Vertigo Releasing has shared an official teaser trailer for their upcoming horror film, The Ugly Stepsister.

The Ugly Stepsister is a dark homage to Charles Perrault's Cinderella and has been billed as “Bridgerton meets The Substance.”

The film, which marks the feature-length directorial debut for writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt, stars Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, and Ane Dahl Torp. Næss is best known for her role in the BBC and Netflix series The Last Kingdom (2015-2022). The film is an international co-production between studios in Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark.

The film's synopsis reads “Elvira (Myren) has one all-consuming obsession: to win the affection of her kingdom's handsome prince and live happily ever after. Yet, she lives in the shadow of her beautiful stepsister, Agnes (Næss), who seems fated for the happy ending she's always dreamed of. But, in a kingdom where beauty is prized above all things, Elvira will get what she wants, no matter what…”

Blichfeldt has previously spoken at length about the film and the inspirations behind it. She told Variety that “This beauty horror twist on Cinderella is inspired by The Brothers Grimm version and by my own struggles with body image. My goal is to provoke both empathy and discomfort, and inspire audiences to reflect upon their perceptions of, and relationship to, beauty.”

The Nordic body horror film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. It reportedly made a member of the audience vomit. Following its premiere, The Ugly Stepsister also screened at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. It has so far received positive reviews, with Bloody Disgusting calling it “elegant, stylish, and gnarly.” The film will be distributed in association with the horror streaming service Shudder.