Gretel & Hansel (also known as Gretel & Hansel: A Grim Fairy Tale) is a 2020 horror film based on the German folklore tale “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm. The film is directed by Oz Perkins, and produced by Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Dan Kagan, with a screenplay by Rob Hayes. Sophia Lillis and Sam Leakey portray the title characters, alongside Charles Babalola, Jessica De Gouw, and Alice Krige. The story follows Gretel and Hansel as they enter the dark woods in order to find work and food, and then stumble upon the home of a witch.
It was announced in October 2018 that Orion Pictures had started developing Gretel & Hansel, a film adaptation based on the German folklore Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, with Perkins directing the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hayes. At the same time, Lillis was set to star in the film, with other actors being added shortly after, and filming taking place between November and December 2018 in Dublin, Ireland.
Gretel & Hansel was released in North America on 31 January 2020 by Orion Pictures through United Artists Releasing. The film grossed $21 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its visuals and cinematography, as well as the horror elements and acting, but criticism for the film’s pacing.
Plot
A baby girl in a village falls ill and is not expected to survive. The father takes the child to see an enchantress, who removes the illness but leaves power within the girl. The villagers go to the girl, as she grows up, to hear her premonitions, but she uses her power to kill people, including her father. She is taken into the woods to be abandoned. There, she lures other children to their deaths. She becomes known as the Beautiful Child.
The scene shifts to teenaged Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and her younger brother, Hansel, after their father’s death. They meet a man about a housekeeping job, but he reveals his true intentions by asking Gretel if she is still a virgin. The children leave without work. Their mother rebukes Gretel for not helping provide for them and threatens to kill Gretel if they do not leave the house. The siblings flee and find a hut to stay for the night, but a ghoulish man appears and attacks Hansel. A hunter (Charles Babalola) saves the siblings and takes them to his home. The next morning, the siblings go out to forage and seek work. Hansel is drawn to a house with the smell of cake coming from it. Holda (Alice Krige) invites them inside for a meal and allows them to sleep there in exchange for work. Holda sends Hansel to the woods to practice his skills with the axe while keeping Gretel indoors. Hansel is happy but Gretel grows suspicious of Holda. She sees a vision of the Enchantress and hears children’s voices. Holda shows Gretel how to tap into her powers as a witch. Hansel also sees a vision of the Enchantress and an inverted pentagram carved into a tree.
Gretel enters Holda’s cellar, where Hansel sits entranced. The floor floods with goo and a younger witch emerges, emptying buckets of guts onto the table before turning this into the food that Holda feeds the siblings. The next day, Gretel watches Holda eat and sees her pull a lock of human hair out of her mouth. Through visions, Holda reveals she is the mother of the Beautiful Child. The child promised to share her powers with Holda if the latter trusted in the darkness. Holda devoured her other children and took on the guise of an old woman to lure other children.
Holda straps Gretel down in the cellar. With her youthful appearance, Holda lures Hansel into a cage so she can cook him. Gretel uses her powers to pin Holda over the flames. Holda is killed by the fire, breaking Hansel’s trance and Gretel’s bonds. Gretel decides to remain at the house. Hansel returns to their family home and finds their mother is no longer there. Gretel sees the spirits of the dead children emerge from the trees, finally free. Her fingers start to turn black as Holda’s did, but she states she will trust herself and control her newfound abilities.
Cast
Sophia Lillis as Gretel, a 16-year-old girl and Hansel’s older sister.
Sam Leakey as Hansel, Gretel’s 8-year-old brother. Leakey is making his acting debut.
Charles Babalola as The Huntsman, a young man who helps Gretel and Hansel early in the story.
Alice Krige as Holda / The Witch, a terrifying and powerful evil witch who lives in the shadows of the dark wood and kidnaps Gretel and Hansel.
Jessica De Gouw as Young Holda/The Witch
Giulia Doherty and Beatrix Perkins (uncredited) as The Beautiful Child with a pink cap
Fiona O’Shaughnessy as the Mother
Donncha Crowley as Master Stripp
Melody Carrillo as the Enchantress
Jonathan Delaney Tynan as the Father
Ian Kenny as Knight
Abdul Alshareef as Knight
Manuel Pombo as Knight
Loreece Harrison as The Demoness
Reviews
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