GINGER SNAPS BACK: THE BEGINNING (2004) (***)
The original GINGER SNAPS is arguably the best horror film of the new millennium so far. GINGER SNAPS 2: UNLEASHED was a solid sequel that continued the tale from the first film and took it into an interesting direction. The third film in the series is a huge departure and made me wonder if the franchise was dead. However, despite being an odd choice, the third film is still engaging and entertaining.
Outsider sisters Ginger (Katharine Isabelle, FREDDY VS. JASON) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins, PROZAC NATION) return, but they aren’t modern girls anymore. The story takes the characters and places them in 19th Century Canada. Their parents have died and they become lost in the woods. After Brigitte is injured, a mysterious Indian hunter (Nathaniel Arcand, ELEKTRA) leads them to an outpost where the inhabitants are very leery of strangers. This is because on a nightly basis the fort is attacked by werewolves.