A tale as old as time (no, not that one) is re-told from another perspective in this grim fairytale by writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt. All Elvira (Lea Myren) wants is to marry the handsome Prince, but with the conventionally beautiful Cinderel- sorry, Agnes – also in the running, she doesn’t stand a chance. She is the ugly stepsister, after all. Charming.
Twisting beloved fairytales into grotesque horror films has become all the rage recently (see also: 2024’s Cinderella’s Curse, 2025’s Rumplestiltskin, and the disturbed Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare), but this Norwegian body horror brings more to the table than hollow trend-chasing. In its story of a young woman desperate to reinvent herself in order to win over the Prince, it’s more The Substance than whatever is going on with the Winnie-the-Poohniverse at the moment.
Opulent visuals and an evocative score contrast with depraved violence as Elvira undergoes her quest to become the fairest of them all (no, not that one either). These sphincter-torturing acts of self-mutilation committed (occasionally with the help of a doctor) include the horrific removal of a set of braces, the surgical instalment of fake eyelashes, a prehistoric nosejob and, most stomach-upsettingly of all, guzzling a tapeworm egg in an attempt to shed the pounds.
Anyone familiar with the original fairy tale might be expecting some amount of toe trauma, but The Ugly Stepsister is so much more harrowing than one could ever be prepared for, making Blood and Honey look like 1950’s Cinderella by comparison – Bridgerton by way of David Cronenberg. Myren gives a revelatory performance as the titular stepsister, her eyes conveying boundless levels of hurt, hope and humiliation amid the ever-escalating horror – each harder to watch than the last. Its satire is about as subtle as a chisel to the nose… and just as effective. Which is to say, ouch.
Not for the weak-kneed nor dainty of countenance, The Ugly Stepsister rewards perseverance with snatched moments of beauty, in the delicate cinematography by Marcel Zyskind and sumptuous costume design by Manon Rasmussen. This is made even more impressive, given that this is director Blichfeldt’s first feature film, demonstrating a sense of confidence and vision that excuses its excesses and occasional bloat.
A ferocious, unrelenting Cinderella story, rich in both style and substance.
THE UGLY STEPSISTER is out in UK Cinemas from April 25th and available to purchase across digital platforms from May 9th.
