Do viewers ever really get tired of fairy tales? Somehow these bleak stories of morality and woe always find their way into pop culture with varying degrees of success. So, it’s time to venture into the forest again as two young people in peril take that legendary trip. “Gretel & Hansel” promises fans of fantasy and horror the trademark details which solidify the mystique. Of course, no recounting of the tale is complete without a villainous witch and this film has it and then some.
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More than a parable that skims the surface, “Gretel & Hansel” also presents an interesting cast. Sophia Lillis, fresh from her run in “It,” takes on the role of Gretel. If her work in “It” is any indication, she is more than capable of bringing the heroine to life.
Osgood Perkins assumes the directorial duties for the grim cinematic venture. His 2016 film “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House” proves that he can handle this type of material with a slow burn aesthetic that mesmerizes. The detailed elements that come from his retelling are more than welcome as the director attempts to bring a new style to the classic motif. His work as an actor also appears to be paying off in how he brings out performances that are as surprising as they are welcome.
Here’s the official synopsis for “Gretel & Hansel”:
A long time ago in a distant fairytale countryside, a young girl leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.
Lillis, Sammy Leakey, Alice Krige, Jessica De Gouw and Charles Babalola star in the film; which opens January 31, 2020. Watch the trailer below: