Shudder Day: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

This one was recommended to me by a friend on Facebook.
It has been nominated for an Oscar.

Is this Norwegian Film a dark horse pick?

Are you a fan of Wicked?  
You like the idea of a famous Fairy Tale told from a different perspective?

Well, this one focuses on Elvira, who becomes the Stepsister to...

Agnes, the 'pretty' girl.

They are related when one's Mom marries the other's Dad...who immediately dies.

I'm also 2 for 3 on Shudder Films with old dudes dropping dead in the beginning.

As the Story goes, the Prince is going to hold a Ball to find a wife.

Elvira loves him and the dead Dad gave them massive debt, so the Mom risks it all on archaic plastic surgery.

This is considered to be a Comedy?

The poor Elvira is now going through physical and mental hell to reach the beauty standards of the day.

Joy.

She manages to get close to her goal of meeting the Prince and possibly marrying him.

That said, will she lose herself in the process?

Will she give up everything to achieve beauty and to marry a guy she doesn't actually know?

Will her Stepsister win him instead?

How bleak will this get?

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that really speaks to what some people will do for beauty.

This is obviously not a new Topic, but definitely one more talked about with The Substance's release.  This is not really the same Film, but touches upon the same ideas.

As noted, this is a twist on a Fairy Tale you should all know and told from a new perspective.  In this regard, it totally works.

The traditional Ugly Stepsister is just a cruel young lady who gets what she deserves.
This one is a 'real' person who is twisted by her Mother and turned into something spiritually ugly.

To warn you, this one is FULL of Body Horror.  It's not the Cronenbergian kind where humans become bugs or grow extra limbs.
It is just full of real, horrific things that people used to/sometimes still do to themselves to achieve a certain ideal.

If you have a strong stomach and can accept the slower pacing, this is a true delight.

A Film that is at times bleak, at times strange and quite usually dark.  If you're into twisted Fairy Tales and Body Horror, your ship has arrived!