The Ugly Stepsister

Play trailer

1:48

The Ugly Stepsister

Now Playing

1h 45m

Horror

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

85%

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.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Linda Marric

The Sun (UK)

A smart, bold, and visually rich work that both enchants and challenges.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 25, 2025

Full Review

Tom Beasley

Voice Magazine

No matter how many toes it slices off, the slipper still doesn’t fit.

Rated: 2/5

May 8, 2025

Full Review

Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana

What a Scream Podcast

Combining gag-worthy practical effects with the very real horrors of being a woman, The Ugly Stepsister takes the idea of a fairytale and transforms it into a nauseating body horror masterpiece.

Rated: 5/5

May 8, 2025

Full Review

Lisa Laman

Culturess

The Ugly Stepsister, like any quality feature, blends past pop culture influences into something unabashedly singular.

May 5, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Brandon Martinez

Reminded me so much of The Substance, would really recommend it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Emilie Blichfeldt

Director

Lea Myren

Elvira

Thea Sofie Loch Næss

Askepott

Ane Dahl Torp

Stepmother

Flo Fagerli

Alma

Isac Calmroth

Prince Julian

The Ugly Stepsister: Exclusive Trailer

1:48

View more videos

View more photos

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)