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Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015) movie poster

Plot Summary

Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2015 · 87 mins · English
JustWatch #25,086 2
Directed by
Ben Demaree
Starring
Aqueela Zoll, Maria Olsen, Tim McDaniel, Christopher Callen, Jennifer Elizabeth, Nanrisa Lee

When Gretel is ensnared by a dark spell, she assembles a coven of witches, threatening everything she holds dear. Her brother Hansel must summon his courage to confront his twin sister and the mysterious forces manipulating her. A battle of wits and magic ensues as Hansel fights to break the spell and save Gretel from the sinister power that controls her.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015)

Where can you watch Hansel Vs. Gretel? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on FlixFling, fuboTV and Philo: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Hansel Vs. Gretel: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Several years after the events of the first film, Mason [Alexander Price] stops by Gretel's pie shop & bakery shortly after closing one night, only to be killed by a hooded figure. Elsewhere, Hansel [Brent Lydic] has spent years becoming a witch hunter and has just killed the elusive witch Bunny [Jennifer Elizabeth], when he learns of Mason's disappearance. He decides to return home to Gretel, who he hasn't spoken to for a year. He arrives at Gretel's and she tells him her suspicions that Mason was murdered in the bakery. That night, four witches—Circe [Elisha Kriis], Kikimora [Nanrisa Lee], Morai [Adinett Nsabimana], and their high priestess Cthonia [Jhey Castles]—convene in the woods nearby Candlewood. They take control of a local homeless woman to be their servant in their plot to avenge their sister Lilith [Barbara Scolaro]'s death and reclaim Lilith's bakery.

The following day, Hansel and Gretel visit Mason's brother Jacob [Riley Murphy] and his roommate Willy, and Hansel explains his theory that a new witch has taken over Lilith's bakery. Jacob and Willy insist on helping with the search for Mason, but when the group leaves the house, the witch's homeless captive begins firing at them. Gretel is kidnapped while the others take cover. Hansel shoots and kills the homeless woman and discovers a witch's mark on her forehead, confirming his theory, and they realize Gretel is gone. Meanwhile, Gretel is bound in the bakery and confronted by the witches. She confesses to killing Lilith and implies she ate part of her, gaining Lilith's powers. Cthonia makes a deal with Gretel: in exchange for Hansel's head, they'll let her keep Lilith's bakery; if she doesn't kill Hansel, they will kill her instead.

Gretel kidnaps Willy, and the following day, Hansel receives hostage pictures of Gretel and Willy texted to him, which he shows Jacob. Jacob, who has some photography knowledge, recognizes graffiti in the pictures as belonging to an abandoned warehouse. They head there and find Gretel and the unconscious Willy tied up, when Kikimora fills the room with a blinding fog. Gretel allows Hansel to decapitate Kikimora, and while he and Jacob help Willy, Gretel feeds on Kikimora's corpse, gaining her powers. Hansel believes there are more witches nearby, but they manage to escape, while Circe watches them. Hansel drops off the others and then goes to the bakery. Circe confronts Gretel at her grandmother's house about Kikimora's death. Gretel offers to take Circe to Hansel so Circe can kill him herself. At the bakery, Circe hypnotizes Hansel to kill himself with his own knife. Before he can, Gretel summons Kikimora's blinding fog, which breaks Hansel's hypnosis, allowing him to stab Circe in the face. As Circe dies, Gretel, obscured by the fog, drinks Circe's blood and gains her powers. Hansel checks on Willy, and Gretel attempts to hypnotize Jacob into sleeping with her and then killing himself, but it fails because Jacob is gay. Instead, Gretel kills him with brute force.

Hansel and Willy find a package at his door containing Jacob’s eyes, then are led on a macabre scavenger hunt with Jacob’s body parts. Gretel brings the rest of Jacob’s body to Morai, telling her it’s Hansel, and then hides nearby. The notes eventually lead Hansel and Willy to Morai's location. Hansel kills Morai and leaves with Willy; Gretel drinks Morai's blood. Cthonia calls Gretel from her grandma's phone, luring her back home. She threatens to kill Gretel's grandma, but Gretel tears off her grandma's head instead, which Hansel and Willy witness. Cthonia concedes her high priestess ring to Gretel, who assumes power over the coven. She and Cthonia take Willy and Hansel to the local pet cemetery where Gretel reveals Lilith is buried. Now holding enough power, Gretel begins a resurrection incantation, bringing Lilith back to life. Gretel then rips Cthonia's throat out so Lilith can regenerate, but Willy reveals herself to be a powerful witch-crone who disintegrates Lilith. Hansel cuts Willy's throat, killing her, and confronts Gretel. They fight with neither sibling initially willing to kill the other. Hansel eventually shoots Gretel in the shoulder as police cars pull up. She admits defeat and they walk off together.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:45

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Plot questions answered

Hansel Vs. Gretel Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Gretel kill Lilith and eat part of her?

Gretel killed Lilith and consumed part of her body to absorb Lilith's magical powers. When confronted by the coven in the bakery, Gretel confesses to the killing and implies she ate part of Lilith, gaining access to her witchcraft abilities. This power grab sets her on the path to becoming the new coven leader.

  • gretel
  • lilith
  • powers
  • witchcraft
  • eating
Q2

Why did Gretel agree to bring Hansel's head to the witches?

The coven, led by high priestess Cthonia, cornered Gretel and offered her a deal: deliver Hansel's head in exchange for keeping Lilith's bakery. If she refused, they would kill her instead. Faced with impossible odds and already having killed their sister Lilith, Gretel accepted the bargain to survive and protect her business.

  • gretel
  • witches
  • deal
  • hansel
  • cthonia
Q3

How does Gretel gain powers from drinking the witches' blood?

Gretel absorbs magical abilities by consuming the blood of other witches. After Hansel decapitates Kikimora, Gretel drinks her blood and gains the ability to create blinding fog. She later repeats this process with Circe and Morai, progressively enhancing her powers until she becomes strong enough to challenge Cthonia.

  • gretel
  • blood
  • powers
  • witchcraft
  • kikimora
  • circe
  • morai
Q4

Why did Gretel kill her own grandmother?

Cthonia called Gretel from her grandmother's phone, threatening to kill the grandmother unless Gretel complied. Instead of submitting to the threat, Gretel brutally killed her grandmother by tearing off her head. This shocking act demonstrated Gretel's complete transformation and willingness to do anything to survive, even murdering family.

  • grandmother
  • g retel
  • cthonia
  • murder
  • betrayal
Q5

Who is Willy really? What is Willy's true identity?

Willy is revealed to be a powerful witch-crone in disguise. When Gretel attempts to resurrect Lilith at the pet cemetery, Willy reveals her true form and disintegrates Lilith with her magic. Hansel then kills Willy by cutting her throat, exposing her as one of the most dangerous witches in the coven.

  • willy
  • witch-crone
  • disguise
  • reveal
  • powers
Q6

Why did Gretel's hypnosis spell fail on Jacob?

Gretel attempted to hypnotize Jacob into sleeping with her and then killing himself. However, the spell failed because Jacob is gay. The magical compulsion couldn't override his genuine sexual orientation, causing the spell to backfire. Frustrated, Gretel simply killed him with brute force instead.

  • jacob
  • hypnosis
  • spell
  • gay
  • failed
  • g retel
Q7

Why did Gretel kill Jacob?

After her hypnosis failed due to Jacob being gay, Gretel murdered Jacob rather than leave a witness who could expose her. She dismembered his body and used the parts in a macabre scavenger hunt to manipulate Hansel and Willy, while bringing his remains to Morai as supposed proof of having killed Hansel.

  • jacob
  • murder
  • dismemberment
  • g retel
  • body parts
Q8

Why did Gretel allow Hansel to kill Kikimora?

Gretel orchestrated Kikimora's death by creating a situation where Hansel could decapitate her. This was part of Gretel's strategy to weaken the coven while simultaneously gaining their powers. After Kikimora died, Gretel immediately drank her blood, absorbing the fog-generating abilities she would later use against Circe.

  • kikimora
  • g retel
  • hansel
  • betrayal
  • powers
Q9

What caused Gretel to become so corrupted by power?

Gretel's corruption began when she killed Lilith and absorbed her powers, giving her a taste of supernatural ability. As the coven pressured her to kill Hansel and the situation escalated, Gretel increasingly embraced the dark magic, drinking more blood and ultimately killing her own grandmother. By the final confrontation, she had fully transformed into a power-hungry witch willing to commit any act.

  • corruption
  • power
  • transformation
  • g retel
  • evil
Q10

What happens at the end between Hansel and Gretel?

In the final confrontation, Hansel shoots Gretel in the shoulder as police cars arrive. Despite everything she's done, including killing Jacob and her grandmother, Hansel chooses not to kill his sister. Gretel admits defeat, and they walk away together, leaving the coven behind. The ending is ambiguous, with their future relationship unresolved.

  • ending
  • resolution
  • hansel
  • g retel
  • police
  • walk away
Q11

Why was the bakery so important to the witch coven?

The bakery belonged to Lilith, a powerful witch who was killed by Gretel. The coven wanted to reclaim Lilith's bakery to restore their sister's baking-related powers and maintain their presence in the human world. The location served as both a financial asset and a symbolic stronghold for the witches.

  • bakery
  • lilith
  • witches
  • coven
  • important
Q12

How did the witches control the homeless woman?

The coven captured a local homeless woman and used her as a puppet in their plot against Gretel and Hansel. They possessed or magically controlled her to attack the group outside Jacob's house, firing at them and ultimately using her to kidnap Gretel. The witches placed a witch's mark on her forehead, confirming their supernatural influence.

  • homeless
  • witches
  • control
  • mind
  • puppet
  • mark

Movie threads

More Movies Like Hansel Vs. Gretel, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Hansel Vs. Gretel tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with supernatural sibling conflict like Hansel Vs. Gretel

When family bonds are shattered by dark forces, forcing a final, violent confrontation. If you enjoyed the dark magical war between Hansel and Gretel, explore more movies where sibling relationships are shattered by supernatural forces. These films feature intense confrontations, themes of betrayal, and a heavy emotional weight as characters fight to save their family from corruption.

  • sibling rivalry
  • supernatural
  • dark
  • tense
  • violent
  • betrayal
  • Tone: dark, grim, tense
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically begin with a close familial bond that is fractured by the introduction of a corrupting influence, such as witchcraft or possession. The story follows one sibling's desperate, often violent, journey to confront and save the other, building towards a final showdown where the lines between hero and villain are blurred.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the potent drama of sibling conflict supercharged with supernatural stakes. They deliver a specific mix of dark tone, high intensity, and heavy emotional weight stemming from familial betrayal and the corruption of a fundamental relationship.

Fast-paced action horror movies like Hansel Vs. Gretel

Non-stop, violent confrontations against dark forces in a grim, magic-filled world. Fans of the relentless, fast-paced action in Hansel Vs. Gretel will find similar thrills here. Discover movies that combine high-intensity supernatural horror with a straightforward, propulsive plot, constant violence, and a dark, grim atmosphere from start to finish.

  • fast-paced
  • violent
  • action horror
  • suspenseful
  • relentless
  • supernatural
  • Tone: dark, violent, suspenseful
  • Pacing: fast, action-packed
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern is a linear, urgent chase or hunt. There is minimal setup before the action begins, and the plot progresses through a continuous sequence of fights, escapes, and confrontations with monstrous or magical antagonists. The focus is on survival and immediate goals rather than complex world-building or subplots.

Why they belong together: These films are united by a specific combination of fast pacing, high intensity, and a dark tone. They offer a viewing experience defined by constant tension and visceral action, appealing to those who prefer horror that moves quickly and delivers frequent, brutal supernatural set pieces.

Every angle

Hansel Vs. Gretel (2015) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Hansel Vs. Gretel in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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