With the R-rated Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters now in theaters, let's take a look at other fairy tales that have gotten a more adult cinematic treatment.
1. "Hansel and Gretel"
Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton play the title brother and sister in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.
Image by Paramount
What makes the story dark: Two kids get abandoned by their parents and take refuge with an old woman who turns out to be a witch. Deals with parental neglect and the danger of strangers/the unknown.
What makes the movies dark: The dark "Hansel and Gretel" adaptation is a new breed. The idea in the case of Witch Hunters seems to be placing the focus on the evil witch rather than on the siblings' parents.
Famke Janssen plays the witch Muriel, one of Hansel and Gretel's targets.
Image by Paramount
The adaptations: There have been few notable adaptations of "Hansel and Gretel," which makes Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters somewhat unique. (Apparently not good, however — critics have largely panned it.) Low-budget schlock factory The Asylum will be releasing Hansel & Gretel direct-to-video, an obvious attempt to cash in on Witch Hunters. The 1999 Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Gingerbread" explored the story as well, with a demon disguising itself as Hansel and Gretel in order to spur a modern-day witch-burning.
