– By Mark Glass –
Though the title of EVER AFTER reads like the ending of a fairy tale, this one’s a horror flick with all the gore that fans of the genre could hope for. But the fairy tale connection still exists. Seven young lovelies go to the prototypical isolated house in the woods for a weekend bachelorette party. We know they’re bound to be besieged by crazed locals but instead of the usual range of DELIVERANCE-style rubes, their assailants are dressed as characters from old children’s tales – Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, etc.
Despite those allusions, there’s nothing amusing about the costumes and masks. Or what their occupants do. I had expected some measure of campy humor in the mix but the script from director and co-author Laszlo Illes never heads in that direction. This is straight slasher fare from the get-go. If you like the zaniness of Rob Zombie’s repertory company of Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) and his colorful costumed killer cohorts, this will not scratch that itch.
Very little time is spent in fleshing out the young women’s’ characters before their flesh starts getting flailed. A mixed bag of personalities unfolds to some degree during their ordeal but no one grabs the reins as the standard protagonist most likely to survive. EVER AFTER is a low-budget affair, with most of the funds likely spent on crafting and showcasing the yucky stuff, rather than salaries.
The two biggest names – Malcolm McDowell and Kane Hodder (Jason in the FRIDAY THE 13TH series) – only lend their voices to the proceedings. The next most familiar actor, Mark Sheppard, gets a role late in the proceedings that calls for him to ham it up, and he does so with villainous gusto.
No nudity, very little sexual activity. This would be R-rateable solely on the gruesomeness factor. The only novelty lies in the personae of the pursuers. But if you’re in the mood for one of these flicks, you could easily do worse. I certainly have on many occasions.
EVER AFTER opens Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in theaters and on demand on Oct. 27, 2026.
Rating: 1.5 out of 4 stars