Snow White: A Tale of Terror

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Snow White: A Tale of Terror
Snowwhiteterror.jpg
1998 DVD cover
Based on Snow White
by the Brothers Grimm
Screenplay byTom Szollosi
Deborah Serra
Directed byMichael Cohn
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerTom Engelman
Cinematography Mike Southon
EditorIan Crafford
Running time101 minutes
Production companies PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Interscope Communications
Budget$26-30 million [1] [2]
Original release
ReleaseAugust 24, 1997 (1997-08-24TUnited States)

Snow White: A Tale of Terror [a] is a 1997 American dark fantasy gothic horror film based on the fairy tale of the same name. It was directed by Michael Cohn and stars Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill and Monica Keena. It premiered on Showtime on August 24, 1997. [4] [5]

Contents

Plot

Lord Frederick Hoffman and his pregnant wife Lady Lilliana are travelling home by carriage through the woods, when they are suddenly chased by a pack of wolves, which kill their driver when the carriage suddenly crashes. A critically wounded Lilliana goes into labour and Frederick is forced to perform an emergency c-section, she dies giving birth to a daughter. Years later, the now seven year old Lilli, named after her late mother, mischievous plays about the castle grounds. Frederick remarries a noble woman named Claudia, who brings with her a large ornate mysterious wardrobe mirror, passed down from her late mother who is implied to have been a practitioner of black magic. Accompanying her is her mute brother Gustav. However, despite Claudia's kindness, Lilli is unwilling to accept her new stepmother. On her father's wedding night, Lilli throws Holy Water on Claudia out of spite and runs out of the room, hiding under Claudia's bed. Her nursemaid pursues her but is suddenly killed by an unseen force when she mistakenly looks into Claudia's mirror. Nine years later, Lilli has grown into a beautiful but self-centered young woman. Claudia is now pregnant with her first child. Despite her best efforts to connect with Lilli, she remains cold and distant. The Hoffmans throw a ball to celebrate the impending birth of Frederick and Claudia's son. Claudia gives Lilli a gown to wear to the ball that belonged to her as a child. Lilli rebuffs the gift and rebels by wearing one of her own mother's gowns to the ball, directing all the guests' attention to her and away from Claudia. Frederick is first startled, then pleased at Lilli's evocation of her mother. As the two dance, a hurt and jealous Claudia becomes so distressed that she goes into an early labor and delivers a stillborn boy. Dr. Peter Gutenberg, the Hoffmans' physician, informs Frederick that the stillbirth has rendered Claudia infertile. Distraught, she is soon corrupted by the mirror's influence and swears revenge on Lilli. The next morning, a remorseful and sympathetic Lilli attempts to make peace with Claudia who feigns forgiveness and orders Gustav to kill her. Lilli escapes deep into the woods and shelters in a ruined church. Gustav then resorts to killing a boar instead and presents its heart to Claudia, who orders him to place the rest of the remains in the stew pot intended for the Hoffmans' dinner, which she later eats with wicked relish. However, when she coughs up the boar's blood, she realizes that Gustav has failed her. Enraged at his betrayal, she curses him which causes him to have horrific hallucinations that drive him to suicide. Frederick and the household search for Lilli in the woods, but he is forced to return to the castle when he is injured after falling from his horse. Lilli is confronted by seven rough, combative miners: Will, Lars, Gilbert, Scar, Konrad, Bart, and Rolf. Rolf attempts to rape her but is stopped by Will who throws him out. With nowhere else to go Lilli follows them to the men to the mines, where Claudia makes another attempt on Lilli's life using black magic to collapse the mines. Lilli is rescued by Will but Gilbert is buried alive in the rubble. The men debate whether they should ransom Lilli but ultimately decide to keep her under their wing. Will flirts with her but expresses disdain for her noble status. Lilli likewise is repulsed and frightened by his rough demeanour. Later that night Lars reveals that Will was branded with an iron cross by Crusaders who burned his family at the stake after he refused to fight for their cause. Dr. Gutenberg returns to the castle to find it almost abandoned save for Claudia, who, in an attempt to get rid of him, seduces and pleads with him to find Lilli. Claudia again uses black magic to lure Lilli to her death by conjuring Frederick's voice, then conjuring a gale to knock down the trees and crush her. Lilli is almost killed while trying to save Lars but Will is forced to pull her away to safety. The five of them mourn lost comrades. Later Will and Lilli share a moment and they kiss. Claudia is enraged and distraught by Lilli's survival. The mirror persuades her to resurrect her dead baby by sacrificing Frederick. She then makes her way to his bedchamber and rapes him. In a final attempt to kill Lilli for good, Claudia turns Gustav's eviscerated heart into an apple. The mirror then transforms her into a frightening and hideous old woman. Claudia tracks down Lilli's whereabouts and tricks her into accepting the apple which puts her into a locked-in syndrome, leaving a devastated Will to find her body. Dr. Gutenberg shortly arrives and attempts to revive her but sadly pronounces her dead. As the men prepare to bury her, Will notices that Lilli's eyes have opened. He removes her body from the coffin, desperately shaking her and begging her to breathe. This dislodges the piece of rotten apple that had been stuck in her throat. In the castle, Claudia takes Frederick to the chapel, ties him to a crucifix and suspends it upside down, preparing to exsanguinate him to complete the resurrection of her son. Will and Gutenberg accompany Lilli back to the castle to stop Claudia and rescue Frederick. On arriving, they discover that the entire household has been placed under a spell rendering them into a mindless and hostile zombie-like state. They find a weak and delirious Frederick, who mistakes her for a ghost. Will takes him outside to safety but Gutenburg is killed when Claudia throws him out the window. Lilli then confronts Claudia, cradling her newly revived but weak baby. A struggle ensures, Lilli accidentally sets the room on fire. Claudia becomes distracted by her son's cries of distress. This allows Lilli to grab a dagger and stab the mirror, wounding both Claudia and her demonic reflection. Claudia removes the dagger from the mirror and is horrified to see her appearance transform to that of an old woman. The mirror then cracks and explodes; shards of glass go flying into Claudia's face, causing her to accidentally step backwards into the path of the fire, setting her ablaze. As Claudia screams and flails helplessly around the room, she falls over the nearby burning bed, which crashes down on top of her and kills her. Lilli then joins Will and Frederick outside. Her father finally comes to and is overjoyed to see her again. The film ends with snow falling on the trio.

Cast

Production

In 1995, David Conrad got an offer to play "a decoy Prince Charming" in Snow White in the Black Forest, in his last year in the graduate theater program at the Juilliard School. [6] Shooting for the film started in 1995 on locations in Prague, Barrandov Studios, [7] and castles around the Czech Republic including Kost, Dobřichovice, Pernštejn, and Valdek. [8] Stromovka Park was used as the Black Forest. [9] Shooting was reportedly continuing in May 1996. [2]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 55% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [10] Weaver was widely praised for her performance, even by those who reviewed the film negatively. [b]

TVGuide praised the directing which "shows a flair for horror in this expensive production that emphasizes the disturbing elements", adding "[t]he quick pacing, excellent medieval costume design, top-flight makeup effects, and the beautiful locations in Prague and the Czech Republic also help to sharpen this slick effort." [12]

Sheri Linden of Variety thought that the film "suffers from a decided lack of momentum", and in the end, while it is "[g]ood to look at, this Snow White isn't the chilling experience it should be". [7]

Awards

Home media

Snow White: A Tale of Terror was initially released on VHS, as well as a DVD edition in the United States on August 25, 1998 via Polygram. [17] [18] It was re-issued on DVD from Universal Home Entertainment on August 13, 2002, containing identical artwork to the previous edition [19] and most recently on May 1, 2012 from Universal, containing newly commissioned artwork. [20] A multipack DVD including the film (with Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Firestarter 2: Rekindled ) was made available from Universal. [21]

In the United Kingdom, Universal Home Entertainment released the film on VHS format on June 1, 1998, [22] while a re-issued VHS became available via Universal from September 17, 2001. [23] The film has been issued twice on DVD from Universal Home Entertainment in the UK, with the first on February 6, 2006, [24] and a subsequent version containing new artwork on May 14, 2012. [25] All editions from Universal are now out-of-print as distribution company Fabulous Films currently acquire ownership rights for distribution in the United Kingdom. Fabulous released the film on April 4, 2016 on DVD, [26] and for the first time in any country, on Blu-ray format on July 4, 2016. [27]

The film is additionally available to rent or buy on Amazon Video. [28]

The film finally debuted on Blu-ray in the United States for the first time on October 6, 2020 by Mill Creek Entertainment. The disc contains no special features. [29]

Notes

  1. ↑ also known as Snow White in the Black Forest [3]
  2. ↑ Attributed to multiple references: [11] [12] [7] [13] [14] [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Grimm Brothers' Snow White (1997) - Financial Information".
  2. 1 2 "'Snow White' on Prozac". Los Angeles Times . May 5, 1996.
  3. ↑ Bill Warren (2013). "Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 3, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Deliciously Twisted Adult 'Snow White'". Los Angeles Times . August 23, 1997.
  5. ↑ "Sigourney Weaves a Tale of Terror". August 18, 1997.
  6. ↑ Diamond, Jamie (January 12, 1997). "A Neo-Romantic for a Harsh Age". The New York Times.
  7. 1 2 3 Linden, Sheri (August 31, 1997). "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Variety . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror".
  9. ↑ "Boo! 20 Hollywood Horror Movies That Were Filmed in Prague". October 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 1, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale Of Terror". Empire. January 1, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  13. ↑ "SNOW WHITE: A TALE OF TERROR". Dennis Schwartz Reviews. August 5, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale Of Terror". The A.V. Club. March 29, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". EW.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ Snow White: A Tale Of Terror at Emmys.com
  17. ↑ Snow White:a Tale of Terror [VHS]. ASIN   630464972X.
  18. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Amazon. August 25, 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Amazon. August 13, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Amazon. May 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror / Darkman II:The Return of Durant / Firestarter 2: Rekindled". Amazon. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [VHS]". Amazon.co.uk. June 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [VHS]". Amazon UK. September 17, 2001. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [DVD][1997]". Amazon.co.uk. February 6, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. May 14, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. April 4, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror [Blu-ray]". Amazon.co.uk. July 4, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". Amazon. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Snow White: A Tale of Terror Blu-ray".
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