Clearly trying to capitalize on a current trend, Cinderella’s Revenge only manages to muster a few lame kills and very little fun.
PLOT: Cinderella is pushed too far by her evil stepsisters and stepmother, which causes her to switch out her glass shoes and use the assistance of her Fairy Godmother to seek bloody vengeance.
REVIEW: Everyone knows what they’re in for when it comes to these movies at this point, right? I don’t need to lay out the schpeal about public domain horror? Good, because it seems as though these films are here to stay. And in instances like this, I kind of get it. A twisted take on a tale that’s been told a thousand times? We saw Seth Grahame-Smith do something similar with his Pride, Prejudice and Zombies and even Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. So it’s not like this is a brand-new concept. The real question remains: how well does this film do with transforming the Cinderella story into one of horror?
Cinderella’s Revenge is a pretty basic concept, with young Cinderella (Lauren Staerck) is neglected by both her stepmother and her stepsisters. The entire stepfamily is utterly loathsome and comically mistreats her. Outside of the opening murder, there’s a very long stretch of time where this just feels like a Cinderella movie. One with plenty of eccentricities, but a standard adaptation nonetheless. It’s when the horror is introduced that I finally start to perk up again.
Staerck does a decent job as Cinderella and her charisma helps elevate an otherwise stale character. The writers don’t do her any favors by making Cinderella rather stupid and unable to completely get a grasp on most situations. Once she gets her cool little mask and starts getting her revenge, it’s not very believable. It mostly just feels like a teenage girl playing dress up versus her being given supernatural abilities by her Fairy Godmother. And she seems to mess up a lot for someone who is being helped by an otherworldly being.
After setting up the Stepfamily as being the worst of the worst, their comeuppance is absurdly satisfying. I found it extremely cathartic to see the step-family finally get theirs. I always hated them in their various incarnations, so it’s nice to have that sweet release that only horror can afford us. But I won’t deny that I was a little bit let down by the kills. A gnarly opening decapitation set my gore expectations high but it’s mostly tame. Sure, there’s blood, but outside of the final kill, they’re all pretty by the books. And even then, there’s too much CGI enhancement going on to really enjoy them.
I have to give credit to Stephanie Lodge who plays the wicked stepmother, Katherine. She truly nails the wicked and evil aspect and leans into being as awful as possible. Her treatment of Cinderella is all that was needed to show some great motivation but stepsisters Josephine and Rachel are the icing on the cake. They’re nearly as despicable, even in moments where they should learn their lesson. Natasha Henstridge is one of the film’s highlights as the Fairy Godmother. Obviously, this plays against the usual type of actress we see in this role, but I’d say it works. Henstridge looks to be having an absolute blast, and she provides a bit of charismatic light. If anything, I wish she was in it more because the film gains a bit of steam whenever she’s on camera.
But as much as I enjoyed the actors, they don’t have a lot to work with. There are stupid inclusions such as a celebrity designer montage. It almost feels like they’re making fun of the TV movie versions that always seem to spring up but it clashes with the rest of the film. I liked the concept but they do go a bit overboard with it, and there’s not much of a payoff. It seemed more like the filmmakers just wanted to include an Elon Musk lookalike (amongst many others). It was one of many times I was thinking “Where is the horror?” And even when there is something that involves blood and guts, the FX are so poor, that it mostly results in an eye roll.
One of the biggest issues is that I’m not really sure who the audience for this is. Because the story plays out like a standard Cinderella movie for far more than most would expect. And the vengeance angle doesn’t entirely land. So I’m not sure if their approach will really pay off. While there are some fun moments to enjoy with friends, this is mostly a dull affair. Without any great kills and failing to fully combine the story with horror in an effective way, the clock has struck midnight on Cinderella’s Revenge.
CINDERELLA’S REVENGE IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON APRIL 26TH, 2024.
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