Bailey Downs is a small, rural community in Ontario[1], Canada, where the premise of Ginger Snaps takes place. The community was the subject of a string of mysterious, unexplained animal attacks, later revealed to be caused by a werewolf.
History[]
Bailey Downs was founded as Fort Bailey in the late 1700s to early 1800s. The fort was burned down in 1815. The later settlement date of Bailey Downs was never given, and could either be right after the destruction of the fort or later in the 1900s, given the relatively modern construction and architecture design of the houses. No historical markers or buildings are visible, meaning they could have been replaced by modern construction.
In late 1999, a mysterious creature appeared and was the source of the murder of several of the community's dogs. This creature, dubbed the Beast of Bailey Downs, was in fact a werewolf.
Geography and cityscape[]
The area around Bailey Downs is largely flat and covered by grainfields. The town itself mainly consists of homogeneous suburban residential areas. The only structures that raise above the height of the many family homes are the transmission towers that support the overhead power lines that cut through the sky in the open empty landscape. Almost no trees can be found within the developed areas outside of dedicated parks and green areas around public buildings. Although there is at least one bigger forested area. A lot of the residential areas are arranged in cul-de-sacs.
Bailey Downs is a town that is still growing, offering affordable real estate[2] and also features new residential development areas that are still unfinished and uninhabited.
Economy[]
Bailey Downs provides its residents a sufficient array of shopping opportunities to cover their daily needs. Including a supermarket to buy groceries[3] like meat and bread and local drug stores[4] to get hygiene supplies. There is also at least one craft store where interested customers can get crafting material including dried flowers. The County Greenhouse as part of the County Regreening Programme is a place that provides gardening services and plants for private homes and the community.
Infrastructure[]
Education[]
Bailey Downs High School provides intermediate education to older teens of Bailey Downs. The school is equipped with a large sports field that is home to the Bailey Downs Buzzards hockey team.
Recreation[]
Neighborhoods are equipped with parks that feature playgrounds and are sometimes connected to wooded areas at the edge of the town.
Culture[]
Kids in local neighborhoods engage in sportive activities like field hockey in their freetime. Halloween is celebrated with decorations, costuming and parties at private homes and public places alike. Residents enjoy caring for their private gardens by mowing their lawns, raking leaves and tending to their plants and flowers.
At school, students are encouraged to reflect on the life in their community with projects in social studies class.
Members of the community take an active interest in their security with a neighborhood watch.
Places of interest[]
- The Fitzgerald Residence: The home of the Fitzgerald family.
- Bailey Downs High School: A small secondary high school for the community.
- The neighborhood park: A small park where the Beast of Bailey Downs attacked Ginger Fitzgerald.
- County Greenhouse: The headquarters for the County Regreening Programme.
- Drug Store: A drug store near the school.
- Entrance to Bailey Downs: Although not shown in the film, the location fits in the canon universe. This location[5] was actually featured in Orphan Black, a series also directed by John Fawcett, director of Ginger Snaps.
Gallery[]
Observations[]
We never see Ginger or Brigitte riding to the school or the greenhouse by car or bus, implying most locations in the movie are within walking distance of each other.
Despite the neighbourhood watch, the Beast of Bailey Downs was never caught or even discovered.
Shooting location[]
See also: Filming Locations
Locations throughout the greater Toronto area were used to portray Bailey Downs. Scenes at the Fitzgeralds' neighbourhood were filmed in Brampton. The neighborhood park is actually located in Mississauga and the high school is a school in Etobicoke.
Filmography[]
Bailey Downs is the site of scenes from multiple films.
- Ginger Snaps
- Orphan Black
- A Christmas Horror Story
Notes[]
- ↑ All the cars in the movie feature number plates from Ontario.
- ↑ "Lots starting at $175.000"
- ↑ Henry and Pamela buy groceries at the supermarket.
- ↑ The drug store where Brigitte and Ginger shop for tampons.
- ↑ The real-life location is the intersection at Major Mackenzie Drive East & Donald Cousens Parkway, Markham, ON L0H, Canada