The Ugly Stepsister | Bridgerton meets The Substance in upcoming Nordic body-horror

Vertigo Releasing, in association with Shudder and IFC Films, has confirmed the UK and US release date of the stomach-churning Norwegian body-horror The Ugly Stepsister.

The film will be hitting US cinemas on 18th April and UK cinemas on 25th April.

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…

Watch the teaser here:

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 98% on Rotten Tomatoes*.

The Ugly Stepsister will be in US cinemas from 18th April and UK Cinemas from 25th April