The Brothers Grimm gave us enough material to last the rest of humanity. From Terry Gilliam’s take on the brothers themselves, as played by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, to every reimagining of their classic fairytales, the sheer scope and influence of their work, and its public domain nature, mean that anything Grimm-related is ripe for the picking for entertainers to do what they want with. There has certainly been a trend in the last few years of taking pre-existing characters and stories and giving them a sinister, horror-influenced twist, like with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Popeye’s Revenge. In their original form, the Grimms’ tales often had a darkness to them that inherently makes for grear horror. However, in centuries past, many evidently thought they made for charming bedtime stories.
Andy Edwards’ new take on Rumpelstiltskin is a strange one that feels like it takes its viewer back in time by about 30 years. You could easily believe this was a product of 1995, rather than 2025. It is sold as a horror movie but is really more of a cheap dark fantasy with lashings of black comedy. Its influences, which seem to range from Game of Thrones to Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, are written all over it, to the point that it comes off as a disjointed, muddled collage of better movies and shows. It has the makings of a decent, or at least memorable, take on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, but its ingredients are stale, its utensils broken, and its oven not hot enough.
What is ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ About?

This version of the story introduces Evalina (Hannah Baxter-Eve), the saucy miller’s daughter whose days are spent slacking off from her chores and pursuing local studs for hookups in the forest. Her father is sick of her antics, especially when his last two sovereigns are taken to fund the King’s upcoming wedding, his previous wife having lost her head for having the nerve to birth a girl. The miller sees an opportunity to improve his standing, so he and Evalina go along with the other local girls to be presented to the King, under the pretense of nobility. When they are outed as common peasants, the miller pulls some story out of his ass about his daughter being able to spin straw into gold, and the poor young woman is hauled off to the dungeon to prove it or die. Abhorrent parenting, even by medieval standards.
Well, you know the rest. This repulsive little imp appears out of nowhere, just so happens to be able to spin straw into gold, and over the course of several nights, makes higher-stakes wagers with Evalina as to what she will give him for his services. Traditionally, the story tends to go that the King is largely a good man (albeit one who will execute the woman if he gets no gold from her), with whom she goes on to a happy and loving marriage. But this King is, probably more realistically, a total prick along the lines of Henry VIII, who is quick to remind Evalina that even as his wife, her role is to bear him a male heir and that her feminine wiles of teasing him with foreplay will not save her, as he has servants to do all the fun stuff for him.
This Horror Take On ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ Forgets To Be Horrific

Image via Paranoid Android Films

But there’s no time for any of that. This Rumpelstiltskin has a pacing issue, among many others. It is divided into three chapters that don’t seem to correlate much with the action taking place. Some of the most important parts are just brushed over, such as Evalina’s pregnancy and the birth of her firstborn, who is of course promised to Rumpelstiltskin as payment. You’d think the months of grueling anxiety about what happens when her baby is born would be a good source of horror, but no. In fact, there’s a lot that this story offers in terms of horror material, but the movie never bothers to explore any of it. Rumpelstiltskin’s first appearance should be a creepy, lurking, menacing one — something akin to the reveal of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, with his true form being hinted at with shadows and camera angles before a horrifying reveal is delivered. But he just sort of appears out of nowhere with no buildup or decent positioning to frame him as an evil or terrifying entity. He’s just there.

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That being said, actor Joss Carter does what he can with the role, and it’s a pretty decent performance. He seems to spend the entire runtime almost doubled over to give the impression of a hunched imp, and it must have been physically taxing for him. He also provides some good delivery and wit, with a few amusing jabs and one-liners. But, ultimately, the character is written quite unevenly, and the film can never decide if he is a Warwick Davis-in-Leprechaun kind of guy, or something truly diabolical. He flits between the two, as does the character of Evalina, who is both ballsy and fearful. The issue of characterization is really down to Edwards’ writing, which never picks a lane and sticks with it, but muddles through a variety of tones. If Rumpelstiltskin needs one thing, it’s a clearer vision of the tone it’s trying to achieve.
‘Rumpelstiltskin’ Feels Like a ’90s TV Movie

Image via Paranoid Android Films

I am certainly not one to put down low-budget movies; I admire them more than their pricier contemporaries, because they are far more demanding of everybody’s talent and resources. But this is not a particularly well-made movie. It has an inescapable feeling of a ’90s TV movie about it, from its cheap-looking costumes and sets to its artistically unfocused framing and camerawork. Every scene is shot from an unflatteringly low angle, looking up at the actors, and it feels like giving the direction too much credit to assume this is to put the audience in Rumpelstiltskin’s position. It might work if the imp were more of a focus, but Evalina is squarely positioned as the lead character from whose perspective we are to take everything in. The cinematography lacks any creativity or sense of vision, and wastes what could be decent material.
It also takes place in a very confused backdrop. The Grimm tales are almost always set in a medieval European world, usually in a Germanic setting, but the movie cannot figure out where and when it wants to be. At first, it seems to be a roughly English Tudor world, but then some of the styling suggests Spanish Catholic influences, while a King with an Irish accent and a mystical advisor from the Far East seem to imply this is an entirely new world with little basis in real history. That’s OK, but it’s not established firmly enough. What it really feels like is a haphazardly-written script where the only note was “vaguely medieval.” The movie would have benefited from more focus all around, and that ultimately comes back to Edwards.
Andy Edwards is not an inexperienced filmmaker, and his portfolio suggests that this is exactly the sort of niche he has carved for himself, with his last effort, Punch, being a horror twist on Punch and Judy. What he does is take existing characters and view them through a cheapish horror lens. I will grant him that this was not an unentertaining movie — it offered just enough humor and spectacle to keep things moving. It was an hour and a half more or less well spent, but it’s not the sort of movie that will garner repeat viewings or cult followings. There’s definite potential in Andy Edwards. He needs to up the camp and spend a little longer at the drawing board, streamlining his vision and considering what he wants to do with his next project. Whatever it ends up being, I look forward to seeing it.
Rumpelstiltskin is available to rent or buy on Amazon.
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Rumpelstiltskin

An uneven and underdeveloped take on a classic tale that ignores its most horrific elements.

Release Date

March 8, 2025

Runtime

87 minutes

Director

Andy Edwards

Writers

Andy Edwards

Hannah Baxter-Eve

Evalina

Joss Carter

Rumpelstiltskin

Pros & Cons

Serviceable performances from Joss Carter and Hannah Baxter-Eve
Some darkly comical moments

Lacking production values make for ’90s TV movie quality
Unfocused script and direction
Not enough horror elements