'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The upcoming Norwegian horror film titled The Ugly Stepsister is set to be released in theaters on April 18, 2025, in the United States of America. The film is written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, making it her directorial debut.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025. The story follows Elvira, who competes against her stepsister to captivate the prince.
The story is a unique twist on the fairy tale called Cinderella and is not based on a true story. In an interview with insessionfilm.com, a film industry news website, director Emilie Blichfeldt expressed how the film is her take on the world-famous fairy tale, Cinderella. She wrote the story from the perspective of one of the stepsisters and mixed it with the body horror genre.
Trending
"I knew that in taking on the Cinderella story, there was a potential commercial aspect to it, in that it could speak to the whole world because it’s so well known. But I also knew that the body horror part of it could also make the film quite niche," Emilie explained.
Enjoy Apple TV+'s thought provoking new show HERE
She also added that the response from the audience to Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance encouraged her to release the film, which was in the making for a while.
"The Ugly Stepsister has been eight years in the making, and then, in the meantime, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance came out and was trailblazing. So, when I released my movie, everyone knew what body feministic body horror was, and they were like, “This is so cool. I want more!” And then my film is released, and I couldn’t dream of better timing," said the director.
How does The Ugly Stepsister reconceive the fairytale Cinderella?
The Ugly Stepsister is told from the perspective of one of the stepsisters, Elvira, unlike the fairy tale, which centers around Cinderella. Instead of showing her stepsisters as evil people, the film depicts her as a woman who is driven to unspeakable lengths due to the expectations of society. Not only is it told from a different perspective, but there's also an addition of body horror to the plot.
In the interview, director Emilie shared that adding the body horror element to the film was emotional for her. She had struggled with body dysmorphia and needed support to overcome it. While the topic is central to the film, she wants to show how unrealistic beauty standards have affected women over time.
"That’s what I myself have suffered from for a long time. And if it hadn’t been for the people around me who saw that I was suffering and who said, “Please, here’s my gaze. Here is how you really are. You know this is, this is not okay. You know, the things that you’re seeing or believing are total bullshit.” If it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have gotten out." Emilie explained her experience with body dysmorphia.
The film also shows Cinderella, known as Agnes in the film, as a normal noble girl who has to help her stepmother until she gets married. As per the director, her situation is considered to be normal in the European version of the fairy tale. As per Emilie, it's the situation that's cruel and not her stepfamily. Her beauty made her richer than many, and she shouldn't consider herself poor.
The Ugly Stepsister is a unique retelling of the renowned fairy tale, and mixing it with horror sets the film apart from any other version of the story seen before. Elvira's quest to attract the prince takes her through the unimaginable horrors of decomposing bodies, body horror, and a 19th-century surgical transformation.
The cast and crew for The Ugly Stepsister
The Ugly Stepsister is an upcoming Norwegian body horror film written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt. The film's distribution rights for North America were acquired by Shudder and IFC Films.
The film is led by Lea Myrin, who stars as the stepsister, Elvira. Other cast members include Thea Sofie Loch Næss as Agnes and Ane Dahl Torp as Rebekka, the stepmother. It also features Flo Fagerli as stepsister Alma and Isac Calmroth as Prince Julian.
What's the trailer about?
The trailer for The Ugly Stepsister was released on March 17, 2025, and is available on the official Shudder YouTube Channel. The film is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella from the perspective of her sister. The addition of body horror and the element of body dysmorphia to the fairy tale makes its story unique.
The trailer shows an old 19th-century type of royal environment, where people give extreme importance to a woman's beauty. Elvira is shown to be bullied a lot over her braces and her appearance, even though she is just a child. What seems like an innocent story quickly picks up the pace of horror.
Midway through the clip, the audience is shown an old but horrifying cosmetic procedure for the nose. From then on, Evira becomes obsessed with cosmetic surgeries to look pretty and slim to win over the prince. The body horror keeps escalating as Elvira begins harming herself and her stepsister after being driven to madness in her quest to become the princess.
The Ugly Stepsister is an upcoming Norwegian body horror film set to be released in theaters on April 18, 2025, in the United States of America.
Stay tuned for further updates.
