The Death of Snow White (2025)
Directed by: Jason Brooks
Premise: An adult-oriented adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The Evil Queen (Chelsea Edmundson) uses the flesh and blood of young women to maintain her youth. Snow White (Sanae Loutsis) flees to the magical forest.
What Works: The Snow White story originated in Grimm’s Fairy Tales and it has been adapted to the screen on a regular basis, most famously in Disney’s 1937 animated film. The original story was much darker and more violent than the Disney version and some films reflect that, notably 1997’s Snow White: A Tale of Terror and 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman. The 2025 film The Death of Snow White embraces the violence and it is a hard-R style fantasy horror picture. The gore effects are impressive. The Evil Queen has been reimagined by way of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who famously killed hundreds of women allegedly to absorb their youth by bathing in their blood. Actress Chelsea Edmundson throws herself into the role, playing up the sadism but also the queen’s insecurity. The Death of Snow White is a relatively low budget film but it’s admirable how the filmmakers create a bigger look in their use of lighting and locations.
What Doesn’t: The Death of Snow White runs nearly two hours and it feels that length. The pacing is slow. That’s partly a result of an aimless script. The characters lack a specific goal or desire. Snow White just wants people to be nice to each other but there’s nothing more to her character than that. The prince (Tristan Nokes) is a cypher of a character. He and Snow White are supposed to be in love but they have no romantic spark. A lot of the film is just confusing. The Evil Queen needs Snow White for something but exactly what and how are unclear. The film often feels more like a concept than a story. The action is also clumsy. The fights lack energy or continuity and the set pieces aren’t in service of a discernable goal. It’s just fighting for its own stake. The Death of Snow White supposedly takes place in a medieval European setting but most of the cast are Americans and their accents aren’t fooling anybody. The actors’ behaviors and line readings are also very contemporary in a way that dispels the illusion. That’s also true of the production design. The Death of Snow White often looks like it was shot at a Renaissance festival.
Disc extras: Available on various streaming services.
Bottom Line: The Death of Snow White cannot match its ambitions with its abilities. There is a boldness to it that’s admirable but the film is too long, unfocused, and amateurish.
Episode: #1068 (October 12, 2025)