The Ugly Stepsister

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The Ugly Stepsister

In Theaters Fri Apr 18

1h 45m

Horror

Comedy

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97%

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63 Reviews

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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.

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In Theaters Fri Apr 18

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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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Emilie Blichfeldt

Director

Lea Myren

Elvira

Thea Sofie Loch Næss

Askepott

Ane Dahl Torp

Stepmother

Flo Fagerli

Alma

Isac Calmroth

Prince Julian

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

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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

Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

Blichfeldt is a talent to watch, and her film is something wild, creating unforgettable imagery and adaptation inspiration to generate one of the best pictures of the year.

Rated: A

Apr 16, 2025

Full Review

Charles Koplinski

Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam

Blichfeldt’s wicked sense of humor gleefully upends every aspect of the well-known tale.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Apr 16, 2025

Full Review

Michael Nordine

Movie Brief

One story’s happy ending is another story’s tragedy.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 16, 2025

Full Review

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The Ugly Stepsister: Exclusive Trailer

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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)