The Ugly Stepsister (2025) Review

The Ugly Stepsister is a retelling of the classic Cinderella tale with a horror twist. Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt and starring Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, and Flo Fagerli, this Norwegian film uses the fairy tale as a vehicle to examine themes of self-esteem, harmful beauty standards, and girlhood. The 2025 release also joins the ranks of recent body horror pictures like The Substance and Grafted.

The film follows Elvira (Lea Myren) and Alma (Flo Fagerli) as their mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), tries to secure a good life for her family by way of Agnes/Cinderella’s (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) father. The eldest stepsister, Elvira, is not only infatuated with the Prince, but is then invited to the ball where he will choose his wife. Under her mothers guidance, she undergoes a rigorous beautification process to compete against the other girls, and especially Agnes, for the Prince’s hand. This journey to beauty, love, and success becomes monstrous both emotionally and physically for Elvira and, much like the fairy tales of old, is a cautionary tale.

Right off the bat, this is a beautiful film. The Ugly Stepsister is highly stylized in a way that’s akin to The Love Witch and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Everything from the costumes to the sets is so soft, dreamy, and lush it feels like a pure visual indulgence. This focus on luxurious aesthetics creates a genius juxtaposition to the grotesque behavior and actions that slowly make their way to the surface throughout the film.

The impeccable visual appeal is backed up by a story fraught with drama, emotion, and of course, girlhood and other horrors. Blichfeldt tackles many nuanced themes in this hour and 50 minutes, some of which may require a second watch to notice. It’s impressive that Blichfeldt incorporates so much and the film does not feel bloated.

It is important to note that the main theme of beauty, what is it, and what would one do to obtain it is rooted in the fact that this is taking place in an extremely patriarchal time period. This allows for more a more blunt presentation of women’s place in society and while it may be different from what we experience today, there are noticeable semblances of familiarity in the women’s suffering. Beauty is currency, sex appeal secures a women’s place in the world, providing financial stability and social credibility. However, no matter how beautiful, living under these patriarchal rules is harmful. This is seen in Elvira, Agnes, Alma, and Rebecca. If you are deemed ugly you are neglected or subject to cruelty and if you are deemed beautiful you are objectified both to the point of abuse. We even see the most “liberated” women in this story feed into the toxic societal standards to maintain a status quo that they may or may not even benefit from.

We also get a glimpse of how the patriarchal hold on beauty and behavior standards effects girls before they even come into womanhood. Alma (Flo Fagerli) watches her sister subject herself to horrific trauma, her mother sell herself, and her stepsister punished for her relationship. She fears becoming a woman because all that she sees before her is pain. For girls, this makes coming of age itself, a terrifying concept. Not only is your body physically changing, but your place in this world will shift dramatically in the following years and based on that, you may not feel worthy of anything.

This psychological exploration of girlhood, beauty, and self-worth is mesmerizing to watch and only broken by the chilling physical transformations Elvira goes through. This is body horror tailored to the female gaze and fears. It starts small, with a rudimentary nose job, and quickly ramps up to one of the most stomach-churning eye trauma scenes I’ve seen, and goes even further after that. Just when you think it couldn’t get any more disgusting, the film tops itself in the next scene. With the exception of some uncanny snippets here and there, the effects are quite good and somehow stick to the period’s aesthetic.

I anticipate women, horror fans, and film buffs to be analysing and discussing this film for a long time. There is so much to take in that it needs a second or third watch, even if it’s just for the vibes alone. The Ugly Stepsister is a brilliant example of body horror comedy that leaves you unnerved, reflective, and hopefully, loving yourself a little more.

Movie Rating:

The Ugly Stepsister trailer