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The Ugly Stepsister

Play trailer 1:48 Poster for The Ugly Stepsister Released Apr 18 1h 45m Horror Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 111 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 50+ Verified Ratings
In a twisted take on the classic Cinderella story, 'The Ugly Stepsister' follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister. In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will go to any lengths to catch the Prince's eye. 'The Ugly Stepsister' is the gory tale of the blood and sweat, grit and gold that goes into making Elvira the belle of the ball.
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The Ugly Stepsister

The Ugly Stepsister

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Critics Consensus

Taking a hammer and chisel to a quintessential fairy tale, The Ugly Stepsister's masterful application of gore and subversion are the stuff that nightmares are made of.

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Critics Reviews

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Amy Nicholson FilmWeek (LAist) I really loved the lead performance, this sister who is really committed to try and do everything right. May 20, 2025 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) That’s impressive — 30 years of film criticism and this is the first time that I’ve had to turn away from the screen for fear of retching. Rated: 3/5 Apr 28, 2025 Full Review Hannah Strong Little White Lies The film’s creative gore alone cannot paper over the ultimate flimsiness of Blichfeldt’s concept, which amounts to an adolescent scrawl of fairytale satire. Rated: 2/5 Apr 25, 2025 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast Not for the squeamish, Emilie Blichfeldt's The Ugly Stepsister is one twisted and subversive fairy tale. Rated: 3.5/5 May 28, 2025 Full Review Xero Gravity Big Gold Belt Media It’s taking all my strength to not crash just at the thought of how delightfully messed up this is. I’m able to have this visceral reaction days after screening because of the way all the pieces of the puzzle came together for this production. Rated: 5/5 May 23, 2025 Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix Beyond the intentionally sickening body horror in The Ugly Stepsister, this well-made version of the Cinderella fairy tale is a dark and clever satire of painful extremes some women go to for beauty and wealth. May 21, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ben W Definitely a great watch. I had fun. Lightly touches on the body horror genre, but keeps itself tame enough to be digestible for a wider audience. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Adrianna wasn't prepared to see a movie that isn't in English. it was really well written, and the acting is amazing. it was nice to see a different pov of the class fairytale that we know as cinderella. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/26/25 Full Review Elaine W One of the BEST movies of 2025 so far!!!! So creative, unique, fantastical! Loved it!!! Great “Cinderella” adaptation! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/24/25 Full Review Yue amazing. fans of the substance must see Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/23/25 Full Review Shelbelw Just got back from seeing The Ugly Stepsister and wanted to leave my two cents. No Spoilers. To be honest, this portrays such a female experience from start to finish that I'm not sure how many men are actually going to appreciate this movie. It is exquisitely tragic, beautifully filmed, and the lead actress deserves an Oscar. Her character arc from wide-eyed hopeful innocent to what she turns into is so amazing. The micro expressions on her face show every thought and feeling as if we were in her head. The body horror is good. There was not much the camera pulled away from. And at one point I actually gagged. I'm looking forward to rewatching this to appreciate the journey. Two severed big toes up from this girl. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/22/25 Full Review BaileysHorrors on YT Sick and twisted, with beautiful visuals. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/22/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In a twisted take on the classic Cinderella story, 'The Ugly Stepsister' follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister. In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will go to any lengths to catch the Prince's eye. 'The Ugly Stepsister' is the gory tale of the blood and sweat, grit and gold that goes into making Elvira the belle of the ball.
Director
Emilie Blichfeldt
Producer
Maria Ekerhovd
Screenwriter
Emilie Blichfeldt, Emilie Blichfeldt
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Mer Film
Genre
Horror, Comedy
Original Language
Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 18, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 9, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA)
$306.8K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)
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