The Ugly Stepsister: A Grotesque Cinderella Horror Retelling | popgeeks.com
The Ugly Stepsister takes fairy tales to a whole new level of horror. This film is set to redefine horror reimaginings of classic stories. This Norwegian horror film offers a disturbing reimagining of Cinderella, exploring the nightmarish extremes of 19th-century beauty standards. With no anesthesia and questionable results, plastic surgery in this era was truly horrifying, and this film does not shy away from its gruesome reality.
Last year, we saw two horror adaptations of Cinderella—Cinderella’s Revenge and Cinderella’s Curse—both of which reimagined Cinderella as the killer. Now, it’s her stepsister’s turn to take the spotlight in this gruesome tale.
A Chilling Directorial Debut
Marking the feature film debut of writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt, known for her work in short films, The Ugly Stepsister is a bold and grotesque addition to the body horror genre. The film stars Lea Myren as Elvira, the titular stepsister, while Agnes—this adaptation’s equivalent of Cinderella—is played by Agnes.
Beauty at a Terrifying Cost
Elvira harbors deep jealousy toward her beautiful stepsister, Agnes. Alongside her mother and younger sister, she cruelly mistreats Agnes while desperately trying to make herself more desirable in the eyes of the prince. Her obsession leads her to undergo extreme and brutal procedures, including having a bump on her nose hammered down—a harrowing depiction of historical plastic surgery. Anesthesia was not a thing back then. Even more disturbingly, in her desperation to lose weight, she ingests tapeworms harvested from rotting corpses. The film’s unrelenting depiction of these horrific transformations makes for an unsettling yet captivating experience. She does all of this to get the validation from the Prince.
Critical Acclaim and Cultural Reflection
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have praised the film for its unflinching approach to body horror. More than just a gruesome spectacle, The Ugly Stepsister forces viewers to confront the toxic nature of beauty standards and the extreme lengths some will go to for societal acceptance.
Blichfeldt has revealed that the film draws inspiration from both the Brothers Grimm fairytale and her personal struggles with body image, making it a deeply personal and thought-provoking project. It is Currently playing in Norwegian cinemas, The Ugly Stepsister is set to reach a wider audience with an eventual release on Shudder. This is one horror film that will leave viewers not only unsettled but perhaps even grateful for their own reflections in the mirror.
