A twisted reimagining of a beloved fairytale that has emerged as one of the most buzzed-about horror films of 2025, The Ugly Stepsister comes to The Frida for two late night screenings!

Writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt’s visceral, aesthetically-sumptuous gothic body‑horror presents the Cinderella story as experienced through the eyes of her overlooked stepsister. Set in a decaying 18th‑century kingdom of “Swedlandia,” The Ugly Stepsister centers on awkward, bookish Elvira (a sensational Lea Myren, making her feature-film debut), whose ambitious mother Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp) forces her into brutal cosmetic procedures and deadly beauty rituals, none of which will be spoiled here, all in a desperate bid to win Prince Julian’s affection over her radiant stepsister Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss). It’s not all blood and gore, however; drawing from the darker undertones of the original Grimm tale, as well as her own struggles with body image, Blichfeldt masterfully employs symbolism, and Myren’s intense and fully-committed performance, to craft a film that stirs empathy just as powerfully as it unsettles.

A thematic cousin to last year’s Oscar-winning The Substance, The Ugly Stepsister confronts the pernicious nature of beauty standards, body image trauma, and societal pressure, combining stunning practical gore, an oppressive atmosphere, and surreal fairy‑tale visuals to reimagine a classic myth as a dread‑soaked horror fable. Blichfeldt’s striking feature-length debut premiered in the Midnight Section of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and has already gone on to win the Best Feature award at the Boston Underground Film Festival, and the Best European Fantastic Feature Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, with no doubt many more accolades to come.