The Woman (2011 film)

The Woman is a 2011 American horror film directed by horror filmmaker Lucky McKee, adapted by McKee and Jack Ketchum from McKee and Ketchum's novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 2009 film Offspring. The film stars Pollyanna McIntosh, Angela Bettis, Sean Bridgers, Lauren Ashley Carter, Carlee Baker, and Alexa Marcigliano, and introduces Zach Rand and Shyla Molhusen.

The film was released as part of the Bloody Disgusting Selects line.

In 2019, McIntosh wrote and directed a sequel titled Darlin'.

Plot
After the events in Maine, an unidentified feral woman is the last remaining member of a cannibalistic tribe that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades.

Chris Cleek is a mentally deranged and misogynistic country lawyer, who lives with his wife Belle, their two daughters Peggy, Darlin', and their son, Brian. While out hunting, Chris sees the woman, who is bathing and fishing on a creek. The next day, Chris returns with a net in an effort to capture her. Once captured, Chris returns home with her and restrains her in a cellar, then directs his family to participate in "civilizing" her. Over the following days, Chris and his son Brian are revealed to be evil, sadistic, extremely dysfunctional and completely deranged, with a sexual fetish for torture and humiliation. Chris's first attempt to approach the woman results in her biting off and eating his ring finger. Chris orchestrates a violent series of civilizing measures toward the woman, to satisfy his fetish.

Chris bathes the woman with boiling water and a high-pressure power washer, causing her extreme pain and Chris to laugh maniacally, and is afterward clothed in a dress Belle sewed. Later that night, Chris rapes the woman while Brian secretly observes through a hole while masturbating. The next day, Brian takes his fetish to a new low by violating the woman with a pair of pliers for his extreme pleasure but is caught by Peggy.

After a series of verbal and physical abuse conducted by both Chris and Brian towards the woman and the family, Belle announces her intention to leave Chris with Peggy and Darlin. In response, Chris knocks Belle unconscious.

Peggy's geometry teacher Ms. Genevieve Raton visits the Cleek residence with the suspicion that Peggy might be pregnant. Chris angrily assumes that Ms. Raton is accusing him of rape and incest, then proceeds to knock her unconscious in response. Chris and Brian tie her up and take her to the barn where he keeps the family dogs. Peggy tries to intervene but becomes a victim of Chris' vicious verbal assault. In the barn, Ms. Raton is attacked by an eyeless girl named "Socket", the Cleek's secret third daughter who behaves like the dogs. Socket kills and consumes Ms. Raton, as Chris and Brian watch.

Peggy releases the imprisoned woman from the cellar. Belle, having regained consciousness, is attacked and killed by the woman. The woman then proceeds to kill Brian with a mower blade. Chris tries to shoot the woman but is overpowered, the woman then tears his heart out, and consumes it. Afterward, the woman makes her way to the Cleeks' house where she places her hand on Peggy's uterus, confirming that Peggy really is pregnant. The woman then leaves with Darlin' and Socket, making their way to the woods. Peggy watches as they leave and she slowly starts following at a distance.

Cast

 * Pollyanna McIntosh as the Woman, the survivor of a tribe of cannibals.
 * Sean Bridgers as Chris Cleek, a mentally ill and completely deranged country lawyer with an extreme sadism fetish.
 * Angela Bettis as Belle Cleek, the wife of Chris Cleek.
 * Lauren Ashley Carter as Peggy Cleek, the oldest daughter of Chris Cleek and Belle Cleek.
 * Carlee Baker as Ms. Raton, the teacher of Peggy Cleek.
 * Alexa Marcigliano as Socket Cleek, an eyeless girl, daughter of Chris Cleek and Belle Cleek.
 * Zach Rand as Brian Cleek, the sadistic son of Chris Cleek and Belle Cleek, who has inherited his father's fetish.
 * Shyla Molhusen as Darlin' Cleek, the youngest daughter of Chris Cleek and Belle Cleek.

Reception
Critical reception for The Woman has been positive. , the film holds a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 51 reviews with an average rating of 6.40 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Strange, audacious, and aggressive, The Woman is an uneven horror flick that game viewers with a wildly bloody finale."

Awards and nominations

 * Octopus d’Or at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, for the best international feature film
 * Audience Award for the best international feature film at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
 * The Siren; International Award at the Lund Fantastic Film Festival

Sequel
In 2019, a standalone sequel called Darlin' was released which is also Pollyanna McIntosh's directing debut as it tells about a now-feral Darlin' getting taken in by a Catholic boarding school as part of the Woman's secret plans.