The Ugly Stepsister
Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt
Determined to outshine her beautiful stepsister, Elvira resorts to extreme measures to win the prince's heart in this dark re-imagining of the Cinderella fairy tale.
Elvira resorts to extreme measures to win the prince's heart
Cast: Lea Myren, Thea-Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth
Member Reviews
Amazing satire on Cinderella. Uncomfortable, harrowing and weirdly representative of the world's beauty standards (mostly).
deeply uncomfortable; had a great time
Hands down the best saw-it-first-on-Shudder (I mainly rewatch childhood faves—I suck) film I’ve seen to date. Agreeance on the sumptuous production design, loved how the 80s-Muzak score sapped any chance of melodrama or (American) sentimentalism from this sardonic, carefully scripted funhouse-mirror version of Cinderella.
Gross, funny and much more touching than I would have expected.
I got through The Ugly Stepsister and it left me torn — it’s bold, moody, and unflinchingly grotesque at times. The body horror elements and twisted spin on Cinderella are brave, but sometimes the shock factor feels like it’s doing the heavy lifting instead of deeper emotional stakes. Lea Myren’s performance is striking, yet I found myself drifting in parts when the pacing slowed. All told, I’m giving it 3 skulls for ambition and flashes of brilliance, even if it doesn’t fully land.