The Cinderella-inspired horror comedy The Ugly Stepsister unveils new images ahead of its Sundance premiere

A lot of children’s stories and fairy tales are getting the horror treatment these days – but fairy tale-inspired horror comedy that we’re hearing some very positive buzz about is director Emilie Blichfeldt’s feature debut The Ugly Stepsister. The movie is set to have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival today, and in anticipation of its first screening some new images have dropped online. You can check them out at the bottom of this article.

The film is said to be a gory, daring, and unexpected take on the world-famous tale, seen through the eyes of Cinderella’s stepsister, Elvira. The story follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister in a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business. She will go to any lengths to catch the prince’s eye. 

Blichfeldt told Variety that she “immediately identified (with Elvira) after rediscovering the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella in which the stepsister cuts off her toes to make the shoe fit. With this ‘beauty horror’ I want to seduce the audience into a ‘girl-dreaming-of-marrying-the-prince-fairytale’, before revealing its true and raw insides. It’s time the ugly stepsister’s story is lifted from the shadows of Cinderella, and cultivated as the iconic feminist narrative of the tyranny of beauty that it is.“

Newcomer Lea Myren makes her feature acting debut as Elvira, sharing the screen with Thea Sofie Loch Naess (The Last Kingdom) and Ane Dahl Torp (The Wave).

A statement provided by Memento International, which presented the project to potential distributors at the upcoming Cannes Film Market last year, said Blichfeldt’s “unique take on the classic we all know is equally funny, bold, shocking and destined to be cult for a generation. It is highly contemporary in its exploration of what one is willing to do to meet society’s imposed beauty standards on women. Emilie is finally giving a voice to the underdog in a very entertaining way, allowing audiences worldwide to connect with her.“ The Ugly Stepsister secured a distribution deal with the Shudder streaming service.

Here’s the information on the Sundance screenings:

P&I Screening: Thursday, Jan. 23rd at 4:30pm – Holiday Village Cinemas
World Premiere Thursday, Jan. 23rd at 9:00pm – Library Center Theater
Public Screening #2: Friday, Jan. 24th at 8:50pm – Redstone Cinemas
Public Screening #3: Jan. 25th at 6:30pm – Broadway Centre Cinemas (SLC)
Public Screening #4: Wednesday, Jan. 29th at 9:30pm – Redstone Cinemas

Are you interested in The Ugly Stepsister? Take a look at the images, then let us know by leaving a comment below… and come back to JoBlo tomorrow to see a review of the film from our own Chris Bumbray!