It’s funny how most of the fairy tales that we grew up with are not as innocent as we believe them to be. Humanity has a way of softening horrible stories to make them sound more appealing to kids only for them to become kids stories themselves. This new retelling of the popular German tale Hansel and Gretel is here to remove those illusions completely and remind the world that a story about an old lady wanting to eat kids should be as disturbing as it sounds.
Directed by Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter) from a screenplay he wrote with Rob Hayes (Chewing Gum), Gretel and Hansel sees Sophia Lillis (IT) and Sam Leakey play the fated siblings who head out to the woods to find work and food to help their struggling parents, only to encounter a witch (Alice Krige) who, despite appearing friendly initially, has ulterior motives for the children:
I think it’s clear that this rendition of the tale is definitely not the way you imagined it and certainly not safe for kids. This short teaser trailer doesn’t try to establish the setting or story – which we already know – but does an excellent job in setting up the creepy atmosphere and showcasing some truly dark visuals that are likely to upset audiences when this film releases next year.
There may be no house of candy this time around, but that’s okay because the atmosphere on display here is enough to lure me in and ensure that I will get a treat of a different kind. I hope that the movie can be as unsettling as this trailer. We could truly have a horror classic on our hands. And perhaps a proper way to tell the story to the kids when they behave badly, though then both you and then might not sleep for a few days.
Last Updated: September 9, 2019
Son of Banana Jim
September 5, 2019 at 10:24
I suppose there’s a deeper reason why it’s “Gretel and Hansel” and not “Hansel and Gretel”?
Admiral Chief
September 5, 2019 at 10:51
Should this change be Justified or Will you make your own assumption
Son of Banana Jim
September 5, 2019 at 22:50
lol, this is something that I don’t particularly feel enraged or offended by, I just thought maybe they did it as part of the storyline. It looks cool though, I can’t fault the trailer one bit.
Geoffrey Tim
September 5, 2019 at 11:05
It’s weird. Even in the original German folklore, Gretel is the “main character” and it should have been called Gretel and Hansel from the beginning. But “Hansel and Gretel” just rolls off the tongue easier.
Admiral Chief
September 5, 2019 at 11:05
Geoffuru dropping the fact-bombs
Also, alphabetically, it should also be called Gretel and Hansel. But yeah, I do believe this forms part of the unwritten rule of order of things to be named in
Son of Banana Jim
September 5, 2019 at 17:45
Probably just because it’s been hammered into us since pre-school…
Stoompot
September 5, 2019 at 10:25
Can’t wait for them to make horror versions for
Jill and Jack
Sister and Brother
Juliet and Romeo
Kervyn Cloete
September 5, 2019 at 11:05
Just read this up yesterday. They wanted to change up the dynamic by having one sibling older than the other – which hews closer to the original story anyway, where Gretel took the lead – and were blown away by Sophia Lillis in It, so they made her Gretel and changed the title to reflect the difference.
Yahtzee
September 5, 2019 at 10:39
The age of originality is dead.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
September 9, 2019 at 11:40
Wonder if it’ll be scary