Rights holder / Distributor: Orion Pictures / BRON Studios / Automatik Entertainment
Gretel & Hansel is a 2020 fantasy horror film directed by Oz Perkins according to the scenario of Rob Hayes. The production offers a dark and unusual interpretation of the famous tale of brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, replacing traditional fairy tale magic with oppressive atmosphere and supernatural horror. The film is released in theaters in the United States on January 31, 2020 and is approximately 87 minutes long.
After their mother throws them out of their home, young Gretel leads her younger brother Hansel through the forest in search of food and work. Exhausted and hungry, the two come across a house where an elderly woman named Holda welcomes them with unusual hospitality. For a while, the children seem to have found refuge from the harsh world, but the strange behavior of the hostess gradually arouses suspicions. Gretel begins to sense that behind the abundance of food and apparent kindness lies something sinister that could threaten not only their lives, but also her own.
The director Oz Perkins builds a slow, atmospheric horror in which visual style and a sense of menace are more important than constant sudden scares. The dark forest, geometric compositions and saturated colors transform the familiar fairy-tale environment into a space filled with danger and uncertainty. The script of Rob Hayes shifts the focus to Gretel and her gradual realization of her own potential, adding themes of temptation, power, and growing up. The film thus moves away from a literal retelling of the fairy tale and offers a more psychological and symbolic reading of the familiar story.
Sofia Lilis plays the role of Gretel restrained and convincing, presenting the heroine as a young person forced to take responsibility for herself and her brother. Samuel Leakey is Hansel, whose trust and childlike spontaneity contrast with his sister's growing anxiety. Alice Krieg builds the image of Holda as a seemingly caring woman, behind whose behavior one senses a dangerous unpredictability, and Jessica De Gouw appears in the role of young Holda. Charles Babalola completes the story as a hunter who crosses paths with the children.
Gretel and Hansel is suitable for viewers who prefer slow, visually impactful horror films to traditional horror films based on sudden scares. The production transforms the well-known fairy tale into a dark experience about fear, temptation and the power that can lie within man. The distinctive vision and execution of Sofia Lilis give this interpretation its own personality, although the slower pace may not be for everyone. The film deserves attention from fans of psychological horror and unconventional fairy tale adaptations.
