-------------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.
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
