The Ugly Stepsister

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The Ugly Stepsister

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1h 45m

Horror

Comedy

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97%

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89 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

100+ 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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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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Tara Brady

Irish Times

The Norwegian writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt roasts conventional heroines and female beauty standards in this gruesome, hilarious reworking of Cinderella.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 24, 2025

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

This is a movie hyper-aware of the sexual and patriarchal imagery of Cinderella... Blichfeldt has made an elegant debut.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 24, 2025

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Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

Blichfeldt revels in the grotesque and gory, pushing things to their limit, with an unmistakable sense of glee.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 18, 2025

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Jack Martin

Film Feeder

Revels in so much twisted body horror and psychological torment that even the Brothers Grimm would cringe with disgust.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 24, 2025

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Damon Wise

Deadline Hollywood Daily

To [director Emilie Blichfeldt’s] credit, she goes all in, and her audaciously militant vision suggests a director whose name is soon to be catnip for actors who like to pester their agents for challenging new projects.

Apr 24, 2025

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EJ Moreno

Flickering Myth

A twisted, messed-up fairy tale that truly sells the horror of the original story. Raunchy, gross, and oh so much fun.

Apr 22, 2025

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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

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Yue

amazing. fans of the substance must see

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/23/25

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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

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BaileysHorrors on YT

Sick and twisted, with beautiful visuals.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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Brandon Martinez

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

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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Crystal G

I loved it! This is a fantastic twisted adaptation of the original Grimms dark fairytale. It has excellent body horror scenes thatll make you squirm. I highly recommend seeing this movie in the theaters, I absolutely love this movie, its gonna stick with me for a while. Would pair great with The Substance

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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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

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
Box Office (Gross USA): $174.9K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)