Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)

one of my absolute favorites!

From my favorite movies..

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Snow White: A Tale Of Terror is the 1997 horror film which is probably only famous for two reasons; 1. It's a horror re-imagining of Snow White and 2. Sigourney Weaver is in it. The film is obviously about Snow White, a sweet young girl who is kicked out her castle by her evil stepmother who then after finding out she is prettier then herself, she then sets out to kill here, it's pretty much the same here except it has loads of crappy late 90's historical horror effects (Ghost Ship, Thirteen Ghosts, etc.). The film overall is "good", I would not call it a masterpiece in horror history or the best horror film of 1997 but it was a fair re-imagining and it probably could not have gone better then this anyway, this film is literally the only thing you can do with the Snow White story, unless you update it to the present day. The performances were very good in it though from Sam Raimi and Sigourney Weaver and Monica Kenne (sorry if that's not her name, just thinking of what it sounds like). Snow White: A Tale Of Terror is a decent good horror re-imagining but don't get your hopes up for the 90's best horror film or 1997's best horror film, oh no, sorry Snow White: A Tale Of Terror, you have to become fourth after I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cube and Scream 2. Stay tuned for my anticipated review of Unsane, either tomorrow night or Sunday!!

When I was a child I used to be very scared when watching the original white snow movie-- I knew that was just a kids movie, but still creeped me out. Lots of people consider this horror version to be frightening and suspenseful, but I have to disagree. Even thought characters are reasonably developed with good actors in the cast, the film isn't able enough to get creepy or anything-- maybe the scene in the closet when an old lady dies did, but that was the only one. Background sound fits to the film, considering it's a combination of horror and fantasy. In the end, I don't know if it's a good or bad movie, but it is surely at least watchable, given that it's usually entertaining.

First of all, I'm a fan of Sigourney Weaver, but even putting that prejudice aside and examining the film critically, I can honestly say that it was only her performance that saved this film. Snow White (Lilly) was frankly an annoying, wooden, two-dimensional character and I found myself genuinely hoping that Claudia (Sigourney Weaver) would succeed in destroying her.In fact, the only character really drawn with any care and attention is that of Claudia. I found myself believing that she'd been driven mad and to murder purely through the unpleasant behaviour of Lilly and therefore found her character to be realistic, sympathetic and attractive. All the other characters were ciphers: Sam Neil, who plays Lord Hoffman, barely had a role at all in the film; although it was a starring part, he played it very much like a tired cameo role in a B-movie.The film is apparently set at the time of the Crusades, but there were a terrible number of gaffes:Costumes ranged from 14th to 16th century and even early 17th century, whilst the furniture ranged mainly from 15th to 18th century.Mention was made of a globe showing the countries of the world, something impossible at a time when the flat-earth theory was firmly established science.Lilly somehow managed to pick an apple from an obvious oak tree near her mother's grave - and it was the ONLY apple visible - which made the entire scene rather forced and unnecessary.When Claudia told Dr. Guttenberg about the "disease" afflicting the servants, he said "The Black Death!", something which took place quite a while after the Crusades had been forgotten.Nevertheless, the film on the whole is fairly well-crafted, although very uneven in places. The castles and ruins used as backdrops were good choices, although not quite appropriate to the Crusades period, but that's probably just me being pedantic.I think that the true horror could have been wound up a few notches, since the film has an R rating anyway and is definitely not suitable for children. Otherwise, I found it an extremely entertaining film with plenty to engross one's attention.

Pure, lovely angelic innocent Lilliana's(Monica Keena, who exudes all the qualities of a live action Snow White, with her hair colored black for added effect) new stepmother, Lady Claudia(Sigourney Weaver) is secretly a witch who envies the bond she has with father Lord Friedrich(Sam Neill), her husband. Haunted by the memory of Friedrich's late wife Lady Lilliana, Claudia also must deal with the fact that Lilli favors her so. Coveting the baby in her belly, Claudia's mental state worsens when a stillbirth occurs after a negative reaction to Lilli who dresses in one of her mother's gowns taking the crowd's(..and Friedrich's specifically)attention during a ball. Claudia plots the murder of Lilli, asking for her mute magician brother Gustav(Miroslav Táborský) to cut the heart from Snow White's chest(..planning to use Lilli's "leftovers" for a feast). When that goes awry, and Lilli is separated from her home in the forest nearby, she falls into a hole leaving her lost as Gustav kills a pig pretending it's heart was hers. The rest of the film follows Lilli, far from home, as she finds herself in the company of foul, grubby men(..the seven dwarfs, except they aren't dwarfs..well there is one..and don't, at first, offer a very friendly welcoming committee)who were cast away from society, mining for gold. While Lilli finds herself falling in love with the brooding, emotionally..and facially..scarred member of the group, Will(Gil Bellows), Claudia uses forms of sorcery in the attempts to harm/endanger her.I found this grim, Gothic horror bliss. I was especially entertained at how the Castle Friedrich, for the first part of the film is bright with a warm atmosphere, and as Claudia begins to take over once her husband breaks his leg, the place becomes dark and foreboding. There's this cabinet that contains a magic mirror, perhaps a Satanic instrument, with this beautiful face representing a fake Claudia whose voice offers evil, manipulative advice for ways she could get her revenge and reap her (un)just rewards through acts of witchery. I particularly liked one sequence where Claudia casts spell on Lilli using a cute bird in an hourglass as the sand slowly buries it as we see an avalanche occur where Snow White and the miners seemed doomed. There's a raven Claudia uses as eyes, and a nifty scene where Gustav's hand opens a wound with a spider crawling out before he's paid back for his betrayal of his sister for not finishing the task asked of him. Weaver has a great scene, dressed as an old lady, where she manipulates Lilli into eating a poisoned apple. And, her dinner table scene, where she believes that the meal was made from Lilli's remains(..and she even takes a bite, with ecstasy glowing on her face, awaiting Friedrich's turn to eat)is deliciously wicked. And, there's this great scene where Claudia causes a windstorm by spinning in a hall with trees falling down nearly toppling Lilli and the men(..actually crushing one of them).Weaver might be cast against type but inhabits the role of Claudia, the witch, with relish, devouring the screen. And, I must admit, I found her striking in a seductive way in certain types of flowing gowns, with her overflowing hair. Sure, as the film continues, she grows more and more ugly, but despite inheriting the role of a witch she has these moments(..like when she has sex with a bedridden Friedrich she poisoned)where Weaver has never been more sexy on screen. Yet, Weaver always dominates the screen with this darkness and evil intent, always pursuing the death of innocence standing in her way. I had read that this film was sadistic and bloody, but it really isn't. The ending, Claudia's fate, is really the most violent of the film, and even that isn't THAT gruesome. I think the film's true success is how the film captures the mood and look of a Grimm fairy tale. I like how the film shifts from the ever-growing ominous nature of the castle as it shapes itself after Claudia, and the forest abode of the men and Lilli with such vibrant autumn colors. Kudos to the filmmakers and crew who created a horror film which can make gloom and doom look so fantastic.