The tale of “Hansel and Gretel” is one that isn’t exactly new to Hollywood. From its more classical and traditional adaptations of the original Brothers Grimm story like the 2002 film of the same name to the more unique retellings like 2013’s “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, their story has seen many shapes and forms.
And this month, we’ll see yet another take on the classic story, but this time with a few terrifying twists, in Oz Perkins’ (“The Blackcoat’s Daughter”) newest horror film, “Gretel & Hansel.” Here’s the official synopsis:
A long time ago, in a distant fairytale countryside, a young girl (Sophia Lillis, It) leads her little brother (Sammy Leakey) into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.
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From the first look we got in the film’s teaser released in September, “Gretel and Hansel” seems to be following the original stories plot pretty closely. Brother and sister go into the woods and find an elderly cannibalistic woman who kidnaps them. But everything the marketing material suggests to us is that the newest film will provide a welcome deviation from the story we’ve grown more than accustomed to. If the title is any indicator, the film will place more of an emphasis on the character of Gretel as opposed to her brother.
The film stars Sophia Lillis (“It” and “It: Chapter 2”) as Gretel, Charles Babalola (“The Legend of Tarzan”), Alice Krige (“Thor: The Dark World”) and Sammy Leakey as Hansel in his feature film debut.
The emphasis on Gretel makes sense seeing as Sophia Lillis is an incredibly talented young actor and has shown this along with her ability to stand out in ensembles like the two “It” films. And “Gretel & Hansel,” looks like her first real opportunity to do some great work in a movie where she’s the lead.
Perkins, up to this point, has shown himself to be a formidable director of horror with films like “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and 2016’s “I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.” Both drew comparisons to the work of famed horror author Shirley Jackson (“The Haunting of Hill House”) for its use of terror and classical literary elements to distinguish itself from its contemporaries. And though these two films were indie hits and gave Perkins the chance to flex his filmmaking muscles, he has yet to make a film that captures the attention of everyone and be the movie people talk about for months after its release.
But if “Gretel & Hansel” has anything on its side, it is being released in a month that in recent years has become prime box office real estate. Low-budget horror-thrillers like “Split” and “Escape Room” were released in similar time windows and did exceptionally well.
“Gretel & Hansel” will be released on January 31, 2020. Watch the new trailer below.