Cinema
Rumpelstiltskin
Andy Edwards (director)
Glasgow FrightFest 2025 (studio)
18 (certificate)
87 (length)
08 March 2025 (released)
09 March 2025
The Brothers Grimm fairytale is ripe for filmmakers and has been adapted as far back as the 1940’s. There’s a hideous imp, a beautiful daughter, greed and a terrible pact, a solution: all perfect for a horror film.
Evaline (Hannah Baxter-Eve) is the fun loving daughter of miller (Mark Cook) who is in financial trouble and can’t pay his taxes. His cunning plan is to pose as a lord and see if he can marry off his daughter to the king (Colin Malone). The Queen (his fifth) recently died and he is still in need of an heir.
Needless to say the miller is recognised by the tax collector Sir Lothar (Adrian Bouchet) and to save his life invents the cock and bull story of spinning straw into gold. Enter Rumpelstiltskin (Joss Carter) and after several requests, the final deal is struck.
The core of the story is intact in this adaptation by writer/director Andy Edwards with the pact, gold king and baby all here. What Edwards has done is fill it out with more characters, expanded the story and injected a dose of black humour.
Into this mix there is a witches’ coven, a succubus plus a bigger bad striding over the lot. And generally this all works well, complimenting the original story and not overwhelming it. The practical effects are solid and the Rumpelstiltskin make up is suitably repellent.
Where it does have a problem is in tone with the comic elements not quite working with the horror with some of it falling flat. This unfortunately reflects on some of the cast who while solid enough at times maybe not quite sure when to play straight or all out for laughs. This tends to upset the rhythm of the film though it's not its overall enjoyment and it's good to see producers and filmmakers trying to do something original with these hoary tales.
Rumpelstiltskin had its world premiere at Glasgow FrightFest 2025.
Evaline (Hannah Baxter-Eve) is the fun loving daughter of miller (Mark Cook) who is in financial trouble and can’t pay his taxes. His cunning plan is to pose as a lord and see if he can marry off his daughter to the king (Colin Malone). The Queen (his fifth) recently died and he is still in need of an heir.
Needless to say the miller is recognised by the tax collector Sir Lothar (Adrian Bouchet) and to save his life invents the cock and bull story of spinning straw into gold. Enter Rumpelstiltskin (Joss Carter) and after several requests, the final deal is struck.
The core of the story is intact in this adaptation by writer/director Andy Edwards with the pact, gold king and baby all here. What Edwards has done is fill it out with more characters, expanded the story and injected a dose of black humour.
Into this mix there is a witches’ coven, a succubus plus a bigger bad striding over the lot. And generally this all works well, complimenting the original story and not overwhelming it. The practical effects are solid and the Rumpelstiltskin make up is suitably repellent.
Where it does have a problem is in tone with the comic elements not quite working with the horror with some of it falling flat. This unfortunately reflects on some of the cast who while solid enough at times maybe not quite sure when to play straight or all out for laughs. This tends to upset the rhythm of the film though it's not its overall enjoyment and it's good to see producers and filmmakers trying to do something original with these hoary tales.
Rumpelstiltskin had its world premiere at Glasgow FrightFest 2025.
