The Ugly Stepsister: The Horror Masterpiece the Oscars Nearly Overlooked

Horror's relationship with the Academy Awards has always been complicated. For decades, the genre was largely shut out of Oscar consideration, relegated to technical categories at best and ignored entirely at worst. But 2026 appears to be a turning point. The vampire thriller Sinners made history with 16 nominations, becoming the most nominated film of all time, while multiple acclaimed horror films finally received recognition they've long deserved.

Among the most surprising inclusions? The Ugly Stepsister, a Norwegian horror film so disturbing it redefines what a "grim fairy tale" can be. While its sole Oscar nomination is certainly earned, fans of this slowly building cult favorite would argue it deserves far more.

A Fairy Tale Turned Nightmare

Writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt takes the familiar Cinderella story and flips it on its head by centering the narrative on Elvira (Lea Myren), the ugly stepsister. When an invitation to the prince's ball promises wealth and respect, conflict erupts between Elvira and the prettier Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss)—this story's actual "Cinderella."

What follows is Elvira's descent into increasingly drastic measures to transform herself into a beauty worthy of the throne. Without spoiling the specifics, her makeover techniques are nightmarishly brutal, earning the film comparisons to 2024's The Substance in both theme and visceral impact. The body horror is so effective that The Ugly Stepsister easily ranks among the best entries in that subgenre in recent memory.

The Makeup Recognition Is Well-Deserved

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized The Ugly Stepsister with a nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling—honoring the astonishingly realistic work of Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg. The blood-curdling depictions of self-mutilation in pursuit of beauty are so convincingly executed that the nomination feels not just justified, but inevitable in retrospect.

This puts the film in company with The Substance, which won the Oscar in the same category for Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli's brilliant work. Both films use extreme body transformation as commentary on society's obsession with appearance, and both execute that vision with technical mastery that's impossible to ignore.

Where the Recognition Falls Short

Here's where things get frustrating. The Substance didn't just win for makeup—it received four other Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Demi Moore's heartbreaking performance and Best Picture. If the Academy was willing to embrace a horror film with strong commentary on vanity for the big categories, why not extend that same consideration to The Ugly Stepsister?

Because the film isn't just an achievement in makeup. It's an achievement in virtually every facet imaginable.

The production design brings a fairy-tale world to life in a grounded manner that lends authenticity to its dismal subject matter. The cinematography is gorgeous, invoking the feel of a dark fantasy ripped straight from the 1980s. The plot, while borrowing from one of the world's most famous bedtime stories, is brilliantly constructed—tracing Elvira's desperate attempt to appear as golden as her heart is, only to lose sight of her inner beauty as her homely appearance resurfaces.

So why isn't this near-perfect film nominated for Best International Feature?

The Norway Problem

The answer is simple but unfortunate: each country can submit only one film to represent their nation in the Best International Feature category. Norway chose Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, an intimate portrait of a show-business family's estrangement that received glowing reviews and nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

The choice makes sense. Sentimental Value is clearly resonating with Academy voters. But it's still frustrating to see The Ugly Stepsister shut out of a category where it absolutely belongs, particularly when films of lesser quality have made the cut in previous years.

Lea Myren's Snubbed Performance

Perhaps the most egregious oversight is the absence of Lea Myren from the Best Actress conversation. Her performance as Elvira is a fiercely demanding, fearless, multi-layered tour de force that often relies solely on expression. She commands every frame, seamlessly reinventing her portrayal with each new development in her character's arc—both internal and external.

The Academy did recognize Amy Madigan for her work in Weapons, honoring one of 2025's best horror performances with that film's sole nomination. So why couldn't The Ugly Stepsister receive similar treatment?

This year's Best Actress lineup includes powerhouse performances from Emma Stone in Bugonia and Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value. It's difficult to say who should have been removed to make room for Myren. But it's equally difficult to accept that her transformative work wasn't even part of the conversation.

Why This Matters

Horror has long been treated as a second-class citizen in awards conversations, despite producing some of cinema's most innovative, culturally relevant, and technically accomplished work. When a film like The Ugly Stepsister delivers on every level—performance, direction, cinematography, design, and makeup—yet receives only one nomination, it reinforces the genre's unfair position in the industry hierarchy.

The film's distribution through Shudder, an all-horror streaming platform, likely didn't help its Oscar prospects. Streaming releases often struggle for recognition, and niche horror platforms face even steeper climbs. That makes the makeup nomination even more remarkable—the work was so undeniable that even institutional bias couldn't completely shut it out.

A Small Victory Worth Celebrating

To be clear, receiving any Academy recognition is worth celebrating. The makeup nomination will help prevent The Ugly Stepsister from falling into obscurity and cement its legacy as one of the boldest, most daring reinterpretations of Cinderella ever made.

But it's impossible not to wonder what could have been. In a year where the Academy finally embraced horror in unprecedented ways—Sinners with 16 nominations, multiple thrillers across various categories—The Ugly Stepsister deserved more than to be the genre's token makeup nominee.

Lea Myren deserved to stand alongside Emma Stone and Renate Reinsve in the Best Actress conversation. Emilie Blichfeldt deserved recognition for her singular vision and fearless direction. The film deserved to be part of the Best International Feature lineup, Norway's choice of Sentimental Value notwithstanding.

The Bigger Picture

The limited recognition for The Ugly Stepsister highlights a persistent problem: the Academy's incremental approach to embracing horror. Yes, 2026 represents progress. But one makeup nomination for a film this accomplished suggests we still have a long way to go.

If horror truly belongs at the Oscars—and this year's nominations suggest the Academy is finally accepting that—then films like The Ugly Stepsister need to be celebrated for more than just technical achievements. They need to be recognized as complete artistic visions worthy of the same consideration as any drama, biopic, or period piece.

Until that happens, we'll keep seeing brilliant horror performances, innovative direction, and masterful storytelling relegated to the sidelines while less ambitious films take center stage.

The Ugly Stepsister got its foot in the door. Now it's time for the Academy to open it all the way.