Review by Jon Donnis
The Death of Snow White takes a story everyone knows and drags it through a swamp of blood, black magic and twisted imagination. Jason Brooks clearly revels in tearing up the Disney-fied version and stitching something far nastier together. From the opening scene, with Chelsea Edmundson's Evil Queen slicing open her own palm during a ritual, you know exactly what sort of ride you're in for. It's theatrical, it's gory, and it isn't pretending to be anything else.
The forest becomes its own character here, a nightmare maze crawling with creatures and shadows. When Snow White, played with surprising grit by Sanae Loutsis, stumbles into it, the film shifts gears. The dwarves aren't miners or comic relief, they're killers, each with a signature that's so over the top it borders on absurd, but in a way that works for the tone. Watching Snow White adapt to their training is oddly satisfying. You can tell Brooks wanted her transformation from innocent fugitive to axe-wielding avenger to feel earned, and it does.
Chelsea Edmundson steals the film as the Queen. She's not just vain or jealous, she's terrifying, like someone who's already crossed every moral line and is now curious what's on the other side. Her castle set design is brilliantly grotesque, and the rituals feel almost tactile, the budget stretching surprisingly far for these moments. Granted, when the CGI does kick in, it's a little rough in places, but that's part of the charm, this is a B-movie that leans into its own excess.
The third act delivers on the promise of all the build-up. The apple scene isn't a quiet poisoning, it's a violent curse, and the fight that follows is a full-on massacre. Brooks isn't afraid to kill off fan favourites mid-battle, and the gore effects are inventive enough to keep you wincing and grinning at the same time. Snow White's final showdown with the Queen is brutal, messy and oddly cathartic. The moment she swings Tiny's axe is exactly the kind of payoff you hope for in a film like this.
It's not flawless. The pacing drags slightly in the middle, and a couple of performances from minor characters wobble a bit. But for what it is, a knowingly trashy, creatively nasty horror reimagining, it's a blast. It's also genuinely one of the most enjoyable takes on Snow White I've seen in years. I walked away smiling, which probably says something worrying about me.
I score The Death of Snow White a solid 8 out of 10.
Out Now
Apple TV - https://apple.co/3Hun5cP
