Snow White: A Tale of Terror is uneven, occasionally melodramatic, and its production values sometimes betray its made-for-cable origins (it debuted on Showtime). But it is never boring, and it is never safe. It understands the primal horror at the heart of the fairy tale: the terror of a parent who sees you not as a child, but as a rival. The film earns its "Terror" with a capital T.
The film can’t quite decide if it wants to be The Name of the Rose or Halloween . The middle act, with the seven miners (here reduced to a more realistic five or six named men), loses steam. Their dialogue ranges from surprisingly tender to groan-inducing. Monica Keena does her best as Lillian, but she’s out-acted by every cobweb in the castle. She’s a scream queen waiting to happen, but here she’s often just a scream er —reactive rather than commanding. snow white a tale of terror review
Sigourney Weaver is magnificent. Forget the Evil Queen’s campy "Magic Mirror on the wall"—Weaver’s Lady Claudia is a creature of raw, trembling pathology. She’s not evil for evil’s sake; she’s a woman crushed by patriarchal expectations, postpartum psychosis, and a literal demon in the looking glass. When she speaks to the mirror, the film becomes a two-hander of exquisite madness. The mirror’s voice (an uncredited effect) is a low, seductive growl, and its final command—to bring back “Claudia’s heart” rather than Snow White’s—is a masterful twist on the original’s logic. Snow White: A Tale of Terror is uneven,
For fans of The Company of Wolves , Neil Gaiman’s Snow, Glass, Apples , or anyone who wishes the Evil Queen had actually won a few rounds, this is essential viewing. Just don’t watch it alone. And definitely don’t look into any mirrors afterward. The film earns its "Terror" with a capital T