has slain the beast, but her sister with it. The link that has held them together is extinguished and Brigitte is alone for the first time in her life. 

Ginger’s death has wide-reaching consequences for the direction of the sequel, Ginger Snaps Unleashed. Without Ginger for company, Brigitte is now completely isolated. No longer consumed by her sister, Brigitte spends her time trying to stave off her inherited werewolf curse by injecting copious amounts of monkshood. Her efforts are failing as the effects of the poison are weakened with every injection. Brigitte’s desperation to not let the beast take over can also be read as a reticence about turning into Ginger. 

The theme of sisterhood is continued in Unleashed, not through Brigitte and Ginger, but via Brigitte and Ghost (Tatiana Maslany). After overdosing on monkshood, Brigitte is taken into a women’s infirmary. There she encounters the inquisitive Ghost. Brigitte recognises a glimmer of Ginger in her, and an instant sisterly connection is forged. Now in the role of older sibling, Brigitte asserts herself as territorial protector, a trait learned from Ginger. Whilst Brigitte slips seamlessly into older sister mode, Ghost is not an obedient little sister. A warped mirror of Ginger, Ghost also knows how to manipulate Brigitte, persuading her to do her bidding under the guise of protection. Brigitte’s loyalty to her surrogate sister ultimately leads to her downfall and damnation. 

Overseeing this burgeoning connection is the spectre of Ginger. Although dead, Ginger is still a constant in Brigitte’s life. The memory of her dead sister literally haunts her. Rather than being a source of positivity, these visions of Ginger are malicious. The version of Ginger that has remained is mean, constantly taunting Brigitte about the monster residing inside. It is as if all of the good elements of Ginger have been forgotten, Brigitte’s memories tarnished by how their relationship ended, instead of what made it flourish. Brigitte’s response to Ginger manifesting from beyond the grave reflects how younger siblings often struggle under the shadows laid by their elders. Neither portrayal of sisterhood in Unleashed is as complex as that in Ginger Snaps. Both examples are tainted by evil, proving that sometimes darkness can outwit love. Whilst chronologically this bleak message is the end of the Ginger Snaps story, hope endures. 

Prequel, Ginger Snaps Back, the final film released in the series, reignites the sentimentality. Set in Canada during the year 1815, the lead characters are once more sisters named Ginger and Brigitte Fitzgerald. They are doppelgangers of the sisters encountered in Ginger Snaps, the quartet clearly sharing ancestral kinship. Whereas the modern siblings purposefully ostracised themselves from society, their counterparts in the prequel have had isolation thrust upon them. Having lost their parents, the two have only each other to cling onto. After Brigitte is injured by a bear trap, the pair are picked up by Hunter (Nathaniel Arcand) and taken back to an all-male colony. 

A key disparity in Back is that this incarnation of Ginger and Brigitte have a more balanced power dynamic. Ginger remains in charge, but it is in a more traditional capacity. With their parents dead, Brigitte is now Ginger’s charge. This new position sees Ginger’s love develop a maternal side and the girl is softer than expected, whilst Brigitte is more headstrong and independent. She pushes Ginger far more, testing the limits of her authority. Brigitte’s defiance causes some arguments, but their relationship remains steadfast. They constantly look-out for one another. When Brigitte gets hurt, Ginger seeks assistance. Then later, Brigitte comes to Ginger’s aid when she falls under the unwanted eyes of one of the colony men. Their devotion is a result of their unrivalled bond and the two thrive from it. 

Before arriving at the colony, the two encounter an elderly native woman. This woman shares with them a prophecy about two sisters: the red and the black. The omen portents that one must kill the other or risk enacting an everlasting curse. The thought of losing the other is a frightening concept for the girls and they vow to be together forever. However, in this timeline, once bitten, Ginger is adamant that she must die. Brigitte disagrees and her stubbornness leads her down a dark path. 

Brigitte once more looks for help turning to Hunter and his people. Their advice is not what she wants to hear. Repeatedly she is told that there is no hope for Ginger. They counsel her to slay Ginger and prevent the curse from beginning. Blinded by love, Brigitte defiantly refuses and joins the newly turned Ginger, thus condemning their lineage to an eternity of misery. The endings in the series are never happy, and as such Back concludes the trilogy beautifully. Though narratively the beginning, Back works whether viewed as film one or three. These films seamlessly flow into one another, creating a never-ending cycle of viciousness, linking perfectly to the lunar cycle of a werewolf. 

The Ginger Snaps franchise highlighted sisterhood in a way that hadn’t been fully explored at the time. Since its release there have been more films that have examined the theme. Whilst the series might have ended at three films, it isn’t hard to see DNA of the trilogy in several other female-focussed horror stories. Karyn Kusama’s 2009 film Jennifer’s Body is one example, replacing blood sisters with the sacred sisterhood of friendship. Another is Julia Ducournau’s 2016 feature debut Raw, which tells a tale of two sisters with a backdrop of cannibalism. Even if unconsciously, it is apparent that these films were influenced by the Ginger Snaps trilogy and act as spiritual sequels. Though the Ginger Snaps series may be over, films such as Jennifer’s Body, Raw and the many more to come mean that, much like the Fitzgerald curse, sisterhood in horror will be represented eternally. 

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