Available to own on Digital Download from 9th May
96% on Rotten Tomatoes* | Certified Fresh
★★★★ Bloody Disgusting | 8/10 Screen Rant | ★★★★ Dread Central | ★★★★ The Sun
★★★★ The Irish Times | ★★★★ SFX | ★★★★ Starburst | ★★★★ Flickering Myth
★★★★★ The Last Movie Outpost | ★★★★★ Morbidly Beautiful | ★★★★★ Love Horror
★★★★★ What A Scream Podcast | 10/10 Geek Vibes Nation | ★★★★★ The Reviews Hub
★★★★1/2 Eye For Film | ★★★★1/2 Cryptic Rock | ★★★★1/2 The Reviewing Rodders
★★★★ Scared Sheepless | ★★★★ The Hollywood News | ★★★★ FilmFeeder
★★★★ Daily Dead ★★★★ High On Films
“30 years of film criticism and this is the first time that I’ve had to turn away from the screen for fear of retching.” The Times
“Slyly funny and visually captivating, its scenes move with ease from gross to gorgeous, and from grotesque to magical.” New York Times
“Blichfeldt revels in the grotesque and gory, pushing things to their limit, with an unmistakable sense of glee.” RogerEbert. com
“One of the best horror films of the decade so far.” Autostraddle
“…savagely brutal and yet strangely beautiful” Mashable
“The body horror Cinderella you never knew you wanted!” JoBlo
Vertigo Releasing, in association with Shudder and IFC Films, is delighted to confirm the digital release date for The Ugly Stepsister. Lovers of horror and fairy tales gone horribly wrong won’t have long to wait before being able to wince from behind their hands from the comfort of their home, with the critically acclaimed Nordic body-horror available to own from 9th May!
Written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, (feature-length directorial debut), The Ugly Stepsister introduces Lea Myren, and also stars Thea Sofie Loch Næss (The Last Kingdom) and Ane Dahl Torp (The Wave).
Classic fairy tales are known to be far more sinister than their more well known animated interpretations, and Emilie Blichfeldt’s The Ugly Stepsister certainly promises to swing the pendulum back towards the grisly. A homage to Charles Perrault’s Cinderella, The Ugly Stepsister is a dark and gruesome adaptation of the classic story where you truly find out exactly how much pain beauty is.
Elvira (Lea Myren) has one all-consuming obsession: to win the affection of her kingdom’s handsome prince and live happily ever after. Yet, she lives in the shadow of her beautiful stepsister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), who seems fated for the happy ending she’s always dreamed of. But, in a kingdom where beauty is prized above all things, Elvira will get what she wants, no matter what…
Since its festival run, the press reaction for The Ugly Stepsister has been overwhelmingly positive, with Autostraddle claiming it to be “one of the best horror films of the decade so far”, Inverse describing it as “…The Substance for Disney adults” and Bloody Disgusting calling it “elegant, stylish, and gnarly”. The film is currently sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes*.
The Ugly Stepsister will be available to own in the UK on Digital Download from 9th May and can be pre-ordered HERE
*Rotten Tomatoes Score correct as of 30th April 2025
