Ginger snaps (2000) and Jennifer’s Body (2009)

GINGER SNAPS, it seems, represents a crossroads. Adolescent horror was nothing new by the year 2000, with slasher films fully in the mainstream and movies like Heathers and The Craft already firmly entrenched as cult standards. Yet Ginger Snaps is one of the first horror movies to my knowledge that grapples with puberty as a metaphorical curse, a shocking oversight given how apt the comparison can be, especially for young women.
Though the style (both from a fashion and filmmaking perspective) is firmly stuck in 2000, this indie gem is elevated by powerful performances from the whole cast, as well as a strong script that focuses on character as opposed to gory set pieces.
This also what elevates Ginger Snaps’ clearest successor, JENNIFER’S BODY. Criminally ignored at the time of its release, Jennifer’s Body features great performances from the often underserved Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried as well as stylish direction from Karyn Kusama, all working from a script by noted scribe Diablo Cody.