Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- grotesque
- sardonic
- unnerving
- late night horror viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praise Emilie Blichfeldt's elegant, provocative debut for transforming Cinderella into a disturbing and socially pointed body-horror satire of impossible beauty standards.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Cinderella template is retained but radically reframed around Elvira's experience of beauty policing and coercive competition.
Elvira's extreme attempts to alter her appearance make impossible beauty standards physically grotesque and emotionally traumatic.
The prince, family hierarchy, and marriage market all reward physical perfection and intensify Elvira's self-erasure.
The film combines black comedy with humiliating beauty rituals and unnerving physical transformation.
Films like The Ugly Stepsister, and why
Gretel & Hansel
Shares a revisionist fairy-tale framework, feminist social critique, grotesque transformation imagery, and darkly comic tone.
The Substance
Combines body horror, psychological unease, and female-centered commentary on beauty, desire, and social pressure.
Ginger Snaps
Offers a stylized, unsettling reworking of a familiar fairy tale through feminist satire and macabre visual excess.
Raw
Uses black comedy and visceral bodily transformation to expose oppressive expectations placed on women.
Movie Details
- Director
- Emilie Blichfeldt
- Release Date
- 2025-03-07
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (1338)
Cast
- Lea Myren
- Ane Dahl Torp
- Thea Sofie Loch Næss
- Flo Fagerli
- Isac Calmroth
- Malte Gårdinger
- Ralph Carlsson
- Cecilia Forss
- Katarzyna Herman
- Adam Lundgren
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Ugly Stepsister about?
- A grotesque Cinderella reimagining follows a desperate stepsister through a vicious beauty contest where desire demands physical sacrifice.
- What is The Ugly Stepsister like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Ugly Stepsister as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Ugly Stepsister violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Ugly Stepsister as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Ugly Stepsister?
- Critics broadly praise Emilie Blichfeldt's elegant, provocative debut for transforming Cinderella into a disturbing and socially pointed body-horror satire of impossible beauty standards.
- Which films are like The Ugly Stepsister?
- Films with a similar feel include Gretel & Hansel, The Substance, Ginger Snaps, and Raw.
- How long is The Ugly Stepsister?
- The Ugly Stepsister runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Ugly Stepsister?
- In United States, The Ugly Stepsister streams on Hulu, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel.
