What’s the literary equivalent to an earworm? Someone reads something so unique that it carves out a place in that person’s subconscious. I’m inquiring because I think that’s what happened with filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt, and what compelled her to make The Ugly Stepsister.

This horror spin on the classic tale of Cinderella runs with the concept of people so desperate to find an ideal life with their yearning prince that they would mutilate themselves to fit the expectations. Working backwards, this type of self-harm is tangentially attributed to beauty standards and body image. How far would someone go for perfection? Or to merely be recognised? While this premise initially sounds like a broad launching point for satire or contemporary commentary, writer/director Blichfeldt finds longevity behind the message; using dark humour and character driven scenes to find a full bodied arc for discouraged stepsister Elvira (Lea Myren), along with her gold-digging mother Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), and meek sister Alma (Flo Fagerli).

However, timing isn’t on Blichfeldt’s side as The Ugly Stepsister, ironically, finds itself living in the shadow of last year’s Oscar-nominated body horror The Substance. Similar themes were explored in The Substance and done so with an unforgettable expertise in visual storytelling. The Ugly Stepsister finds interesting ways to acknowledge these personal topics with some gnarly and gory practical effects as well, but the opinions don’t offer new or original insight.

However, The Ugly Stepsister does thrive as an edgy take on traditional source material; aside from some gratuitous nudity that feels better suited for the movie’s “unrated” physical release. In fact, The Ugly Stepsister is one of the best revisions of a classic fairy tale – period. The production, which includes immaculate costume design and gorgeous art direction, finds history in its details rather than using these pieces to tell a well-known story in an unorthodox or provocative way. The movie is tethered to a blueprint to please fans of Cinderella, but Blichfeldt is fearless when taking liberties and finding the right moments to deviate.

When the field is littered with flops like Mirror Mirror, Beastly, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, (as well as its Canadian cousin H&G and its stoned uncle Hansel & Gretel Get Baked), the bar is set fairly low. Nevertheless, this is still a very big win for The Ugly Stepsister.

The Ugly Stepsister is now playing in select theatres. The film opens in UK cinemas on Friday, April 25.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie