Hansel & Gretel (2013 film)

Hansel & Gretel is a 2013 American horror film produced by The Asylum and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante that stars Dee Wallace, Brent Lydic and Stephanie Greco. While the film is considered a "mockbuster", intended to capitalize on the release of Paramount and MGM's film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, it is a modern retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale of the same name.

Not to be confused with Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.
Hansel & Gretel
Promotional poster
Directed byAnthony C. Ferrante
Produced by
Screenplay byJose Prendes
Based onHansel and Gretel
by Brothers Grimm (uncredited)
Starring
Music byAlan Howarth
CinematographyBen Demaree
Production
company
Distributed byThe Asylum
Release date
  • January 8, 2013 (2013-01-08)[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

A woman being kept prisoner in a dungeon, breaks her chains and escapes, but falls into a deep trap-hole outside, breaking her leg. She’s taken inside and “prepared” with seasonings and veggies before being roasted alive in an oven.

At “The Gingerbread House”, a pie and pastry shop run by an older woman named Lilith, employee Gretel Grimm is hosting a private family dinner after hours for Hansel, their father Brandon and his girlfriend Ruby. Brandon reveals he intends to marry Ruby, infuriating Hansel. He storms out into nearby woods and eventually Gretel follows him, finding him in a bear trap. She spots a nearby cabin and Gretel’s surprise, Lilith answers her knock at the door and invites them inside. Gretel notices several very old family pictures up, of Lilith and her children John & Bobby (twins), and Abigail, who died as an infant. Lilith feeds Hansel and gives Gretel some tea and they soon fall asleep. Gretel wakes up the next morning with a headache in Lilith’s bed, Lilith sitting beside her. Lilith tells Gretel she took Hansel to the hospital and suggests she shower to feel better.

Hansel wakes up in a dungeon with three others, Dana, Jane and Kevin, all chained to the walls. The now brutish Bobby and John bring in a tray piled with sweets and pull Dana out with them as they leave. They prepare her on a human spit roast in the oven. After Gretel showers, she is confronted by Lilith, who offers her the deed to The Gingerbread House, telling Gretel she intends to leave the bakery to her. When Gretel agrees, Lilith jerks the deed from her hand “accidentally”, giving Gretel a paper cut. A drop of her blood falls onto the deed “signing” it unintentionally it in blood, to Lilith’s delight. Gretel notices a bloody fingernail on the floor and finds a trapdoor to an underground dungeon, hearing Hansel calling for her. Having been found out, Lilith has Bobby and John force Gretel to join in on “family dinner” where she serves the freshly cooked Dana. Gretel stabs John with her knife, causing Lilith to throw her in the dungeon.

Bobby takes Jane out of the dungeon to prepare her, but Hansel is able to soon pick the lock. Kevin decides to save himself and escapes while Hansel and Gretel decide to save Jane. Hansel and Gretel overpower Bobby, killing him. They free Jane but John finds Bobby’s body, dons a gas mask, and fills the dungeon with hallucinogenic gas. Hansel, Gretel, and Jane each have their own horrific hallucinations. Meanwhile, Brandon has since alerted Sheriff Mekes to Hansel and Gretel’s disappearance and he begins searching for Lilith. Brandon and Ruby search the forest and eventually find Lilith’s cabin. Brandon recognizes Lilith’s car outside but Lilith attacks him with a pitchfork, then kills Ruby with a machete. In the dungeon, John kills Jane but Hansel and Gretel crawl inside the oven and though a small vent shaft while John gives chase. They make it outside and find Lilith having just murdered Ruby. Brandon attacks her, allowing Hansel and Gretel to escape with John still pursuing. As they are running away, they encounter Sheriff Mekes ,who has accidentally hit and killed Kevin while he was on the highway trying to flag someone down. Mekes shoots and kills John but Lilith emerges from the forest and kills Mekes with an arrow. She forces the siblings back to the cabin and tries once more to convince Gretel to join her, but Gretel stabs her in the face with her silver cross necklace. She and Hansel run to the dungeon, luring Lilith into the oven and trapping her before she realizes it. Gretel turns the oven on, burning Lilith alive. She and Hansel narrowly escape as the hallucinogenic gas ignites and the cabin explodes.

Later, Gretel is in Lilith’s bakery when Hansel stops in to let her know that their father is being released from the hospital. She says she’ll meet him and he leaves. Gretel goes to the door and flips the closed sign to open, then returns to the counter and takes a bite of a meat pie, smiling menacingly.

Cast
  • Dee Wallace as Lilith - a centuries old witch who uses human meat to rejuvenate her youth, runs "The Gingerbread Man" bakery
  • Brent Lydic as Hansel Grimm
  • Stephanie Greco as Gretel Grimm
  • Steve Hanks as Brandon Grimm - Hansel and Gretel's father
  • Trish Coren as Ruby Lumiers - Hansel and Gretel's soon to be stepmother
  • Sara Fletcher as Jane - a victim already held captive in Lilith's cabin
  • Clark Perry as Kevin - a victim already held captive in Lilith's cabin
  • Lydia Woods as Dana - a victim already held captive in Lilith's cabin
  • M. Steven Felty as Sheriff Woody Meckes
  • Adrian Bustamante as Deputy Gerry Carter
  • Jasper Cole as John - Lilith's son
  • Frank Giarmona as Bobby - Lilith's son
  • Mariangela Pagan as Sylvia - (not named in the film but in the credits, Sylvia is the victim that appears in film's opening scenes)
  • Jonathan Nation as Jane's Father - appears in her hallucination
  • Jerey Basia as Double

Production

Director Anthony C. Ferrante personally asked Dee Wallace to join the production. Wallace was drawn to her character because it was more than just a stereotypical witch. Wallace found the shooting grueling; besides issues with the budget and time limitations, temperatures rose to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and there was no air conditioning.[2] Wallace performed her own stunts.[3]

Release

The film was released direct-to-DVD on January 8, 2013. In the tradition of The Asylum's catalog, Hansel & Gretel is a mockbuster of the Paramount Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/MTV film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which it preceded by five days.[1]

Reception

Scott Foy of Dread Central rated it 3/5 stars and called it "a perfectly okay horror movie" after seeing a misleading pull quote of his comments in a previous article used as ad copy.[4] Mark L. Miller of AICN wrote that the film has "a few worthwhile and creative scenes of grue and gore" but frequently descends into tedious torture porn.[5] Dave Pace of Fangoria rated it 2/4 stars and called it "a good evening of entertainment" that, outside of one shocking and imaginative hallucinatory scene, lacks ambition.[6] Rod Lott of the Oklahoma Gazette wrote that it is "still technically a bad movie, but leagues above the label's usual level of dreck."[7]

Sequel

In 2015, The Asylum released a sequel titled Hansel vs. Gretel, picking up where the first film leaves off.

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References
  1. Foy, Scott (2012-09-26). "Hansel & Gretel Enter Dee Wallace's House of Horrors". Dread Central. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  2. Wax, Alyse (2013-02-07). "Exclusive: Dee Wallace Talks 'Hansel and Gretel' and 'Lords of Salem'". Fearnet. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  3. James, Jonathan (2013-02-16). "Exclusive Interview: Dee Wallace talks Hansel & Gretel, The Lords of Salem". DailyDead.com. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  4. Foy, Scott (2013-01-25). "Hansel & Gretel (Blu-ray / DVD)". Dread Central. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  5. Miller, Mark L. (2013-01-28). "HANSEL & GRETEL (2012)". AICN. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  6. Pace, Dave (2013-01-02). ""HANSEL & GRETEL" (Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  7. Lott, Rod (2013-01-07). "Hansel & Gretel". Oklahoma Gazette. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
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