GUEST REVIEW: THE WOMAN & OFFSRING [4K UHD Limited Edition]

-------------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------------------

THE WOMAN

Directed by Lucky McKee

OFFSPRING

Directed by Andrew van den Houten

 When you think about big names in horror fiction, certain names flash into mind: Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, etc.  But you would be remiss if you did not include Jack Ketchum in that list.  Ketchum wrote some of the most horrific and terrifying novels ever published, and he was a true master of the genre (he passed away in 2018).

 

  Ketchum coordinated with a couple of directors to turn two of his books into movies:  OFFSPRING and THE WOMAN.  (Technically, THE WOMAN was published after the movie was released, but from what I understand Ketchum already had the idea when OFFSPRING was originally published).  Both movies deal with cannibalism and torture, and both have merits…but I must confess I liked THE WOMAN a lot better than OFFSPRING.

 

If you are unfamiliar with either movie, here is the plot synopsis of this set courtesy of Arrow Video:

 Almost a decade after Lucky McKee burst upon the indie horror scene and became a 'Master of Horror' in the making thanks to his directorial debut May, he teamed up with legendary cult author Jack Ketchum for his most shocking and brutal film to date: The Woman, an instant cause célèbre on its Sundance premiere.

The Woman (Pollyanna McIntosh, The Walking Dead) is the last surviving member of a deadly clan of feral cannibals that has roamed the American wilderness for decades. When successful country lawyer Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers, Room) stumbles upon her whilst hunting in the woods, he decides to capture and "civilize" her with the help of his seemingly perfect all-American family, including his wife Belle (Angela Bettis, May) and daughter Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter, Darling). The Cleeks will soon learn, however, that hell hath no fury like The Woman scorned...

 Experience McKee and Ketchum's uncompromisingly twisted vision of the dark side of the American family in a definitive edition, including a 4K remaster, a slew of bonus features, and a bonus disc featuring a restoration of its gut-churning 2009 predecessor Offspring, also starring McIntosh.

 

 OFFSPRING is a movie based on his book of the same name.  The book is a follow-up to his controversial debut Off Season, which many critics and reviewers deemed “violent pornography”.  Even so, I am curious as to why the filmmakers decided to make a movie based on the sequel when there was no adaptation for the first one at the time.  I would love to see Off Season translated to the screen.

 

OFFSPRING is a decent film, but it’s a bit confusing to start off (probably because it’s actually a sequel).  The opening scenes use newspaper headlines to sorta build the foundation of the story, which again does help a little bit, but it is still not enough to make a solid start.  The story itself is intriguing enough to warrant attention, and it unfolds at a nice pace within its 79 minute runtime.  Still, I would have liked more clarity as to what was happening and why.

 

 The 4K transfer looks excellent compared to previous versions, and if you don’t believe me there’s a comparison video in the Special Features.  This video runs clips from the movie in both resolutions side-by-side so you can see the difference.  And wow, is there a difference!  The 4K transfer is much more colorful and takes the graininess out of the low-light scenes. 

 

 THE WOMAN is a direct sequel to OFFSPRING and pretty much picks up where its predecessor ends.  This film is much better in my opinion.  It ratchets up the intensity and makes better use of Pollyanna McIntosh’s acting skills.  McIntosh does a superb job of portraying the feral Woman once again, and it’s easy to see why she was selected for the role. 

 

 Like OFFSPRING, the 4K transfer for this film looks great as well.  I had a Blu-ray copy of this film years ago, but I don’t remember what the picture quality was like…it would be interesting to see a side-by-side of it compared with this.

 

 Ketchum set a high standard bar for horror, and both films aim to reach it.  THE WOMAN gets closer to that goal than OFFSPRING, but both films are fun to watch and definitely worth owning.  This Arrow set is a fine addition to any horror fan’s collection, and I feel it would make Jack Ketchum proud.  

THE WOMAN & OFFSRING Box Set is available now and contains the following Special Features:

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K restorations of The Woman and Offspring, supervised and approved by Lucky McKee and Andrew van den Houten
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Vanessa McKee
• Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing by Michael Blyth, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Kevin Kovelant

DISC ONE - THE WOMAN (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K restoration supervised and approved by Lucky McKee
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary with director Lucky McKee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek and composer Sean Spillane
• Audio commentary with star Pollyanna McIntosh
• Audio commentary with critic Scott Weinberg
• Archive commentary with director Lucky McKee
• Dad on the Wall, a 75-minute fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by the director's father Mike McKee
• Being Peggy Cleek, an interview with star Lauren Ashley Carter
• Malam Domesticam, an archive making-of featurette
• Meet the Makers, a short featurette on the making of the film
• Deleted scenes
• ¡Mi Burro!, a short film by editor Zach Passero
• "Distracted" music video by Sean Spillane
• Frightfest Total Film Panel Discussion, a 2011 onstage chat about the future of American indie horror at the popular horror film festival, featuring Lucky McKee, Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Ti West
• Theatrical trailers
• Image galleries

DISC TWO - OFFSPRING (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K restoration supervised and approved by Andrew van den Houten
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary with director/producer Andrew van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain
• Archive commentary with writer Jack Ketchum, director/producer Andrew van den Houten and producer/cinematographer William M. Miller
• Interview with Pollyanna McIntosh and Andrew van den Houten
• Fly on the Wall, a behind-the-scenes documentary
• Extended interview with Jack Ketchum
• Restoration comparison
• Audition comparison
• Progeny: The Birth of Offspring, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette including interviews with cast and crew
• First Stolen's Bailout, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette
• Webisodes, short featurettes used to promote the film online
• Archive Easter Eggs
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K Ultra HD limited edition set

Blu-ray Review: THE PROFANE EXHIBIT (2013)

THE PROFANE EXHIBIT

Distributed by:  Unearthed Films/MVD

  If you are a fan of Unearthed Films, you have probably been following the release of THE PROFANE EXHIBIT for years!  This has been a highly anticipated release, but was delayed for years for reasons I am not sure of.   Well, the wait is over as Unearthed Films has finally released the DVD and  Blu-ray of THE PROFANE EXHIBIT!    

  This is an anthology style film with small short films pieced together, with each section being directed by a different director.   This project brought together 10 top directors of underground horror, giving us a very unique film made by some filmmakers with varying styles.  

Here is the very simple plot from the MVD website:

 Ten renowned horror movie directors from all over the world have recreated their most gruesome dreams and frenzied nightmares

THE PROFANE EXHIBIT contains the following segments:

MOTHER MAY I  - Directed by Anthony DiBlasi

HELL CHEF - Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura

BASEMENT - Directed by Uwe Boll

THE BRIDGE - Directed by Ruggero Deodato 

TOPHET QUOROM - Directed by Sergio Stivaletti

GOODWIFE - Directed by Ryan Nicholson 

MORS IN TABULA - Directed by Marian Dora

SINS OF THE FATHER - Directed by Nacho Vigalondo

MANNA - Directed by Todd Schneider 

AMUSE BOUCHE - Directed by Jeremy Kasten 

 I had been looking forward to this release for years.  It was mentioned regularly in the horror community, and at some point I think we all gave up on seeing it.  Thankfully, Unearthed Films didn't give up and have finally released this for our viewing pleasure!   Like most anthologies, not all of the segments were a hit for me, but I liked most of them for sure.   This release is unique in it showcases the works of two directors that are no longer with us.  Ryan Nicholson passed away back in 2019 and Ruggero Deodato passed away in 2022, with his contribution to this anthology being his last film project.  

  Of all the segments of this anthology, my favorite was Ryan Nicholson's GOODWIFE.  It tells the tale of what seems to be a normal husband, but he has a secret in the form of a naked woman he's holding captive in his basement.   Apparently this normal looking middle class man is a serial killer, and when his wife finds all his "souvenirs" from his past kills,  her reaction is not anything like what you'd expect!   This segment was among the goriest, which is to be expected if you have followed Nicholson's career. 

  One of the other goriest segments was Todd Schneider's MANNA.   This film has no dialog and is just a series of very gory images and scenes, including some cannibalism themes.   The effects in this segment are very well done and very realistic looking.   

  Another of my favorite segments was Yoshihiro Nishimura's HELL CHEF.   I have seen some Japanese films before where the gore/blood is represented by red balls, or streamers or something similar.  This film had that element in it which I have always found unique and interesting. 

  The film segments I mentioned alone are worth getting this film, but there were many other segments that were very good, and only a couple that I didn't care for at all.    Overall this is a great addition to the Unearthed Films library and one you should add to your collection as well! 

THE PROFANE EXHIBIT is available now from Unearthed Films and MVD, and contains the following Special Features:

• Audio Commentary by Director Michael Todd Schneider, Producer Amanda Manuel and Ultra Violent Magazine's Art Ettinger
• World Premiere Interview
• World Premiere Q&A
• 'Ten Years Later' by Marian Dora
• Sergio Stivaletti's Tophet Quorum
• Awakened Manna
• Tiffany Blem Interviews Michael Todd Schneider
• Tiffany Blem Interviews Uwe Boll
• Tiffany Blem Interviews Amanda Manuel
• Tiffany Blem Interviews Jeremy Kasten
• Galleries
• Trailer

CLICK HERE to watch the  trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray