The Ugly Stepsister Cast & Plot Summary Ending Explained 2025

Dubbed “The Most Twisted Cinderella Story of the Decade,” The Ugly Stepsister (2025) is a Norwegian-speaking satirical dark comedy body horror film that reimagines the classic fairy tale from the perspective of the so-called “ugly” stepsister. Written and directed by debut filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt, the film is a bold, feminist horror-comedy that thrusts its audience into a world where beauty is not just a virtue but a brutal, bloody business.

Set in a fictional kingdom, the story centers on Elvira (Lea Myren), a young woman whose family’s fortunes take a dramatic turn when her mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), marries a wealthy man, only to discover he is penniless upon his sudden death. With the family’s financial security at stake, Rebekka is determined to marry off Elvira to the prince, but Elvira is seen as “ugly” compared to her beautiful stepsister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), who is essentially this retelling’s Cinderella.

What follows is a harrowing journey as Elvira undergoes a series of grotesque and painful beauty treatments—primitive plastic surgeries, tapeworm ingestion for weight loss, and finishing lessons—all in a desperate bid to win the prince’s affection. The film’s body horror elements are not merely for shock value; they are metaphors for the real-world violence of beauty culture, exploring the lengths women will go to conform to societal standards.

Visually, The Ugly Stepsister is a feast of gothic horror and dark comedy, blending period costume drama with visceral, often stomach-churning effects. The film’s cinematography, led by Marcel Zyskind, creates a haunting, fairy-tale atmosphere, while the performances—especially Lea Myren’s—anchor the story with raw emotion and vulnerability.

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight Section and selected for the Panorama at the Berlin International Film Festival, The Ugly Stepsister has been praised for its fearless approach to genre and its sharp critique of beauty standards. Critics have lauded it as “savagely brutal and yet strangely beautiful,” and it has drawn comparisons to recent feminist horror hits like The Substance for its unflinching portrayal of female obsession and self-destruction.

The film’s international co-production (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland) and its use of real European castles and monasteries as filming locations add to its authentic, medieval-inspired feel. Its release in Norway, the US, and other territories has been met with both critical acclaim and audience fascination, marking it as one of the standout horror debuts of 2025.

Ultimately, The Ugly Stepsister is more than just a horror movie; it is a provocative, genre-defying experience that challenges viewers to reflect on the price of beauty and the monstrous expectations society places on women. It is a film that refuses to comfort, but instead rewards those willing to confront its darkness with a story that is both grotesque and profoundly thoughtful.

The Ugly Stepsister Movie

Korean: 더 어글리 스텝시스터 | Japanese: アグリーステップシスター
Directed by: Emilie Blichfeldt | Screenplay by: Emilie Blichfeldt
Based on: The Brothers Grimm’s “Cinderella” fairy tale
Produced by: Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film), Lizette Jonjic (Zentropa Sweden), Mariusz Włodarski (Lava Films), Theis Nørgaard (Motor)
Starring: Lea Myren as Elvira, Thea Sofie Loch Næss as Agnes, Ane Dahl Torp as Rebekka, Flo Fagerli as Alma, Isac Calmroth as Prince Julian, Adam Lundgren as Dr. Esthétique
Cinematography: Marcel Zyskind
Edited by: (Not specified in available sources)
Music by: (Not specified in available sources)
Production companies: Mer Film (Norway), Zentropa Sweden, Lava Films (Poland), Motor (Denmark)
Distributed by: Scanbox Entertainment (Norway), IFC Films, Shudder (International)
Release dates: Sundance Film Festival: January 23, 2025, Norway: March 7, 2025, USA: April 18, 2025, Denmark: May 28, 2025, Sweden: June 13, 2025
Running time: 109–120 minutes (most sources list 109 minutes)
Country: Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark (international co-production)
Language: Norwegian
Budget: Estimated 2–5 million EUR (not officially confirmed)
Box office: USA: $308,555 (limited release), Worldwide: ~$314,149 (limited release)
Rating: Not Rated (USA), 18+ (estimated for international markets)

The Ugly Stepsister cast plot summary 2025

The Ugly Stepsister Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (based on 28 reviews at debut)

Director’s Filmography and Production Episodes

Emilie Blichfeldt makes her feature directorial debut with The Ugly Stepsister. Previously, she directed short films such as How Do You Like My Hair? (2013) and Stesøstra (2020), both of which explored themes of female identity and body image.

Blichfeldt’s style is marked by a fearless blend of horror, dark comedy, and social critique. Inspired by David Cronenberg’s body horror films, she uses grotesque imagery to explore the psychological and physical toll of societal expectations on women. During production, the cast underwent intensive character workshops, and the film’s practical effects—including prosthetics and makeup—were designed to maximize visceral impact.

The Ugly Stepsister Cast and Characters

Elvira (Lea Myren – Instagram: @leamyren):

Character Info: The protagonist, a young woman who undergoes extreme beauty treatments to win the prince’s affection. She is insecure, hopeful, and ultimately tragic in her desperation to be accepted.

Filmography : Kids in Crime (TV, 2022), Venner fra før (TV, 2018), Jenter (TV, 2016)

Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss – Instagram: @theasofielochnaess):

Character Info: The beautiful stepsister, this retelling’s Cinderella. She is both a rival and a victim, caught in the same web of societal expectations.

Filmography : The Last Kingdom (TV, 2015–2022), Hjerteslag (TV, 2019), So Long Marianne (TV, 2020), La Palma (TV, 2021)

Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp – Instagram: @anedahltorp):

Character Info: Elvira’s mother, a pragmatic and ruthless woman determined to secure her daughters’ futures at any cost.

Filmography : The Wave (Film, 2015), Deliver Me (2024),

Alma (Flo Fagerli – Instagram: @anedahltorp):

Character Info: Elvira’s younger sister, who observes the family’s dysfunction and ultimately helps Elvira escape their mother’s influence.

Notable Works : Tilt (TV, 2020), Kuppel 16 (TV, 2016), Pubertetscamp (TV, 2018), Nr. 24 (Film, 2020)

Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth @isaaccalmroth):

Character Info: The shallow, objectifying prince who is the object of Elvira’s and Agnes’s affections.

Notable Works : Angra Dagar (Film, 2023), Me to You (2025)

Dr. Esthétique (Adam Lundgren):

Character Info: A sadistic cosmetic surgeon who profits from women’s insecurities.

Notable Works: Whiskey on the Rocks (2024)

The Ugly Stepsister Plot

Rebecca is a single mother with two daughters, Elvira and Alma. To gain wealth and status, Rebecca chooses to remarry an older widower, Otto, and becomes the stepmother to Otto’s daughter, Agnes. However, Otto dies on the wedding night, and the family discovers that Otto was actually penniless.

Agnes despises Rebecca and her daughters because of their low status…

Since Alma has not yet reached puberty, Rebecca decides to marry Elvira off to a prince. Elvira dreams of marrying Prince Julian, but Rebecca realizes that her daughter’s ordinary appearance means she cannot compete with Agnes, which worries her.

To make Elvira more attractive, Rebecca subjects her to painful, primitive plastic surgery and forces her to diet by swallowing parasites. Elvira becomes exhausted from rigorous etiquette lessons for nobles and gradually feels jealousy and resentment toward Agnes.

Agnes becomes the target of Elvira’s jealousy because she was naturally gifted with beauty and talent without effort. One night, Elvira witnesses Agnes having sex with the coachman Isaac and exposes this to Rebecca. Disgusted, Rebecca turns Agnes into a servant, and the family begins calling her Cinderella.

(Agnes means a pure saint, while Cinderella means a “dusty girl,” symbolizing a fall in status.)

As the royal ball approaches, Elvira suffers from malnutrition due to extreme dieting, and her hair starts to fall out when Agnes combs it. Elvira goes dress fitting with her mother Rebecca, and the dress merchant gives her a wig and formal attire. Meanwhile, the merchant flirts with Agnes but spits in disgust and is ordered by Rebecca to leave.

Returning home, Elvira becomes angry when she sees Agnes wearing the ball gown and tears the dress apart. Meanwhile, Alma is terrified by her first menstruation at night. Agnes cries in front of her father’s rotten corpse when her biological mother appears in white, gives her shoes, and warns that the carriage will turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

She also repairs Agnes’s dress…

At the ball, Elvira successfully attracts Prince Julian’s attention, but the prince’s gaze soon shifts to Agnes, who is veiled. Elvira flees to another room, vomits parasite eggs, and both return home. Elvira learns that Agnes accidentally left behind one shoe, and the prince is trying to find his lady with that shoe…

The Ugly Stepsister Ending

Elvira forces Agnes to give her the other shoe, but when her foot does not fit, she begins cutting off her toes. Rebecca and Alma discover this, and Alma is shocked by Rebecca’s calmness in soothing Elvira and finishing the toe-cutting.

The next morning, the injured Elvira hears the trumpet announcing the prince’s arrival. Unable to walk, she crawls on the floor, falls down the stairs, breaks her nose and teeth, and everything falls apart. Eventually, Agnes and the prince find each other, and Elvira’s efforts are in vain.

At Alma’s urging, Elvira takes an antidote and vomits the parasites. Elvira and Alma decide to leave home to live freely, away from their mother Rebecca’s influence. However, Rebecca ends the story by seducing a new man she met at the ball, aiming for a comeback.

The Ugly Stepsister Interpretation

The Ugly Stepsister is a scathing critique of societal beauty standards and the lengths women are forced to go to be accepted. It uses body horror to explore the psychological and physical toll of these expectations, subverting the traditional fairy tale by focusing on the “ugly” stepsister’s perspective. The film suggests that the real monsters are not the characters, but the societal pressures that drive them to self-destruction.

Filming Locations

The film was shot primarily in Poland, utilizing locations such as Gołuchów Castle and Lubiąż Monastery to create a medieval, fairy-tale atmosphere. Additional filming took place in Norway and other European countries to enhance the film’s authentic, period-inspired look.

Production Budget and Break-even Point

Production Budget: Estimated 2–5 million EUR (not officially confirmed)

Break-even Point: Not officially disclosed, but the film’s limited theatrical release and strong festival presence suggest it likely recouped costs through international sales, streaming rights, and festival awards.

Box Office Performance

The Ugly Stepsister had a limited theatrical release in the US, earning $308,555 from 501 theaters at its widest. Worldwide, it grossed approximately $314,149. While these numbers are modest, the film’s true success lies in its critical acclaim, festival awards, and international distribution deals, particularly its acquisition by Shudder for streaming in multiple territories.

Movie The Ugly Stepsister Review

The Ugly Stepsister is a daring, genre-defying film that blends horror, dark comedy, and social critique. Its fearless approach to body horror and its sharp critique of beauty standards have earned it critical acclaim and a devoted following. While some viewers found the pacing slow or the plot underdeveloped, most praised the film’s visual artistry, strong performances, and unflinching honesty. It is a film that challenges and provokes, refusing to offer easy answers or comforting resolutions.

Additional Interesting Stories

Audition Process: Lea Myren was selected from hundreds of candidates after an intensive audition process. The director described her as essential to the film’s emotional core.

Inspiration: Blichfeldt was inspired by the gruesome details of the original Brothers Grimm “Cinderella” and by David Cronenberg’s body horror films.

Filming Challenges: The film’s practical effects, including prosthetics and makeup, were designed to maximize visceral impact and required extensive collaboration between the cast and crew.

Festival Success: The film’s premiere at Sundance and selection at Berlin marked it as one of the most talked-about horror debuts of 2025.

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