Review of Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) by James S — 29 Apr 2013

2012 was the year of multiple (alright, two) Snow White movies at the cinema. I didn't see either but I would hope that they were a bit better than this poor, horror fantasy style effort. While this does lean closer to the original Grimm fairy tale than the singing and dancing Disney version, that doesn't necessarily mean it makes for a better film. In fact, it makes for a largely dull and confusingly toned film.

Sam Neill, phoning it in big time, is charmed by the seductive evilness of Claudia Hoffman - a pantomime Sigorney Weaver - much to the displeasure of his daughter Lilli, a pre-Dawson's Creek, looking about 12, Monica Keena. When Lady Hoffman's child dies at birth, she is sent on a tirade of black magic and jealousy against her poor step daughter for reasons that really don't seem all that strong, other than she's a bit of a bitch.

A Tale of Terror is confusing blend of horror themes (at times incest and raising the dead are hinted at) and there is certainly plenty of blood throughout but the rest of the time the film skirts around a silly romance story between Lilli and Will, the head of the dwarves who aren't dwarves in this film.

Weaver and Keena have some nice moments together. Weaver is very good at playing the evil queen in this type of thing, even when her material is so bad. She is easily the best thing about the film, able to convey her wickedness by merely opening her eyes. Keena has been miscast. She's much better at playing a bad girl, or running away from Freddy and Jason in their joint venture. She does okay but she's no Snow White.

Largely due to it's mixed tone and not knowing whether it wants to go fully dark and revolting, the film doesn't engage with it's audience and feels flat most of the time. There are some good moments when Weaver is unleashing her black magic powers and an odd cool demise but these moments are scarce and the exceptions rather than the norm in a movie that, sadly, just doesn't work.