# Snow White: A Tale of Terror

Snow White: A Tale of Terror is a 1997 American dark fantasy gothic horror film based on the fairy tale of the same name. It was directed by Michael Cohn and stars Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill and Monica Keena. It premiered on Showtime on August 24, 1997.

## Plot

Lord Frederick Hoffman and his pregnant wife, Lady Lilliana, are travelling home by carriage through the woods, when Lilliana suddenly goes into labour. Their carriage suddenly crashes while trying to avoid a pack of wolves and their driver is killed. Lilliana is critically wounded and Frederick is forced to perform an emergency c-section to save their unborn daughter, but at the cost of Lilliana's life.
Roughly seven years later, Lilli, named after her late mother, has grown into a spoiled and mischievous child. Frederick remarries a noble woman named Claudia, who brings with her a large, ornate, mysterious wardrobe mirror. Accompanying her is her mute brother, Gustav. However, despite Claudia's kindness, Lilli is unwilling to accept her new stepmother. On her father's wedding night, Lilli throws Holy Water on Claudia out of spite and runs off, hiding under Claudia's bed. Her nursemaid pursues her but is suddenly killed by an unseen force when she mistakenly looks into Claudia's mirror.
Nine years have passed, Lilli has grown into a beautiful but self-centered young woman. Claudia is now pregnant with her first child. Despite her best efforts to connect with Lilli, the latter remains cold and distant. The Hoffmans throw a ball to celebrate the impending birth of Frederick and Claudia's son. Claudia gives Lilli a gown to wear at the ball that belonged to her as a girl, but Lilli rebuffs it. Claudia entertains the guests with a song, when Lilli suddenly arrives dressed in a white gown that belonged to her late mother. Frederick is startled but pleased at the evocation of her mother. However, Claudia is both hurt and jealous. The distress causes her to go into premature labor but the baby is a stillborn. Claudia is distraught by the loss of her son and that she'll never again bear another child, when the mirror suddenly calls to her. Her hagged reflection transforms into a more beautiful version of herself. The mirror consoles her and tells her that Lilli must be punished. The next morning, a remorseful and sympathetic Lilli attempts to make peace with Claudia, who appears to forgive her. The Hoffman's physician, Dr Gutenburg proposes to Lilli who happily accepts. As he leaves to ask her father for his approval, she comes across Gustav who attempts to kill under Claudia's orders, but she escapes deep into the woods and shelters in a ruined church. Gustav resorts to killing a boar instead and presents its heart to Claudia, who orders him to place the rest of the remains in the stew pot intended for the Hoffmans' dinner, which she later eats with wicked relish. However, when she coughs up the boar's blood, she realizes that Gustav has failed her. Enraged at his betrayal, the mirror urges her to punish him, and she curses him with horrific hallucinations that drive him to suicide. Frederick and the household search for Lilli in the woods but he is forced to return to the castle when he is injured after falling from his horse. Lilli is confronted by seven rough, combative miners: Will, Lars, Gilbert, Scar, Konrad, Bart, and Rolf. Rolf attempts to rape her but is stopped by Will, who throws him out. With nowhere else to go, Lilli follows them to the men to the mines, where Claudia makes another attempt on her life using black magic to collapse the mines. Lilli is rescued by Will, but Gilbert is buried alive in the rubble. The men debate whether they should ransom Lilli, ultimately deciding to keep her under their wing. Will flirts with her but expresses disdain for her noble status. Lilli likewise is repulsed and frightened by his rough demeanour. Later that night Lars reveals that Will was branded with an iron cross by Crusaders who burned his family at the stake after he refused to fight for their cause. Under Claudia's influence, the castle falls into an eerie sleep-like state, with barely any servants in attendance. Dr Gutenburg arrives to find the place seemingly abandoned, save for Claudia. She tells him she was forced to dismiss everyone due to a plague outbreak. In an attempt to get rid of him, she seduces and pleads with him to find Lilli. Claudia makes another attempt on Lilli's life by luring her out in the middle of the woods and conjuring a gale to knock down the trees. She is almost crushed while trying to save Lars but Will is forced to pull her away to safety. As Lilli and the remaining four miners mourn their deceased friends, she and Will share a moment and they kiss. Claudia is enraged and distraught by Lilli's repeated survival. The mirror persuades her to resurrect her stillborn son by sacrificing Frederick. She then makes her way to his bedchamber and rapes him to take his seed for the ritual. In a final attempt to kill Lilli for good, Claudia turns Gustav's eviscerated heart into an apple. The mirror then transforms her into a frightening and hideous old woman. Claudia tracks down Lilli's whereabouts and tricks her into accepting the poisoned apple, putting her into a locked-in syndrome. Will soon finds her body and is devastated. Dr. Gutenberg shortly arrives and attempts to revive her but sadly pronounces her dead. As the men prepare to bury her, Will notices that Lilli's eyes have opened. He removes her body from the coffin, desperately shaking her and begging her to breathe. This dislodges the piece of rotten apple that had been stuck in her throat and she comes to. In the castle, Claudia takes Frederick to the chapel, ties him to a crucifix and suspends it upside down, preparing to exsanguinate him to complete the ritual. Will and Gutenberg accompany Lilli back to the castle to stop Claudia and rescue Frederick. On arriving, they discover that the entire household has been placed under a spell rendering them into a mindless and hostile zombie-like state. They find a weak and delirious Frederick, who mistakes her for a ghost. Will takes him outside to safety but Gutenburg is killed when Claudia throws him out the window. Lilli then confronts Claudia, cradling her newly revived but weak and malformed baby. A struggle ensures, Lilli accidentally sets the room on fire. Claudia becomes distracted by her son's cries of distress. This allows Lilli to grab a dagger and stab the mirror, wounding both Claudia and her demonic reflection. Claudia removes the dagger from the mirror and is horrified to see her appearance transform to that of an old woman. The mirror shatters and Claudia is injured by the shards, causing her to accidentally step backwards into the path of the fire. As she screams and flails helplessly around the room, she falls over the nearby burning bed, which crashes down on top of her and kills her. Lilli then joins Will and Frederick outside. Her father finally comes to and is overjoyed to see her again. The film ends with snow down falling on the trio.

## Cast

* Sigourney Weaver as Claudia Hoffman
* Sam Neill as Frederick Hoffman
* Monica Keena as Lilli Hoffman
* Gil Bellows as Will
* David Conrad as Peter Gutenberg
* Miroslav Táborský as Gustav
* Brian Glover as Lars
* Andrew Tiernan as Scar
* Anthony Brophy as Rolf
* Chris Bauer as Conrad
* Frances Cuka as Nannau
* Bryan Pringle as Father Gilbert
* Taryn Davis as Little Lilli
* Joanna Roth as Lilliana
* John Edward Allen as Bart
* Dale Wyatt as Maidservant Ilsa

## Production

In 1995, David Conrad got an offer to play "a decoy Prince Charming" in Snow White in the Black Forest, in his last year in the graduate theater program at the Juilliard School. Shooting for the film started in 1995 on locations in Prague, Barrandov Studios, and castles around the Czech Republic including Kost, Dobřichovice, Pernštejn, and Valdek. Stromovka Park was used as the Black Forest. Shooting was reportedly continuing in May 1996.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Weaver was widely praised for her performance, even by those who reviewed the film negatively.
TVGuide praised the directing which "shows a flair for horror in this expensive production that emphasizes the disturbing elements", adding "[t]he quick pacing, excellent medieval costume design, top-flight makeup effects, and the beautiful locations in Prague and the Czech Republic also help to sharpen this slick effort."
Sheri Linden of Variety thought that the film "suffers from a decided lack of momentum", and in the end, while it is "[g]ood to look at, this Snow White isn't the chilling experience it should be".

### Awards

* Nominated — 3 Primetime Emmy Awards
** Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie: Sigourney Weaver
** Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Movie: Marit Allen, Charles Knode
** Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Ann Brodie, Linda DeVetta
* Nominated — 1 Screen Actors Guild Award
** Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Sigourney Weaver
* Nominated — 1 Saturn Award
** Best Television Presentation: Snow White: A Tale of Terror
* Nominated — 1 American Society of Cinematographers Award
** Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots: Mike Southon
* Nominated — 1 CableACE Award
** Cinematography in a Movie or Miniseries: Mike Southon

## Home media

Snow White: A Tale of Terror was initially released on VHS, as well as a DVD edition in the United States on August 25, 1998 via Polygram. It was re-issued on DVD from Universal Home Entertainment on August 13, 2002, containing identical artwork to the previous edition and most recently on May 1, 2012 from Universal, containing newly commissioned artwork. A multipack DVD including the film (with Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Firestarter 2: Rekindled) was made available from Universal.
In the United Kingdom, Universal Home Entertainment released the film on VHS format on June 1, 1998, while a re-issued VHS became available via Universal from September 17, 2001. The film has been issued twice on DVD from Universal Home Entertainment in the UK, with the first on February 6, 2006, and a subsequent version containing new artwork on May 14, 2012. All editions from Universal are now out-of-print as distribution company Fabulous Films currently acquire ownership rights for distribution in the United Kingdom. Fabulous released the film on April 4, 2016 on DVD, and for the first time in any country, on Blu-ray format on July 4, 2016.
The film is additionally available to rent or buy on Amazon Video.
The film finally debuted on Blu-ray in the United States for the first time on October 6, 2020 by Mill Creek Entertainment. The disc contains no special features.