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The Ugly Stepsister

Play trailer 1:48 Poster for The Ugly Stepsister 1h 45m Horror Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 42 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 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.
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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Cast & Crew

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Emilie Blichfeldt

Director

Lea Myren

Elvira

Thea Sofie Loch Næss

Askepott

Ane Dahl Torp

Stepmother

Flo Fagerli

Alma

Isac Calmroth

Prince Julian

Critics Reviews

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Savina Petkova Sight & Sound Blichfeldt blends the more brutal folktale elements with phantasmatic longing to create a version of Cinderella where beauty is pain for some women, but life is pain for all of them. Mar 19, 2025 Full Review Perri Nemiroff Perri Nemiroff (YouTube) A wonderfully extreme spin on the Cinderella story that doesn’t hold back showing the lengths the title character goes to to meet Cinderella standards. A top tier first feature for Emilie Blichfeldt and a staggeringly impressive debut for lead, Lea Myren. Rated: 4.5/5 Feb 17, 2025 Full Review Marshall Shaffer Slant Magazine Emilie Blichfeldt knows the exact point of queasiness to which she can push an audience and gradually tests how much further she can move that mark with each successive scene. Rated: 3/4 Feb 15, 2025 Full Review Siddhant Adlakha Polygon The specter of class trickles down generationally, before congealing into body fascism. The result is a smart, wildly fun, and viscerally jolting work, one that becomes downright upsetting when every aspect of its premise comes crashing down at once. Mar 23, 2025 Full Review Mel Valentin ScreenAnarchy The Ugly Stepsister ... the work of a bold, fearless filmmaker willing to explore the darkest, grimmest, and goriest aspects of physical beauty, what it means, how it’s for, and how it’s weaponized against women. Mar 20, 2025 Full Review Hector A. Gonzalez InSession Film Blichfeldt’s tonal control and utilization of genre convictions are so effective that you go along with the ride and its full unmasked commentary on aging, beauty standards, identity, and female independence. Rated: B Mar 3, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Ugly Stepsister

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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
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)