“Ever After” follows a group of women on a bachelorette trip, as they are hunted through the woods by killers who believe they’re classic fairy tale characters.
After the cold open, “Ever After” is light on scares throughout the first quarter of its runtime. This means 30 minutes of character introductions and partying with brief spurts of “weirdness,” just not horror. The early stages of the film are where most of its problems lie and where it will likely lose some viewers. Similar to The Twisted Childhood Universe, co-writer and director Laszlo Illes utilizes public domain characters as killers. With most of the ensemble cast serving as cannon fodder, too much time is spent on intros before shifting to the frights.
Once the transition is made, “Ever After” maintains a consistent dose of thrills until the very end. As with most slashers, you’re going to have to suspend some disbelief. This is even more apparent with the extended 125-minute runtime, which is undoubtedly too long. Illes and László Krisztián Gera’s screenplay takes shortcuts in some spots while feeling bloated in others. The characters are a weak point, largely prohibiting any investment in the actual story because of their unlikable personalities. It’s not to the level of “The Strangers — Chapter 3,” but there are still countless questionable character decisions that propel the plot forward. Nonetheless, each poor choice does result in more comical carnage.
Of course, more focus is put on horror. Illes attempts to give each fairy tale character their own “short story,” which sometimes makes the film feel like it’s hopping from scene to scene without complete cohesion. With drawn-out sequences of bizarre acts of violence being committed over and over again, it almost becomes too indulgent in the atrocities for its own good.
What makes this different from “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” or “Pinocchio Unstrung” is that these aren’t the actual fairy tale characters — they just think they are. This means that “Ever After” doesn’t have to worry about hyper-realistic looks since they’re just people playing dress-up. That’s not to diminish the work of costume designer Simonné Borsodi Mária Erzsébet and the entire makeup department, however, with masks and costumes that still manage to bring the characters to life. Each horrific set piece also includes impressive practical effects, largely coming from splatter upon splatter of blood.
Illes uses the forest landscape to his advantage. As characters move through the environment, the camera pans or rotates along with them. There are distinct styles used to distinguish different states, like extreme close-ups, blurred focus and vignettes. Arthur Valentin Grósz’s score is also memorable. At times it’s quiet, at others it’s loud. Circus-like elements are interwoven to emphasize the absurdity of a collection of fairy tale characters. Paired with the visuals, it effectively makes you feel like you’re at a creepy carnival that’s impossible to escape from.
Maria de Sá (Amy) and Lydia Pearl Pentz (Wendy) are the standouts of the bachelorette party group. In the second half of “Ever After,” Pentz steps up. She heightens the intensity with performative delivery that matches the insanity of the killers themselves. This kill-or-be-killed mentality was once missing, but she brings it. De Sá has a similar energy, eventually becoming almost maniacal.
Starring are Mark Sheppard (The Ringmaster), Bonnie Aarons (The Witch), Philippe Reinhardt (Prince Charming) and Kane Hodder (voice of Big Bad Wolf). Sheppard maintains an enigmatic presence by saying poetic verses that form a monologue of rhythmic backstory. These lines could have easily grown old, but Sheppard delivers them with the necessary gravitas. Aarons has an empathetic yet sinister presence from the start, including short bursts of cackles and exaggerated smiles that deliver the creeps. Reinhardt brings off-kilter reactions and delivery that range from minimalistic to over-the-top. He is key to establishing the early unease before Illes unleashes additional chaos with the other characters. Eventually, Reinhardt becomes a complete lunatic that you can’t help but laugh at and be completely frightened of at once. Hodder’s voice is mainly present to rattle off a number of one-liners in a short amount of time.
“You’ve only got one shot left, d-ckhead.”
Michael Berryman (The Huntsman), Malcolm McDowell (voice of The Frog King) and Riana Emma Balla (Little Red Riding Hood) appear as well.
“Ever After” brings a collection of classic fairy tale characters to the screen and turns them into killers. Despite spending too much time getting there, the film embraces its craziness.
Rating: 3 out of 5
