Why Gretel & Hansel Got Mixed Reviews

The late January release of Osgood (Oz) Perkins’ Gretel & Hansel was met with mixed reviews by critics and downright negative ones from many viewers.

The film currently holds a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and an even lower Audience Score of 20%. While it’s a far cry from the ratings for two of January’s biggest horror flops, The Grudge reboot and The Turning, the high expectations for Gretel & Hansel have been effectively thwarted after its opening weekend.

Starring Sophia Lillis as Gretel, Alice Krige as Holda the Witch, and Sammy Leakey as Hansel, Gretel & Hansel is a decidedly darker take on the 2-century old story. When compared to the many film adaptations on the fairy tale over the years, the version Perkins brings to the table is much better, but that’s not saying much when your competition is Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and Hansel and Gretel Get Baked.

Gretel & Hansel’s Visuals Often Say More Than The Script

A common complaint within reviews is that Gretel & Hansel has more style than substance. Alongside Lillis and Krige, it’s true that the atmosphere plays a starring role in the film and it’s impossible to ignore, not that you’d want to. It’s eerily gorgeous. The arthouse style says a lot when the characters don’t, and that was likely the intention. That said, this is a route that an everyday film viewer may not resonate with. And even then, the script is, in a word, dry. The delivery by the actors is solid, but the film wants to dredge up the psychological tensions with what isn’t being said. This more or less requires the viewer to read between the lines, and with the slow nature of the film, many were likely content with remaining spectators.

Kimber Myers – Los Angeles Times

While [Perkins] offers a stunning feast for the eyes, the substance is likely to leave viewers still hungry.

Gretel & Hansel Starts Slow And Stays Slow

Anyone familiar with the director’s previous work, The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, likely knew to expect Gretel & Hansel would be paced a bit slower than a traditional horror film. Those not familiar with Perkins’ work or expecting a more thrilling ride likely may have immediately compared the film to something like The Witch, and rightfully so. While Gretel & Hansel exudes more style, even A24’s gem from 2015 delivered better with its pacing, especially toward the end.

With a story so familiar, one may be surprised to find themselves at the end of Gretel & Hansel so quickly, and not because of its short runtime. Despite its glacial pace, the climax of the film covers the span of what feels like 45 seconds and hardly feels like a payoff, given the long build-up.

Mark Kennedy – Associated Press

“Gretel & Hansel” is as visually arresting as it is tedious, a 90-minute movie that really should have been a three-minute music video for Marilyn Manson or Ozzy Osbourne.

Gretel & Hansel Promises Horror But Delivers Little

Horror fans expecting a shockingly horrific take on Hansel and Gretel were let down with this adaptation. Gretel & Hansel certainly offers grotesquery but little in terms of actual horror. It can only be assumed that this was by design, as there are plenty of genuinely scary PG-13 movies out there. While the film may be lacking in violence and scares, it more than makes up for with ominous dread. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for many critics or the audience, and the marketing for the film certainly made it look like there were some good scares to come.

Claudia Puig – Film Week

On the plus side, this has very striking production design and impressive cinematography… [But] it’s bleak where it should be intense. It’s stylish, but not very scary.

Jeannette Catsoulis – The New York Times

Essentially the story of a young woman coming into her power, “Gretel & Hansel” is quietly sinister, yet too underdeveloped to truly scare.

Almost Perfect For The Right Audience

Those looking to be transported into the fairy tale directly and get lost in the atmosphere, those okay with the unsettlingly eerie instead of the horrific, and those who love a slow-burning, psychological build-up of dread found themselves quite pleased with Gretel & Hansel. At the end of the day, it’s a specific movie for a specific audience about a widely-known fairy tale. It’ll likely stay a polarizing film for many, but it’s one that certainly found its niche.

William Bibbiani – The Wrap

It’s got ‘cult movie’ written all over it […] and audiences who tune into its unusual wavelength will no doubt be grateful for such a beautiful, frightening, intelligent new venture into an age-old nightmare.

Frank Scheck – Hollywood Reporter

Gretel & Hansel may alienate some horror movie fans with its extremely leisurely pacing and emphasis on atmosphere and mood rather than visceral shocks. But while the film certainly demands patience, it provides ample rewards with its lush stylization.

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