From poisoning princesses to eating children, fables and fairy tales have always been rooted in horror. Given the title, Netflix’s film Damsel sets out to subvert expectations of traditional fantasy storytelling.
That subversion begins behind the camera with director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and writer Dan Mazeau (Fast X, Wrath of the Titans), who aren’t exactly the first people you’d think would tell a story about royal families and family traditions. But it’s their experience in horror and action film franchises that give Damsel a sinister twist.
When we’re introduced to our heroine, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), she’s lugging around an axe and working outside with her little sister Floria (Brooke Carter). This is a hard-working princess who takes on the physical responsibility of helping her people. Still, she’s in the familiar fairy tale situation of a young woman learning she’s about to enter into an arranged marriage. Elodie’s impending union with Prince Henry of Aurea (Nick Robinson) has nothing to do with love and everything to do with a thriving kingdom aiding a struggling kingdom by exchanging a princess for riches and resources.
Her father Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone) isn’t overly jovial or a ruthless tyrant. He’s a king who demonstrates love for his daughters but has a duty to his people — two of the film’s biggest themes. While she’s clearly eager for a better life, Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett) isn’t an evil stepmother trying to sell off her husband’s willful daughter. Her humble beginnings and economic status are hinted at but never fully explored. Without Winstone and Bassett’s nuanced performances, the characters would be rather dubious and uninteresting.
The family travels through a foreboding fog to reach the bright opulence of Aurea, a kingdom bathed in warmth and light, contrasting the bluish hue of their bleak kingdom and its starving inhabitants. There’s an undertone of dread and not just from seeing Elodie essentially being sold off. The Machiavellian Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright, the Princess Bride herself!) and King Roderick (Milo Twomey) are welcoming, but we know it’s all a show.
Elodie and her betrothed begrudgingly accept their fate because of their families’ needs. Because Henry’s a dreamer like her and isn’t a total snob, Elodie goes along with the wedding (not that she really had a choice) and embraces the glamorous aspects of her new life. Maids strategically prepare her for the wedding, adding layer after layer of heavy fabric and shiny accessories, including a dragon-themed crown.
This illusion of a happily ever after and obligation to her kingdom is enough to distract Elodie from dwelling on glaring red flags like a fiery procession in the distance and the disappearance of a girl in the neighboring castle tower. The latter mystery reveals itself later, but after the wedding, she experiences the former as she’s led through the mountains to an unsettling gathering of masked people. After an ominous blood pact ceremony, Elodie is carried away by her handsome prince who suddenly throws her into a cave housing a fire-breathing dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo).
Damsel is as gruesome as it can be with a PG-13 rating. After her violent descent into darkness, a wounded and dazed Elodie realizes she’s not alone. Her first encounter with the terrifying creature leaves her screaming, sobbing, bloodied, and burned. As she navigates the effectively claustrophobic labyrinth of caves lined with the corpses and remains of women before her, she uncovers the truth about the history of this ancient offering. She is the latest princess to be sacrificed in the name of Aurea’s prosperity.
As with any fantasy or period piece, the costumes are beautifully crafted. For Elodie, the incredibly restrictive wedding gown plays an important role in her transformation into a cave-dwelling warrior. Costume designer Amanda Monk (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) made the structural elements a source for makeshift weapons, bandages, and climbing gear.
Damsel is the type of fairy tale epic that one would assume is based on a YA novel or series. However, Evelyn Skye’s novelization of Damsel came after the script was written. While there’s clear inspiration from fantasies like Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings, the story of a husband knowingly subjecting his new wife to a hellish familial ritual feels very Ready or Not. And without giving too much away (although the trailer already revealed a lot), part of Elodie’s fight for survival has a hint of The Black Phone.
With its blend of dark fantasy and action-adventure, Damsel succeeds in telling a subversive fairy tale about a princess’s transformation into a dragon-fighting warrior. Star and executive producer Millie Bobby Brown delivers a particularly powerful performance, rising to the emotional and physical challenges of playing a young woman going up against a monster.
Elodie joins other fierce princesses whose wit and independent attitude inevitably get them into trouble — Aladdin’s Jasmine, Beauty and the Beast’s Belle, and Brave’s Merida. It’s a perfect role for MBB, an actor well-acquainted with harrowing fantastical character journeys. She gives Elodie a relatable quality and doesn’t lean into the princess archetypes we’re used to seeing on screen. She’s not overly quirky and clumsy, or rebellious, but has just the right amount of grace and grit.
While the film has its flaws and a few scenes feel a bit rushed, its layered characters and world-building give it the potential to usher in a new fantasy franchise.
Damsel premieres on March 8, 2024, on Netflix.
