The sub-caption “A Grim Fairy Tale” to the “Gretel and Hansel” movie released in January 2020 by Orion Pictures is actually a literal description of what the movie is. It may be based on the German folklore written by the Brothers Grimm, but the presentation is as grim as the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic .

Film critics though were not harsh with their review, finding some artistic value with how director Oz Perkins presented a horror film based on a grim fairy tale. Since the movie is available now at a leading streaming platform, it won’t cost you much to see the movie and find out what critics found artsy about it.

A Tale of Hardship and Hunger Twisted into a Horrible Story

First off, the father figure was taken out of the story, leaving the siblings in the care of a deranged mother who wants the 16-year old Gretel and young Hansel to leave their home for good. Since food and work was scarce in the village, Gretel could not imagine why their mother wanted them out of the house.

It was only when her mother appeared with a butcher’s knife, whilst ordering them to leave before she loses control of herself, did Gretel realize she and Hansel were in real danger. Apparently, the mother was struggling with some inner demons that wanted her to slaughter the children.

This grim fairy tale does not offer much in terms of scary stuff, while viewers will get to experience a feeling of despair and desolation as Hansel kept asking Gretel why they had to leave their home. Since everyone knows that their journey will eventually lead to the witch’s house in the dark woods, there will be some surprise nightmarish scenes during their travel, to make viewers jump and scream.

Perhaps, those who are still not used to how modern horror films scare the wits out of the audience, will feel terrorized. Actually, some viewers didn’t watch long enough to see what happens once Gretel and Hansel fall prey to the witch. Frankly, those who left early didn’t miss much and were in fact saved from getting disappointed on how things turned out in the end.