Mustang Entertainment and Wonder Pictures publishes in the home video The Ugly Stepsister, visceral horror reading of Cinderella’s fairy tale. Undisturbed debut for the Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt, the film has already terrorized Northern Europe with its overwhelming charge of blood, violence and horror body. He was welcomed with episodes of malori and nausea by the audience of previews at the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlinale. Now he’s ready to do it on DVD and Blu-ray.
The Ugly Stepsister: il commento al film body horror
At the centre of The Ugly Stepsister there is a change of perspective: the famous story of Cinderella (which here appears as a spoiled girl) is told from the perspective of Elvira, the half-sister (a talented Lea Myren), a young woman who dreams of the blue prince and a fairytale life. When a great dance is called during which the prince will choose his wife, perhaps his chance to conquer the heir to the throne has come.
But suddenly there is his greatest obstacle in the house: Agnes, acquired sister, is one of the most beautiful creatures ever seen in the kingdom. In order to achieve an absurd ideal of beauty and conquer the heart – and the heritage – of the prince, Elvira, who is despised by the mother turpe, will be willing to endure any suffering, torture, mutilation. Because if the shoe doesn’t fit, just cut off the foot.
This is just an example of how some original parts of the fairy tale (the cutting of fingers to let the shoe in) are maintained and other extremities. Anyway, never eulcorate. The film mixes fiabeschi elements with the horror body that becomes a social complaint and satire, showing how far the search for perfection can turn into a nightmare. Brutal, splatter, rich in blood, viscere and macabre humor from the Gothic veins, the film puts at the center of the narrative themes very current: adaptation at all costs to the standards of beauty, acceptance of oneself and of one’s own identity, the social pressure of family expectations, the cruel male gaze.
There are points in common with The Substance that go beyond the genre. Elvira undergoes an increasingly repugnant transformation during the film, just like Elisabeth Sparkle. Also there it was a black fairy tale and exasperated, but here some excesses (even at the acting level) could be done however less. The message would have passed anyway. A work before it touches dark and perturbed strings, in the contemporary revisitation of a great classic that definitely does not go unnoticed.
The Ugly Stepsister: l’edizione home video
We come to the home video edition. Very simple on an aesthetic level: a plastic amaray box, a suggestive cover with the shoe and a silky disc equally impactful. Good technical features, with an audio and video that sharpens the gore effect of the film. Too bad for the little special content: there is only the (disturbante) trailer. We would have wanted at least one booklet and a few behind the extra scenes.
TECHNICAL FEATURES:
Product type: Video – Blu-Ray
Manufacturer: Mustang / I Wonder
Distributor: Eagle
Year of production: 2025
Year of publication: 2026
Area: 2 – Europe/Japan
Code: PAL
Video Format: 1,85:1 Anamorphic 1080p
Audio Format: 5.1 DTS HD: Italian Norwegian
Subtitles: Italian NU
Type of packaging: Amaray
Number of records: 1
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