The Ugly Stepsister

by Mike McGranaghan

The Norwegian import The Ugly Stepsister is writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt’s absolutely demented take on the classic Cinderella story. She takes a feel-good tale and turns it into a feel-bad fable that elicits guilty laughs and uncomfortable squirming in about equal measure. Seeing a familiar story upended in such intentionally revolting fashion is great fun. Even better, Blichfeldt does this in service of a relevant theme. If you’re looking for a shining example of feminist horror, here it is.

Elvira (Lea Myren) is a young woman with braces and a slightly misshapen nose whose mother has just gotten remarried. Her new stepsister, the more conventionally pretty Agnes (Thea Sofia Loch Naess), wants little or nothing to do with her. Elvira dreams of marrying Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth). When he issues an edict for all virgins to attend a ball wherein he will choose a bride, she puts herself through a series of deeply unpleasant procedures to make herself feel attractive. As it turns out, Agnes also wants a crack at the prince.

The film turns a lot of your expectations upside down. Julian is no Prince Charming; he’s a sexist lout who uses his status to get laid – and to sexually assault women who don’t give themselves to him freely. There’s also the question of which character the title refers to. Is Elvira the ugly stepsister because of her less-than-glamorous look, or is it Agnes, whose casual cruelty seemingly knows no bounds? These and other subversions guarantee you can never quite predict where the plot will take you.

As a seasoned horror buff, not much gets to me, but The Ugly Stepsister has three scenes that made me recoil with discomfort. Elvira allows herself to be tortured in the name of traditional beauty. A scene where she has her nose “fixed,” for example, is like the hobbling scene in Misery with a nose instead of a foot. The movie similarly sets up a perfectly appalling gag that entails Elvira eating a tapeworm egg to lose weight. We know that’s going to end gruesomely, and we’re continually teased with the sound of the character’s stomach rumbling. Withholding the payoff multiple times makes our dread grow.

The movie has a dark sense of humor, as well. At points, you can’t help cackling, even as Elvira’s situation grows more dire. Blichfeldt shrewdly uses her tale to comment on how society often makes women feel like their worth is directly tied into their beauty, and how women subsequently put themselves through the wringer to meet that standard. Taking the idea to outrageous extremes drives the message home while still delivering the requisite horror jolts.

Lea Myren is impressive in the lead role. Watching how she evolves Elvira’s personality as her appearance changes proves to be one of the movie’s biggest pleasures. The actress keeps you gripped by the character's journey, no matter how dark it becomes. The Ugly Stepsister is sick and nasty, and in this case, those two words are compliments.

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