Body horror has been making quite the comeback as of late, especially on the heels of last year's Oscar-winning film The Substance starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. In 2025, there are a couple of notable body horror films to look out for, including Together starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, and the Norwegian movie The Ugly Stepsister, which was just added to Shudder.
It's an acclaimed film for a good reason, but The Ugly Stepsister is not for anyone with a weak stomach. When the movie premiered at this year's Sundance Festival, someone actually vomited in the aisle, which should give you an idea of what to expect. That said, there have been many horror movies that have made people sick over the years, most horror fans are harder to disturb.
The Ugly Stepsister is a twisted and nightmarish retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Cinderella." A brutally effective and often hilarious takedown of the beauty industry set during the medieval era, The Ugly Stepsister follows in The Substance's footsteps as a seriously twisted female-focused stor.y.
At the center of the story are two sisters, Elvira and Alma. Their mother, Rebekka, aims to marry one of them off for wealth. She picks the "uglier" of the two because the youngest daughter hasn't hit puberty yet. Because of this, Elvira finds herself exposed to all manner of barbaric beauty treatments. A big part of the movie hinges on a tapeworm. Yes, it is as gross as you're probably thinking, but I don't want to get into spoiler territory.
Critics loved The Ugly Stepsister
Sometimes critics can be particularly harsh on horror movies, especially the ones with lots of gross-out moments and disturbing content, but critics actually loved The Ugly Stepsister just like they did The Substance.
It was actually rated significantly higher than The Substance on Rotten Tomatoes, though that's not entirely a fair comparison since The Substance has a much higher amount of reviews compared to The Ugly Stepsister.
Reviewers praised the movie's usage of gruesome practical effects, powerful performances, and visually stunning sequences. The film marks writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt's directorial debut, establishing her as someone to keep watch over in the future. I'm definitely interested in whatever she does next.
But the best part about The Ugly Stepsister becoming available on Shudder is that it'll get a much broader audience. I wasn't able to see this one in theaters because it didn't play near me, and I'm sure there are countless other Shudder subscribers who are about to discover it for the first time, too!