Certainly no sweet Disney movie, this gruesome, more faithful version of the Brothers Grimm fairytale has Sigourney Weaver as Claudia Hoffman, new wife of Sam Neill and the reluctant stepmother of Lilli (Monica Keena), whom she grows to loathe more and more because of her beauty. This leads her to attempt murder, in this 'grim' Gothic horror, letting the green-eyed monster within turn her into an old witch with the poisoned apple. This black film has no dwarfs in the woods (just misfit miners), some cannibalism and torture. It also tries to make a small point about the gap in the lives of aristocracy and the poor folk. As so often, the nasty elements of the piece stand up much better than the goody-goody characters, with Claudia convincingly gradually developing the narcissistic and jealous side of her nature. See it for the acting, the gore and the scenery, but don't expect any cheery animals cleaning a cute cottage.

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