Credit: Mer Film Lava Films
New Horror Film Has Scenes So Brutal It’s Making People Throw Up
A new horror film featuring brutal scenes is reportedly causing viewers to throw up at the cinema.
Although the genre has always been popular with fans, there’s been a noticeable rising interest in horrors.
In particular, everyone has been talking about The Substance – which has put the sub-genre body horror back on the map.
So it’s no surprise that viewers are already anticipating their next fix, and there’s one new release especially being met with strong reactions.
Critics have scored the latest body horror an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.9/10 on IMDb.
Robert Kojder reviewed for Flickering Myth: “This film is simultaneously gross and emotionally devastating.”
“I found it a painful yet astute exploration of manufactured beauty and its horrifying results,” Mae Abdulbaki wrote for Screen Rant.
Jon Negroni penned for In Between Drafts: “The special effects team deserves a standing ovation (or perhaps a therapy session) for their work in bringing gruesome transformations to life.”
While The Wrap‘s Chase Hutchinson said: “The craft ensures the film succeeds at not just getting under the skin but taking up residence there, burrowing right to the beating heart of the story and coming away with a pound of flesh.”
The film is by Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt, with the title marking her debut feature as she reframes the fairytale of Cinderella into a twisted nightmarish tale.
It follows Elvira, played by Lea Myren, as she resorts to extreme measures to alter her appearance to achieve perfection.
The movie also stars Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, Malte Gårdinger, Ralph Carlsson, and Willy Ramnek Petri.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Blichfeldt revealed that she took inspiration from the Brothers Grimm, who were German academics who collected and published folktales in the 19th century.
Their versions of the fairytales are far darker than the classics Disney has put on our screens.
The principal originator of the sub-genre body horror is director David Cronenberg, famous for his works such as Crash and The Fly – which were inspirations to Blichfeldt.
“I’ve never been able to watch horror movies. I can’t do jump scares. I’m afraid of the dark. I don’t do amusement parks. But there was something about body horror that was so intriguing,” Blichfeldt admitted.
“Diving into the whole of Cronenberg’s filmography, I started to see how this was something I wanted to use in my stories. His style was so linked to my themes, because it was about people in bodies, having real bodies that they had to deal with.”
She added that body horror films are layered with ‘metaphors and deep philosophical ideas.’
The Ugly Stepsister, titled Den stygge stesøsteren in Norwegian, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
It’s said to contain ‘difficult-to-watch scenes’ which include graphic depictions of cosmetic surgery and the eating of tapeworms.
Variety reports that one audience member leaned into the aisle and threw up during its premiere screening.
Watch the trailer for The Ugly Stepsister here…
The Ugly Stepsister is set to be released on March 7, 2025, in Norway and will be available to stream via Shudder in the U.K., America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Related Article: Netflix Viewers Say New ’10/10′ Horror Is Leaving Their Anxiety ‘Through The Roof’
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