The Ugly Stepsister

A fantasy on the theme of the old classic "Cinderella," reimagined in the body horror genre. It marks a vibrant debut for a young Norwegian director.

In a world where beauty is not a gift but a ruthless business, the ball becomes an auction of perfection, and the prince is the reward for the most flawless exterior. Elvira, the stepsister of the beautiful Cinderella, will stop at nothing to become the queen of the ball and possess the coveted glass slipper. Viewing this as a profitable investment, her mother sends Elvira for surgery to correct the shape of her nose.

This new body horror film has been (perhaps unfairly) compared to "The Substance." Someone cleverly joked, "Cinderella meets Cronenberg," but those who have read the fairy tale as retold by the Brothers Grimm (the unadapted version) will not be surprised by this meeting at all. So, let’s consider that the story returns to its roots in the form of a bloody horror tale.