The Ugly Stepsister Reimagines Cinderella as a Queasy, Beautiful Nightmare

Lea Myren delivers a haunting performance in Emilie Blichfeldt’s grotesque twist on the Cinderella myth.

One of the films I’ve been keeping an eye on throughout the festival circuit is the twisted Cinderella reimagining from director Emilie Blichfeldt—the Norwegian body horror tale The Ugly Stepsister. And honestly, it’s one of the most inventive fairy tale flips I’ve seen in a minute.

What sets this one apart right out the gate is its shift in perspective—we don’t follow Cinderella. We follow her stepsister. Specifically, Elvira, played with raw vulnerability by Lea Myren, who becomes the newly integrated stepsister to Agnes (played by Thea Sofie Loch Næss). The setup is familiar: a widowed stepmother, a household of women, a girl trying to find her place. But what follows isn’t magic. It’s madness.

Elvira isn’t evil. She’s not even “ugly” in the traditional sense. She’s simply more robust, more grounded, more real than the fantasy ideal that fairy tales usually center around. And that’s where Blichfeldt drives the knife. The film dives headfirst into the pressures placed on women—especially young women—to look, act, and be a certain way. It’s not subtle. It’s not meant to be. Instead, it lets the metaphor bleed all over the screen, sometimes literally.

Think The Substance meets Black Swan by way of Grimm’s original Cinderella—gritty, grotesque, and deeply sad.

What stood out most to me was how well The Ugly Stepsister navigates body horror as both commentary and catharsis. From facial rituals to social shame, the film rips into our obsession with beauty and perfection. There are echoes of Repo! The Genetic Opera and even Black Mirror—stories where people alter themselves to fit into a fantasy that was never meant for them in the first place. The result here is queasy, haunting, and at times oddly hilarious.

Blichfeldt also doesn’t hold back when it comes to showcasing the cruelty of those around Elvira. The men are pompous and transactional. The other women bounce between victimhood and manipulation. And yet it all feels painfully familiar—like the politics of a corporate office dressed up in corsets and corsages.

The film runs a bit longer than expected, but because it leans into that old storybook rhythm, it works. It’s a modern morality play hidden in a rotting fairytale dress—and it knows it. The narrative beats, the grotesque transformation, the loneliness, and the quiet fury all land with the same force. You’ll be laughing one moment, wincing the next, and unsure of where you stand by the time the credits roll.

Expect it to be divisive. The reviews so far have been mixed, but I think once it hits Shudder or another streamer, it’ll find its audience. Gore hounds will love the uncomfortable visuals. Fairytale fans will appreciate the raw take on a familiar tale. And anyone who’s ever felt unseen or unworthy? They’re going to feel this one in their bones.

Bottom line? The Ugly Stepsister is a bold, queasy, and emotionally charged reimagining that cuts deeper than its fairy tale roots would suggest. I give it a strong 4 out of 5. I loved it.

And I think you will too.

4 out of 5 rating

Written and Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt

Starring Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp