One word of warning, this isn't the Disney film of "Snow White" and it would be wise to think twice before letting the children watch it.

The tensions between "Snow White", here named Lilli Hoffman (Played by Taryn Davis as a child and then by Monica Keener as a teenager) and her step-mother Claudia (Sigourney Weaver) are quite well-drawn. Claudia is not completely unsympathetic and Lilli is not quite as innocent as in some versions of the story. Also the dwarfs are presented as a group of scarred, bitter outlaws.

The film sustains a wonderful medieval atmosphere and has some very good performances, particularly from Sigourney Weaver. However it suffers a lot from an unevenness of tone. It's far too dark and violent for children, but then it's not quite scary enough for adults.

That being said, horror and fantasy fans may find it quite enjoyable.

When the big diva stars of the 80's and 90's turned to grotesque roles (Glenn as Cruella, Angelica as the high grand witch, Meryl as Madeline Ashton),they all seemed to be having a grand old time chewing up the scenery. Here, it's Sigourney Weaver's turn, and she's incredible as Snow White's stepmother. The film takes a closer look into the Grimm fairytale with Monica Keena a rather bratty Princess Lily, the product of King Sam Neill, left with her after his first wife was gravely injured and died after giving birth to her daughter. At first, the new queen Claudia (Weaver) seems to be a noble woman but a family curse through the mirror of her decreased witch mother drives her to hatred, especially when she realizes that she'll always be second to the princess nicknamed Snow White.

With a delightfully subtle knowledge that her role is the commanding one, Weaver draws the audience in and is equally as memorable as Disney's version, yet there's more empathy here for her. Obviously she has had a tragic life and tragedy continues when she miscarries her first child right before giving birth. Weaver never has to over-emote or go into Faye Dunaway ranting territory, and it's obvious that her talking reflection in the mirror is actually her mother.

The seven dwarfs are changed to simply seven woodsmen although one is a little person. There's actually a love story that grows between one of them and Lily, but the scenes when Weaver isn't on screen seem to drag because of how much of an impact she makes. This takes the original tale into different territory, giving it a Shakespeare tragedy historical tale feeling. Lady Claudia could easily be a variation of either Queen Gertrude from "Hamlet" or Lady Macbeth, or even Livia from "U Claudius". This, next to "Aliens", is Weaver's shining example of complete perfection on screen, and had this been theatrical rather than made for cable, she would have been a top Oscar contender for sure.

A wealthy man (Sam Neill) remarries years after his first wife dies during childbirth. However, the new wife (Sigourney Weaver) despises her stepchild and the daughter (played by the lovely Monica Keena) is forced to flee into the woods where she befriends seven miners (not dwarfs). Will the stepmother get away with her wickedness? My friend Jason had been suggesting we watch this film for a while and I couldn't bring myself to do it. With the movie being based on Snow White and the silly cover photograph, this just didn't seem like a decent horror film. And I know Sam Neill makes some decent horror appearances, but Sigourney Weaver? Come on! Then when I saw Monica Keena was in it (who I know from "Dawson's Creek" but many horror fans will know her from "Freddy vs. Jason") I couldn't get the DVD in the slot fast enough.

This film comes from director Michael Cohn, whom I've never heard of and I suspect neither have you. And despite his relative obscurity (ten years later and I still haven't seen anything else he's done) he can weave a very well-visualized tale. The man has a knack for the realm of fantasy.

This really is the film's strength. We are treated to a land of fantasy with witches and magic mirrors, but there is no silliness about it. This is not a kid's tale like "Labrynth" or "The Dark Crystal", but something much more adult and terrifying. There is even a scene where -- dare I say it -- we get hints of rape.

All the acting is strong, which should come as no surprise. Keena is great, and Sam Neill really cannot do a bad job acting even if he wanted to as far as I can tell. The effects were fine, the music was alright, and there was a scene where a horse did a back-flip, which was pretty intense. Don't be discouraged like I was about the title, this is a horror film worth seeing and a nice change of pace from the usual modern-day fare.