The Ugly Stepsister

The Ugly Stepsister is A dark, twisted re telling of the Cinderella story..... with A LOT of added gore.

The film tells the story of Elvira, who is essentailly, the Ugly Stepsister of the classic fairytale, the movie ios from her point of view.

The movie opens with Elvira her mum and younger sister moving in with another family (just the dad and the 'pretty daughter')

Some stuff happens, there's financial worries and.... news comes that the Prince will be having a ball and there he will chose his bride... so every young girl in the area sets off on a mission to... be the lucky lady.

So it is the classic fairytale ...to an extent.

Both Elvira and her Stepsister are after the Princes 'love' (in fact the movie opens with Elvira reading the princes published poems, and she has regular daydream fanatasies about being swept of her feet by him)

But the movie is really about the lengths that Elvira (and her mum) will go to, in order to become 'beautiful' and therefore worthy of the Prince

Thats more or less the plot

The early hype around this has been focusing on the gore element... And while it is VERY gorey at times... I think focusing on that does the film a bit of a disservice....

Yes... Its gorey, but it's much more internal and more of a psychological horror....(in a good way)

(Actress) in the lead role is BRILLIANT. You can see the struggles shes goin through internally on her face.... Its s brilliant, genre topping performance.

The supporting cast, specifically the mum, are also top tier.

I'm going to assume it was a low budget... But it didn't look or FEEL low budget.

The period costumes look great, the makeup snd physical effects dont look cheap....

The Cinematography (especially the fantasy sequences) and more specifically the sound design, it doesn't look OR sound lime a cheap movie.

So it seems they've spent their money wisely.

Score has stranger things vibes, interesting juxtaposition to the period drama setting

Then there's almost a spaghetti western vibe to the score... so, when it works, it works really well, but it did feel a little disjointed at times

It's written and directed by a woman, and I think that's partly what gives this such a unique feel at times. There's elements to the movie about the female gaze, that, lets face it, would probably have been handled differently if directed by a man

The pressure, young women in particular are put under to look a certain way...

The methods used in the movie might be more barbaric than today's.... But the underlying societal issue is the same.

The moral, the theme... while at times can feel a little on the nose (pun intended) is still, sadly relevant in today's society.

There's a line in the movie that stuck out to me "you're changing the outside to fit what you know is on the inside... Its what's inside that counts"

In an effort to make herself beautiful on the outside she becomes ugly on the inside.... (then ugly on the outside)

Now, even though I've kinda down played the goriness.... Its definitely an 18 rated movie

But none of the sex, nudity or violence feels gratuitous.... It all serves the story and the characters, it's not gore for the sake of gore (lookin at you Terrifier!)

Oh, and there is a an ed credits scene so stick around for that

7/10 for the ugly step sister.

I was very pleasenlty surprised by this. I went in expecting a fairly mindless gore fest, what i got was a well thought out, well paced psychological body horror (with a fair amount of gore) that Cronenberg fans would be proud of.

Would make a good double bill with THE SUBSTANCE

Thanks to shudder and strike media for giving me an early look at this, it's in select uk cinemas as of April 25th and I believe it's already in US cinemas.

Thats us folks, I'll catch you ijnthe next video

✌🏻

Seen this at the Berlin International Film Festival.

She was about to unleash the film on us, as the noticeably excited director finally exulted, having been brought on stage beforehand by the screenings moderator. The Cinderella tale was very close to her heart, and she almost spoiled the ending (more on that below). But first things first:

At the beginning, we still wonder, due to the emerging, subtly crude exaggeration, where this journey is headed... whether the film will find its tone. Yet another patchwork family coming together, a few centuries before today.

The penniless widow Rebekka moves with her daughters, Alma and Elvira, into the estate of a supposedly wealthy, older suitor, who has a pretty daughter named Agnes. Unfortunately, the hoped-for benefactor soon passes away. When it also turns out that this household has fallen on hard times as well, the newly widowed and aspiring social climber finds herself in a tough spot.

The prince of the county, meanwhile, is idolized by all the maidens for his poetry-and is soon to host a ball where he will choose his bride. A rivalry ignites between the initially haughty Agnes and the unconventionally attractive Elvira, spurred on by mother Rebekka, who puts every hockey mom to shame. After all, the pool of candidates is as large as in today's casting shows.

The audience may soon suspect: The daughter figures and the "evil" stepmother from the original Cinderella story seem here to serve merely as a foundation. For things appear to be taking a different turn, won't they? Who is the good one, who is the bad one-we recall the director's words: "The ugly stepdaughter, that was me." "There is only one Cinderella, we can't all be her."

Here, one feels pleasantly uncertain about how it will all end. It is crafty how Emilie Blichfeldt (both director and writer) blurs boundaries and plays with expectations, even as she does not shy away from clichés but rather embraces them in keeping with the genre.

The parallels to today, which Emilie Blichfeldt hints at, meaning that the whole thing can also be read as an analogy to current and burgeoning social dreams - are not as far-fetched as they may seem. After all, influencers, beauty ideals, body optimization trends, posing coaching, the excesses of cosmetic procedures, and (model) casting shows all promise dreams that rarely come true.

The drastic visual shock effects in "Den Stygge Stesøsteren" do not come across as mere sensationalism; instead, they powerfully illustrate the delusions of the characters: losing weight by ingesting a parasite, a nose job with hammer and chisel, self-mutilation... These scenes provoked intense reactions from the audience: vehement groans, followed by sudden bursts of laughter-even applause for individual scenes. Rare and strange.

And yet, it is simply faithful to the source: fairy tales have always drawn their effect from horrific deeds. The Grimm version of the story, as one can find, is by no means the only one. The Cinderella legend haunted Europe for centuries in countless variations before the Brothers Grimm-and later Ludwig Bechstein-shaped it into the form we remember today.

It is hard to imagine a better or more faithful adaptation of fairy tale motifs for a modern audience than what this film achieves-through adaptation, interpolation, and remixing.

I have deep respect for ideas and concepts like the ones featuring in "The Ugly Stepsister". The totally bonkers reimagining of a classic fairytale like "Cinderella", told mainly from the perspective of the hateful stepsister, is pure genius and utmost creative. In fact, I'm even slightly frustrated that I can never come up with simple but brilliant ideas like that! Who thought it up, then? Well, the Norwegian writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt did, and she created a lot more than just an entertaining slice of trash cinema... Blichfeldt made a harsh but socially relevant statement, a brutal upgrade of body-horror, and a hilarious black comedy. All in one.

It may not seem obvious, but "The Ugly Stepsister" has quite a lot in common with Coralie Fargeat's "The Substance"; which is hands down THE best horror movie of the 2020s. Both films were made by strong and professional women, and they both star anti-heroines doing everything - literally everything - to answer to the highest possible beauty standards. Both of the heroines also desire to look young/beautiful not for themselves, but to still matter in the society they are part of. And, of course, their desperate obsession with beauty has terrible consequences for both of them.

Let's not over-analyze, though, as "the Ugly Stepsister" is first and foremost a tremendously entertaining combo of genres. Blichfeld fluently blends period costume piece, comedy, horror, and even a little bit of drama. The carefree life of Rebekka and her daughters Elvira and Alma rudely comes to an end when her rich second husband literally drops dead on the diner table. Their only hope for wealth and luxury would be that Prince Charming chooses the oldest daughter Elvira as his bride, but there's one little problem. With her giant braces, crooked nose, excessively natural curves, and ring-curling hair, Elvira does not immediately meet the beauty standards. Will Rebekka succeed to make her own daughter prettier in time for the Royal Ball, AND to keep the amazingly beautiful daughter Agnes - a.k.a. Cinderella - locked away in the stables?

I truly loved how old-fashioned narratives and outdated clichés from the old Disney story have faded, and even disappeared. The stepsister is no longer an arrogant and evil wench but a very insecure and introverted girl. Cinderella, on the other hand, is not such an innocent angel anymore. She is quite rude to Elvira, and she likes premarital sex with the stable boy while she introduces herself as a virgin to the Prince a little while later. Fortunately, some fixed values from the (original) story are also retained. You won't see it in the Disney version, but here as well the stepdaughter cuts off her toes to fit the shoe. The film is of course far from perfect. Many parts of the script seem underdeveloped, which creates loose ends as well as a very large number of illogical situations and inexplicable plot twists. However, these are only details, because Blichfeldt has created a refreshing and solid long-feature debut film, and I hope to see more of her soon.

I have consistently held a profound admiration for ideas and concepts that appear straightforward at first, yet upon deeper investigation, uncover a fascinating and profound complexity. Similar to the themes and notions presented in this film, which impressed me with its visual artistry, although some scenes are daring, these are typical in Scandinavian films, so this detail shouldn't catch you off guard. Reimagining a timeless fairy tale like "Cinderella" from the point of the spiteful, unattractive stepsister is sheer brilliance and a remarkable masterpiece. This concept might appear straightforward to certain individuals, yet in truth, it is truly brilliant. In this case, "Agnes," or more accurately "Cinderella," is no longer the naive angel we recognize. She treats her stepsister (Elvira) quite harshly and delights in premarital relations with the stable boy, while presenting herself as a virgin to the prince soon after. In addition to the classic tales and long-standing stereotypes from traditional Disney stories, the stepsister is now depicted not as a haughty, wicked girl, but instead as a shy, uncertain girl, even about her own self.

This creative advancement, along with numerous others, certainly enhanced the film's artistic richness and set it apart from other popular films with similar narratives. Certainly, the originator of this nightmarish concept is the imaginative Norwegian author and filmmaker, Emilie Blichfeldt, who has presented us with a bleak portrayal of both beauty and ugliness. This image goes beyond being merely an amusing film, uplifting us as spectators, without resorting to a shallow narrative, a clichéd drama, or an ineffective comedy. The creative director delivered a stark, socially pertinent message, a grim and intense enhancement to the "body horror" genre, while also incorporating some subtle elements of dark humor effectively. I genuinely enjoyed the film, and when I selected it for my evening viewing, I didn't anticipate it would elevate my experience as much as it did in tandem with him during the viewing. I am familiar with Scandinavian cinema, recognizing its sophistication, and I'm also acutely aware of its remarkable boldness in explicit scenes. An outstanding movie in every aspect, including directing, performances, visuals, costumes, writing, and soundtrack. The music at the start of the movie amazed me, indicating that I was impressed early on, to such an extent that I watched the film again after it finished to hear it once more. - It's by the incredible Australian artist Molly Lewis, renowned for her whistling skills. She now lives in Los Angeles.

Hold on. Here's a point, At the film's outset, during the opening credits and theme music, the camera smoothly glides over the dinner table, paired with the captivating music. It moves over the deceased father's head on the table, as though he's lying there with his head on it, but his eyes are open, gazing at us.

This is "an artwork of supreme beauty and magnificence." Oh my goodness, what imagination! Alternatively, the movie is packed with various other delights. A fantastic movie with a superb mark.

An extremely enjoyable combination.

While stories of this nature often carry a myriad of meanings and impacts dictated by audience interpretations, I like to perceive it primarily as a critique of the beauty and fashion industry.

That very industry driven by self-interest, promotes unrealistic beauty standards among impressionable young women, particularly teenagers, and encourages gullible women to purchase costly products to be "attractive" so to speak or, more alarmingly, drive them to resort to unhealthy and dangerous methods for altering their faces and bodily structure.

The narrative also serves as a commentary on those parents who exploit their children's fame and financial success, steering them toward a path of self-destruction in pursuit of their own unattained and selfish interests.