Cinderella gets a gruesome horror twist in The Ugly Stepsister, the feature debut by writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt. IFC Films and Shudder has released a massive batch of new images from the Cinderalla horror movie that highlight the film’s lavish sense of fairy tale style. The darkly entertaining fairy tale horror film will release in theaters […]
Cinderella gets a gruesome horror twist in The Ugly Stepsister, the feature debut by writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt. IFC Films and Shudder has released a massive batch of new images from the Cinderalla horror movie that highlight the film’s lavish sense of fairy tale style.
The darkly entertaining fairy tale horror film will release in theaters on April 18, 2025.
The Ugly Stepsister follows “Elvira (Lea Myren) as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) to become the belle of the ball.”
While the horror fairy tale has made headlines after making one person vomit at the premiere, the new images showcase the film’s visual style and stunning production design. Most of all, it highlights the work costume design by Manon Rasmussen (The House That Jack Built, Melancholia). The press release notes that “Blichfeldt conducted extensive research early on, defining silhouettes, periods, and details that aligned with the film’s vision, even consulting with fashion icon Lady Amanda Harlech.”
“Manon has an unmatched talent for crafting costumes that feel like an extension of the character, incorporating worn, stitched textures to make the actors feel at home in their roles. Together, we play on Disney’s iconic silhouettes for Cinderella and the stepsisters, tying these designs to the mid/late 1800s when cosmetic surgery was beginning to emerge in medical practice,” Blichfeldt said.
I wrote in my Sundance review, “The production design is stunning and immersive, creating an almost ethereal backdrop to a grim, gory body horror tale, and the characters are wonderfully nuanced and authentic. Blichfeldt crafts an impressive feature debut that manages a rare feat: offering a wholly unique version of a classic fairy tale that we’ve never seen before while returning to its violent roots. It’s elegant, stylish, and gnarly.”
