The Ugly Stepsister (Den stygge stesøsteren) is a 2025 Norwegian comedy-horror, slasher film directed by Emilie Blichfeldt. A twisted reimagining of Cinderella, the film follows Elvira, a young woman obsessed with outshining her stepsister in a grotesque battle for beauty.
Featuring extreme body horror, dark humor, and satirical social commentary, the film explores the dangers of beauty obsession in a nightmarish fairy-tale world.
The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025, as part of the Midnight Section and later screened at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released in Norwegian theaters on March 7, 2025, by Scanbox Entertainment.
The Ugly Stepsister Age Rating
The Ugly Stepsister is rated 18+ for strong sexual content, extreme violence, graphic body horror, and disturbing themes. Due to its explicit nature, it is not recommended for children or young teens.
Here’s a detailed content breakdown for parents:
Violence & Peril
The film contains multiple highly graphic and prolonged scenes of violence and body horror. There are disturbing depictions of self-mutilation, including a scene where a woman attempts to cut off her toes with a cleaver, resulting in excessive bleeding and realistic injury detail.
A particularly unsettling moment involves a 20-foot tapeworm being pulled from a woman’s mouth, after which she vomits baby tapeworms. Another shocking sequence shows a character undergoing an excruciating nose surgery in which a metal object is forcefully bashed into her nasal bridge.
The film also features decaying corpses, rotting flesh, and gruesome depictions of bodily disfigurement, all presented in extreme close-up with realistic sound design. The violence is sadistic and unrelenting, reminiscent of extreme horror films such as A Serbian Film and August Underground.
Language
The film contains frequent and severe profanity, including strong language used throughout. The dialogue includes explicit sexual and violent terminology that adds to the film’s unsettling tone.
Sexual Content
There are several instances of full-frontal male and female nudity, including a prolonged shot of a man’s private part.
A sex scene shows a man thrusting into a woman from behind, with close-ups of their bare buttocks. Another graphic scene focuses on semen on the ground following an off-screen climax.
There are also implied sexual acts, including 0ral s3x and h@ndjobs, though these are not explicitly shown. The film does not shy away from explicit sexual imagery, making it unsuitable for younger audiences.
Mature Themes
The film explores dark themes of body dysmorphia, self-mutilation, and toxic beauty standards. The protagonist undergoes extreme physical transformations in a desperate attempt to attain perfection, mirroring the harmful pressures of the beauty industry.
The themes of abandonment, insecurity, and psychological manipulation further emphasize the film’s nightmarish tone. While there is an element of satire, the execution is deeply disturbing and not suitable for sensitive viewers.
Is The Ugly Stepsister Suitable for Teens?
Ages 10-12: The film’s explicit violence, body horror, and sexual content make it entirely inappropriate for this age group. The disturbing imagery, intense mutilation scenes, and strong sexual themes far exceed what is suitable for younger viewers.
Ages 13-17: Even mature teens may find the film’s graphic mutilation, disturbing body horror, and intense sexual content overwhelming. The extreme nature of the violence, combined with explicit nudity and grotesque imagery, makes it suitable for adults or extreme horror fans due to its intense and unsettling nature.
With its disturbing themes and explicit content, The Ugly Stepsister is strictly intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for teens.
What Parents Can Do
Watch Trailer: Watching the trailer and reading reviews can help parents gauge whether this film aligns with their comfort level. The movie presents a grotesque and satirical take on beauty standards, but its execution is extreme and deeply unsettling.
Understand the Film’s Themes: This movie is not a traditional horror film but a grotesque satire on beauty standards. Parents should be aware of its extreme content before allowing young viewers to watch.
Consider Viewer Sensitivity: If you or your teen are sensitive to graphic violence, mutilation, or disturbing imagery, this movie is best avoided.
Research Before Watching: Watching the trailer or reading reviews can help determine if this film aligns with your comfort level.
Official Trailer
FAQs
Q: What is the age rating for The Ugly Stepsister?
A: The film is rated 18+ for graphic sexual content, extreme violence, and disturbing body horror.
Q: How violent is The Ugly Stepsister?
A: The film contains highly realistic and prolonged scenes of self-mutilation, surgery, and extreme body horror. It is comparable to torture horror films in its graphic content.
Q: Does The Ugly Stepsister contain nudity or sexual content?
A: Yes. The film features full-frontal male and female nudity, explicit sexual scenes, and prolonged shots of genitalia.
Q: Is The Ugly Stepsister appropriate for teenagers?
A: No. Due to its graphic violence, disturbing themes, and explicit sexual content, it is not recommended for anyone under 18.
Q: Where can I watch The Ugly Stepsister?
A: The film premiered at Sundance 2025 and Berlin Film Festival, with a theatrical release in Norway on March 7, 2025. A wider international release date has not yet been announced.