If you asked David Cronenberg, or maybe his son Brandon to do a body horror fairy tale, it would turn out something like The Ugly Stepsister. Emilie Blichfeldt’s film was all the rage at Sundance earlier this year, and near the top of my list of the festival’s best. The twisted take on Cinderella finally has a trailer, and you should gird your loins and check it out because this storybook fantasy isn’t for the weak.
The Ugly Stepsister is a grisly, gory, R-rated take on the Cinderella story told from the perspective of her stepsister, Elvira, played by Lea Myren. Pressured by the impossible beauty standards of the time, and her golddigger mom (Ane Dahl Torp), Elvira goes to radical lengths to win the attention of the handsome prince, competing directly with the enchanting Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) to be belle of the ball.
Blichfeld puts a nasty spin on virtually every aspect of the classic tale, but just wait and see the horrific procedures Elvira goes through to beautify her body. I’m just going to tell you that some people in the screening I attended got sick and couldn’t make it through. Like I said, steel yourself for this one!
As far as satires go, this is right up there with The Substance. Actually, I think it’s better than that, but we’ll see what audiences think.
IFC/Shudder will release The Ugly Stepsister in theaters on April 18th. You can check out my early review here.
