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A little vomit in the aisles never hurt a horror film’s success – just look at Terrifier 2 and 3 – so tales of puke from premieres usually bode very well. According to Variety, during yesterday’s Sundance Midnight premiere of Emilie Blichfeldt’s The Ugly Stepsister, one unlucky attendee couldn’t handle the severe scenes of body horror carnage, and subsequently lost their lunch.
Variety confirm that Blichfeldt’s body horror feature includes “several difficult-to-watch scenes of crude cosmetic surgery, including its protagonist eating a tapeworm, sewing in eyelashes and enduring a barbaric rhinoplasty.” Yum!
The Norwegian language The Ugly Stepsister stars Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, and Ane Dahl Torp, with a script also written by Bickfeldt. Premiering sometime this year on Shudder, the film follows:
Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.
The film is a darkly twisted reimagining of Cinderella, adhering closely to the grimmest versions of the tale. It centers on Elvira’s relentless quest for beauty at any cost. Instead of fairy tale silkworms, this story features tapeworms. It includes decomposing bodies, satirical body horror, and a 19th-century surgical transformation. This macabre yet humorous film critiques the beauty industry, which promotes body image as a pathway to desirability, success, and social status. Despite her insecurity, we sympathize with Elvira as she becomes entangled in her greedy mother’s extreme beautification scheme, driven by a desire for acceptance and a happily-ever-after.
In a previous interview with Variety, Blichfeldt expanded on her own personal inspirations behind the film:
“This beauty horror twist on Cinderella is inspired by the Brothers Grimm version and by my own struggles with body image,” said the helmer, who noted that her “goal is to provoke both empathy and discomfort and inspire my audience to reflect upon their perceptions of, and relationship to, beauty.”
Incase you doubt the claims, Variety even includes a photo from the cleaned-up aftermath:
Needless to say, if we weren’t already hyped for The Ugly Stepsister, we certainly are now. Look out for the film on Shudder later this year, and look out for more on The Ugly Stepsister in the upcoming spring issue of FANGORIA.
For more Sundance 2025, check out our most anticipated horror features debuting at this year’s fest.
