The Ugly is a 1997 New Zealand horror film, the first feature directed and written by Scott Reynolds. The film starred Paolo Rotondo, Rebecca Hobbs, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, and Roy Ward. The film is about a psychiatrist who is meeting with a serial killer to determine whether or not he has been successfully cured. They delve into a journey through his past and his victims, and through this "The Ugly", a distorted allusion to The Ugly Duckling, is revealed.

Plot

Inside of an old, decrepit insane asylum in Auckland, detained serial killer Simon Cartwright (Paolo Rotondo) seeks to be reevaluated by an outside psychiatrist to prove that he has been cured. He requests specifically for Dr. Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs). She has recently gained some notoriety for winning a case involving another serial killer. Simon endures abuse from two orderlies, Philip and Robert (Paul Glover and Christopher Graham), at the asylum. When Karen arrives, she argues with the head of the asylum, Dr. Marlowe (Roy Ward), who believes she is getting involved in Simon's case for publicity. As she is led to her first session with Simon, another patient named Marge (Darien Takle) warns Karen to watch out for "The Ugly."