Louisa Warren’s Cinderella's Curse is not the Cinderella tale you grew up with, unless you grew up in a basement watching VHS bootlegs of Italian exploitation films while sharpening knives and nursing a deep mistrust of humanity, as this film is a bloodstained scream into the void dressed in tulle and trauma.
The plot is more or less a straight line with blood splatter, and there are no surprises, just a countdown to vengeance, and the pacing is a bit of a slog too, even as someone who doesn't mind slow paced films.
It's written by Harry Boxley and helmed with trashy glee by Warren, this film takes the glass-slippered icon and drags her through the psychological and literal mud, then hands her a blunt object and says, "Go on then. Make them pay."
At the center of the carnage is Kelly Rian Sanson’s Cinderella, a woman so downtrodden that her life is just a parade of cruelty, and not not the whimsical “evil stepmother won’t let her go to the ball” sort, but something more gleefully sadistic.
Her stepfamily, portrayed with sneering venom by Danielle Scott, Lauren Budd, and Natasha Tosini — don’t just torment her, they practically throw her into the meat grinder with a laugh and a martini.
But then comes the twist, and oh, what a twisted little gift it is. Enter the Fairy Godmother, (Chrissie Wunna), who appears less like a beacon of hope and more like a haunted drag queen who’s been raised from the dead mid-rave.
Accompanied by a trio of gremlin minions, she grants Cinderella a wish, one final sharp-edged chance to stop being a punching bag and become the one swinging the fists.
The ball, of course, arrives, why wouldn't it? But this is not a place for dreams to come true, and Prince Levin (Sam Barrett) isn’t there to sweep anyone off their feet, as he’s the kind of guy who’d roofie a wedding cake and call it a prank, as he and the wicked stepsister set Cinderella up for an elaborate humiliation ritual.
And then it happens, with that ever so sweet moment when the prey turns predator, and the weapon of choice is a repurposed glass slipper.
Sanson’s Cinderella doesn’t just get revenge, she unleashes it like a biblical plague, and there’s something satisfyingly unhinged about watching her descend into righteous bloodlust, dispatching her tormentors one by one where the blood flows, and every death is served with the flair of a director who knows exactly what kind of sleazy spectacle she’s creating.
The film leans hard into grindhouse roots, with shaky handheld shots, lurid lighting, and gore so cartoonish it feels almost festive. It’s cheap, yes, but it doesn't come across as lazy, especially when compared to other similar films.
Warren’s direction doesn’t aspire to elegance, as it revels in the mess, embracing its own absurdity, and Boxley’s script, while not winning any awards for nuance, has a certain savage poetry to it.
The performances were also no-where near as bad as I thought they would be either, and Kelly Rian Sanson displays this inner rage that makes her super watchable, where you can feel her frustration with every scene.
Sam Barrett as the Prince? He plays that sleazy, entitled prick pretty well, and you’d want to punch his face off in real life. The supporting cast? They’re all committed to their roles, even if they’re just running around screaming and getting stabbed.
It's not a film I would actually call a good film though, in general terms, and nor should you expect one, and my points above are made with very low expectations of the film going in, but even I was surprised that I had some fun with it.
Would I recommend Cinderella's Curse? Well, not as a general recommendation to someone, but if you enjoy some chaotic fun and want to watch a film you don't have to take seriously, go for it,
The film doesn’t pretend to be more than it is, as it’s ridiculous, and it’s fun in that guilty, “should I be enjoying this?” kind of way, and displays little grace, and while I am not surprised by the very poor reviews, I can't say I didn't have some cheap fun with the film.
This film takes the fairy tale, shoves it in a blender with some weird horror flick, then lets the whole thing marinate in blood and pure spite, and if you have ever watched a fairy tale and thought, What if she just killed them all instead?
Well, this film might be for you, especially if you like low budget B-movies, and unlike films such as Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey, it doesn't come across as a no effort cash grab where everything is executed so badly that it becomes impossible to watch.
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The Cleansing Hour (2019)
Impetigore Review (2019)
Hell of a Summer (2025)
Host Review (2020)
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