Fairy Tales for Grown Ups

Based on the Hans Christian Anderson story of the same title. This film depicts a ballerina torn between love and art and driven to maddness as a result

The story of this film about a ballerina's nervous breakdown parallels the story of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake which is based on the fairy tale The Swan Maiden.

This film about a young girl taking revenge on a suspected pedophile and murderer turns the classic Red Riding Hood story on it's ear.

A twisted Red Riding Hood tale about a runaway girl who takes up with a serial killer.

A romance about a fisherman who draws a breautiful woman from the water- but she may have a past that can hurt then both. Draws heavily on several selkie/seal wife tales.

This film is very faithful to the classic Beauty and the Beast story, but has dark undercurrents and incorporates some adult themes. It's also a visually stunning experience.

A European village in the middle ages falls prey to a werewolf in this version of the classic tale aimed at teen audiences. It does have some strong storybook influenced visuals to recommend it.

Any adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera has strong ties to Beauty and the Beast. I chose this one because it has saveral visual references to Cocteau's 1946 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (also listed).

An inventor dies before he can finish his greatest creation: a young man. Left with scissors for hands, Edward grows up along in a crumbling mansion until the day he is discovered by a saleswoman, who brings him home. When Edward meets her daughter he falls in love in this Beauty and the Beast story.

Living under a family curse, a young girl with a pig's snout for a nose must be loved by "one of her own kind" if she's to break the spell. Penelope does find love and break the spell, but not in a way that anyone expects. This Beauty and the Beast story shows that the Beast and the Beast can sometimes be the same person.

A mermaid loves a human in this classic romantic comedy inspired by The Little Mermaid.

This Red Riding Hood story also incorporates several of Angela Carter's short stories, and other fairy tales. Sexy, scarey and not for the kids!

Beatrice is a tabloid journalist whose fiance is killed by a monster in Iceland. When Beatrice encounters this monster they forge a relationship that is threatened by an unscrupulous media in this Beauty and the Beast story.

A gangster's moll on the run takes refuge with a group of stuffy professors in this take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

A cop is put in possession of a gun that shot one of his fellow officers. But when the neighbor kid finds it and uses it to shoot his abusive father, the cop must find him and the gun, before the police and the mob do. This gritty crime drama has some strong Hansel and Gretel ties.

A tragic and fatal schoolbus crash destroys a town in this tragic Pied Piper-esque story.

An apathetic college student joins an organization of girls who agree to be loaned out to men while under sedation. However as time goes on, our heroine discovers she wants to know what's happening while she's asleep.

OK, it might seem like a stretch but the daughter under the the thumb of an oppressive mother, with cruel peers (rather than siblings) gets a chance to go to the ball (or prom as the case may be). In the Grimm's version of Cinderella the step sisters get their bloody desserts when their toes, heels and noses are cut off and their eyes are plucked out by a bird. Here of course it's Carrie who exacts that bloody revenge on her classmates on a larger scale. Yes, this is truly a Cinderella story, Stephen King style!

A sweet, feminist friendly retelling of Cinderella given some historical context as well.

A very dark version of the Snow White story with a brutal stepmother! Set during the crusades this has images of crucifiction and cannibalism galore.

The Hans Christian Anderson story is given the Korean horror movie treatment.

The story "Donkeyskin" is plently disturbing as is. Here it's given a candy coated musical treatment for adults, which makes it even more unsettling.

Beauty and the Beast set in modern day New York City. This is very teen oriented and not very good IMO. But I put it on here for the sake of completion.

Bluebeard as seen by Fritz Lang. Suspenseful and Freudian.

Stand alone sequel to Freeway that takes on Hansel and Gretel

"Hansel and Gretel" story about two British orphans pitted against a "charitable widow" who is more unhinged than she lets on."

Haunting and bittersweet Korean ghost story inspired by the titular fairy tale.

Sweet modern Sleeping Beauty story turned romantic comedy.

Pretty much what the title says! The focus here is on Sigourney Weaver as the Stepmother whose sanity is slipping...