Plot
In 1493 Germany, Baron Frederick Hoffman and his pregnant wife Lilliana are driving home through the woods when their carriage is attacked by wolves, and Lilliana is mortally wounded. Frederick is forced to perform a caesarean section on her in order to save their unborn daughter, whom he names Lilliana (Lilli for short) in honor of his deceased wife. Seven years later, Frederick remarries, taking to wife the French noblewoman Claudia Alvise, who arrives at his residence with her mute brother Gustav and an ornate vanity that belonged to their mother. Despite Claudia's attempts to win her over, Lilli refuses to accept her stepmother, mourning her birth mother and envying Frederick's attention to Claudia. On the Hoffmans' wedding night, Lilli witnesses her nanny being killed by a force emanating from Claudia's vanity mirror, which further strains her relationship with her stepmother.
Nine years later, a teenaged Lilli starts a relationship with a young doctor, Peter Gutenberg, and dreams of leaving home, while Claudia expects her first child. The Hoffmans throw a party, and Lilli arrives dressed in her mother's ballgown, taking Frederick's attention away from Claudia. Hurt and jealous, Claudia goes into premature labor, and her baby is stillborn, while she is rendered unable to conceive another one. The spirit from Claudia's mirror (in the form of her beautiful reflection) consoles her, blaming Lilli for her misfortunes. The next day, Lilli remorsefully apologizes to Claudia, but the latter decides to take revenge on her.
Several weeks later, Claudia sends Gustav to kill Lilli, and the latter is forced to flee into the woods. Gustav brings his sister a boar's heart instead of Lilli's, but the mirror reveals the deception, and Claudia drives him to suicide by bewitching him with hallucinations. Frederick goes in search of his daughter, but gets injured and is forced to return home. In the woods, Lilli comes across an abandoned abbey, where she encounters a group of seven societal outcasts; one of them (Rolf) offers to get a ransom for Lilli and tries to rape her, but their leader (Will) banishes him.
Lost and frightened, Lilli follows the group into the mine. Claudia tries to kill her stepdaughter by causing a cave-in, but Lilli and the outcasts manage to survive, although one of them (Gilbert) is buried alive. Despite the initial mutual antagonism, Lilli warms up to Will after learning that he lost his family due to his refusal to fight for the Crusaders. The next day, Claudia tries to kill Lilli again by knocking down trees with witchcraft, but the latter is able to escape, although another outcast (Lars) is killed in the process. That night, Lilli and Will share a kiss, realizing their feelings for each other.
Meanwhile, Claudia rapes Frederick to take his sperm for the ritual resurrection of their stillborn child, and turns Gustav's eviscerated heart into an apple. Disguised as an old crone, Claudia tracks down Lilli the next day and tricks her into eating the apple, plunging her into a death-like trance. Peter arrives shortly after and pronounces Lilli dead, but before the outcasts can bury her, Will revives her by dislodging a piece of apple from her throat. Together with Will and Peter, Lilli returns home, finding the entire household in a senseless and hostile state caused by Claudia's witchcraft.
Claudia forcibly takes Frederick to the chapel and prepares to exsanguinate him to complete the ritual. Lilli and Will find a weakened Frederick and take him to safety, while Claudia kills Peter by pushing him out of the window. Lilli finds Claudia cradling her revived baby and confronts her, setting the room on fire in the ensuing battle. Lilli breaks the mirror with a dagger, wounding Claudia, who is further injured by the shards and the spreading fire, before she and her child are crushed by the debris. With Claudia gone, her witchcraft dissipates, and Lilli reunites with her father and Will.
