The Ugly Stepsister || A Twisted Take on Classic Cinderella

I was pondering hard yesterday if I would watch this movie because the premise doesn't appeal much to me. I mean a take on classic Cinderella? I had already seen some movies with that same premise before, and I always felt bad for the ugly stepsister because I somehow relate with her. Cinderella is basically the ideal woman—beautiful, kind, hardworking, demure, and many more good traits you could imagine an ideal woman could have, and that itself makes her unrelatable to me. Every time I watch Cinderella or any takes on it, I really relate with the stepsister because what's not to envy with Cinderella?

Anyway, despite my doubts, my curiosity won and I ended up watching its trailer and bam! It's actually far from the classic Cinderella I've known and the takes I've seen. The way they made the trailer so convincingly dark and beautifully haunting immediately convinced me that I should watch its entirety ASAP! So without further ado, join me as I share with you a peek and my review of The Ugly Stepsister.

About the Movie

The Ugly Stepsister (Den Stygge Stesøsteren) is a 2025 movie that was directed and written by Norwegian author and filmmaker, Emilie Blichfeldt. This almost two-hour movie focuses on an unsettling body horror mixed with a folk tale that reimagines the classic Cinderella story from the point of view of Elvira—one of the known ugly sisters from that classic tale. This movie is a directorial debut of Emilie Blichfeldt and because of its brilliant and twisted take on the known classic fairytale, this movie earned her the 2025 Winner Director's Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival. So much for that, now let's know what this Cinderella take all about.

Well, the focus of the narration is Elvira who portrays one of the stepsisters. However, unlike the classic fairytale, Elvira is far from the haughty and meanspirited stepsister instead she's introduced as a shy and uncertain woman. Also, she's quite a daydreamer because not a day would pass without her daydreaming about the Prince that she adored the most. It was apparent that even her mother knew she was unattractive, but she paid no mind to that until a great problem unfolded for them. Her stepfather died, but what's more terrifying is that he's as almost penniless as them.

However, his death wasn't the end of their horror because as soon as an invitation to the Prince's ball, that's where all the horror really begins. Desperate to rise from their dire situation and as well to win the prince's favor, her mother and Elvira will do everything to achieve the ideal beauty that they've sought. Bloody and gut-wrenching as it may get, Elvira is willing to go to great lengths to marry the prince and achieve her dreams. Blood, sweat, and tears will be her means to go against the Cinderella of this story, but can she win against the heroine of the original fairytale? Or will her sacrifices be all in vain?

If you don't have strong stomach and heart I advise that you should steer clear of this movie. Well, it's not the goriest movie that I've seen, however, the way they stunningly portray the ugliness of societal norms and how they can wreck one's life was so brilliant. Also, the body horror was definitely portrayed in a really disturbing manner, and if you're into psychological horror, you'll totally enjoy this one. Not a scene would make you feel bored because aside from its stunning gothic aesthetic, the music as well would make you hooked to it. The opening credits particularly were one of my favorite parts of it because they somehow shaded how beautiful and grotesque this whole movie would be.

This take on Cinderella is probably my favorite because it portrayed well how the classic Cinderella would be if it was set in a real and grim manner. I love how they're able to reimagine the classic fairytale—that's quite boring for me— into a mind-blowing body horror movie. It doesn't only tackles the insecurities Elvira felt, but as well also her mother who first fell into unfortunate fate. Further, what makes this more interesting than the original is that they somehow challenge the generic Cinderella figure—the naive and ever-angelic character.

Rather than conforming to that, they added more complexity to her, for unlike the original, they portrayed Cinderella—Agnes in this movie—as a passionate woman who also divulges to worldly premarital affairs. She's far from the classic virginal and naive Cinderella because even though she's quite the sheltered one, she's already aware of her situation when her father died. She knows that to survive she needs to set aside her pursuit of true love. Like Elvira, she's entrapped in a dire situation and she's also as determined as her to climb up the hierarchy ladder. Certainly, she knows she can't have a good life if she's broke, so even though she doesn't love the prince, she still pursues him.

As for Elvira, she's far from ugly at the start of the movie however as the movie progresses, she gradually becomes the ugly stepsister. Despite that she's aesthetically improving, her insides became rotten—both figuratively and literally. Her insecurities eventually gnaw at her, and as the story delved into her pursuit of beauty, it became apparent to me that beauty is indeed pain, especially for those who don't conform to the ones society has approved of. Even now there are still women who are in hot pursuit of that stereotypical beauty and like Elvira, some of their transitions didn't end well and tragic it may be, this movie definitely portrayed how it feels to be enclosed in that insecurity and how destructive it can get.

Overall, I enjoyed watching it and even now, there are still scenes that stay on my mind. Since it's a body horror movie of 'course expect bloodcurdling scenes that would send shivers to your spine. Also, some daring scenes would most likely make you uncomfortable if you're like me—who's not that used to them. It's really a fresh and thought-provoking take on Cinderella, and despite its quite simplistic premise, it deviated from all of my not-so-good initial impressions of it. So if you're into dark and terrifying story with enthralling gothic visuals, then I recommend you to try watching The Ugly Stepsister.

Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—

Have you watched this movie? Or is this your first time encountering it? If you have thoughts about it, then feel free to share them in the comments. That's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.