The Ugly Stepsister
I told our friend Austin T, after we watched The Ugly Stepsister that I had no notes, and a few days removed, I still have very little. That isn’t to say it’s a masterpiece, because one could say some elements are derivative, the scope is limited, and the ending did feel a little haphazard. But there are many more good things to say about it than bad. The modern synthy soundtrack was amazing, the creative fairy-tale revamping was really clever, and the body horror was truly gut-wrenching at points. Had the Academy not nominated it for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, we probably would never watched this, so very glad they did, and for recognizing horror the horror genre in back-to-back years. As E says, if you’re not queasy, big recommend.
-Z
Similar to The Substance in its fun-yet-gory body horror aspects, I really enjoyed this! A creative, fresh take on the Cinderella story with strong acting and such a cool spooky vibe. My main gripe is the ending - it felt like a bit of an incomplete thought and I was needing a bit more closure to feel satisfied. If you can steel your stomach through a few brutal scenes, this is a great watch that left me thinking about it for days afterward. I wish it had gotten more of a theatrical release in the US so it could have gotten more attention here!
-E
