‘Cinderella’s Curse’ VOD Review
Stars: Kelly Rian Sanson, Chrissie Wunna, Lauren Budd, Natasha Tosini, Danielle Scott, Sam Barrett, Charlotte Jackson Coleman, Peter Watson, Sam Byrne | Written by Harry Boxley | Directed by Louisa Warren
By the time the blood had dried and the final scream had echoed into silence, I found myself asking not whether Cinderella’s Curse was a good film in the traditional sense but whether it had succeeded on its own unapologetically twisted terms. Directed by Louisa Warren, a filmmaker known for her work in the indie horror underground through her production company Champ Dog Films (the Tooth Fairy franchise, The Leprechaun’s Game, Conjuring the Genie), this grotesque reimagining of the beloved fairy tale is more slasher flick than a storybook fable. It’s messy, ambitious, wildly uneven… and strangely compelling.
I went in expecting kitschy horror, and Warren delivers that in spades. But she also attempts something bolder: to peel away the glossiness of Disney’s Cinderella and expose the raw, often brutal origins of the tale. Gone are the singing mice and sparkling ballgowns. Instead, what we get is a dark, blood-soaked nightmare where glass slippers are weapons, and fairy godmothers come with a body count.
The story loosely follows the familiar beats. Cinderella (played with eerie stillness by Kelly Rian Sanson) is still a young woman oppressed by her sadistic stepmother and stepsisters, but this time, her suffering breeds something far more dangerous than innocent longing. As the film progresses, her transformation into something monstrous becomes the central horror – a twist on the classic coming-of-age arc, twisted into something truly malevolent.
What stood out to me was how gleefully the film dives into its gore and grotesquery. Heads roll. Flesh tears. Eyes are gouged. If there’s a line, Warren isn’t just crossing it, she’s dancing on it in steel-toed boots! Yet amidst the carnage, there’s a strange kind of feminist rage simmering beneath the surface. Cinderella is no longer the damsel; she’s the destroyer. While not always coherent, the film’s subtext – about women reclaiming power in the most brutal way imaginable – adds a layer of intrigue that elevates it beyond your typical B-movie bloodbath.
That said, Cinderella’s Curse is undeniably low-budget, and it shows. The practical effects, though admirably creative, are hit-or-miss. The dialogue often veers into camp, and some performances are as wooden as a haunted marionette. But I couldn’t help but admire the sheer audacity of it all. Warren isn’t trying to please everyone—she’s swinging for the fences, even if a few of those swings miss.
In the end, Cinderella’s Curse is not a film I’d recommend to the faint of heart or anyone looking for a traditional fairy tale. But for those who enjoy their horror laced with mythic subversion and unapologetic bloodlust, it’s a wicked little surprise. I can’t say I loved it, but I liked it and definitely won’t forget it.
*** 3/5
Cinderella’s Curse is out now on digital.
