This Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD set is currently available from Arrow Video.
The latest 4K Ultra HD upgrade from Arrow Video is a bit of an unusual double-feature set. Those who enjoy the work of horror author Jack Ketchum may already be familiar with these extremely disturbing titles. For those who aren’t, these films actually make up two-thirds of a trilogy of movies.
Despite The Woman being the primary title featured on the box, Offspring is actually the first story in the film series. It’s from director Andrew van den Houten, and is an ultra-low-budget picture about a feral, cannibalistic family attacking a household. The screenplay was written by Ketchum and the final product was successful enough (on video) that the filmmaker produced a higher-budgeted follow-up called The Woman, directed by Lucky McKee (May, The Woods). A third movie called Darlin’ was released in 2019, but is not included in this set.
I’ll be direct and state that while both independent features are well-acted and produced, I’m not an enormous fan of these efforts (or feral/cannibal pictures in general). For me, the issue is that I have difficulty suspending disbelief about films with these kinds of villains individuals living in a modern, highly populated world. I think they have to be expertly produced and possess slightly fantastic elements (like the nuclear testing backdrop of The Hills Have Eyes movies), or be period efforts (like Bone Tomahawk) to convincingly involve and engage me in the story.
The original tales and stories that inspire elements in these movies are myths and legends (there’s never been any authentic evidence that families like the “Sawney Bean” clan ever existed). They serve as stories told to keep young and old away from venturing far from the confines of home or off the beaten path. These individuals always end up looking like Neanderthals with atrocious eating habits who have traveled through time. It does work for me in rarified circumstances, but generally isn’t my cup of tea.
What I can say without hesitation is that, if you enjoy the movies, the 4K editions are vast improvements over their Blu-ray and DVD counterparts. They look far superior to any previous versions that have been released in this part of the world and also come with excellent extras.
Offspring is set in Maine and involves, as mentioned, a feral, cannibalistic family. They hide from society, living in a cave and occasionally venturing out to brutally murder and eat locals. The strongest and most powerful figure in the group is “The Woman” (Pollyanna McIntosh). After killing a local family (including their newborn) and taking pieces of them home to devour, etc., police are called in. Horrified by the crime scene, they call in retired cop George Chandler (Art Hindle) to help catch the family. We learn that he faced them some 10 years earlier, but clearly didn’t capture them all. In the meantime, David Halbard (Andrew Elvis Miller) and his wife Claire (Amy Hargreaves) are enjoying life as new parents. David’s sister Amy (Ahna Tessler) arrives to complain about her ex leaving herself and her son, but she doesn’t have long before the cannibals arrive for some fresh meat.
The violence depicted is extreme, but for an extremely low-budget production, the cast are fine. It’s great to see veteran Hindle try to save the day as the veteran detective and obviously, it’s also easy to sympathize with the victims (in particular, the youngsters). Additionally, McIntosh really does stand out as “The Woman”. She is a frightening presence who terrorizes everyone she comes into contact with. Again, with all the crazy wigs and loincloths on many of the other flesh-eating perpetrators, this reviewer can’t quite take the horror all that seriously. Still, the fact that it isn’t entirely believable may be to the picture’s benefit when it reverts to pure brutality in order to shock viewers. While the end product is not for me, it does deliver what you would expect from this kind of story and push limits of graphic violence whenever it can.
Two commentary tracks are included. One features director Andrew van den Houten and a cohort going over the film’s technical details. To be honest, much of the comments are about the 4K picture upgrade from the Super 16mm source material. They marvel at just how much of an improvement it is, and they’re admittedly right. There are still some shots that aren’t quite in focus, but outdoor daytime shots look great and, on occasion, can fool one into thinking the film could be in 35mm. The original film’s hues looked dull and saturated, but there’s more color and variety present now. There are plenty of comments about how hard the cast worked and the conditions in Michigan (where they shot the picture). The second commentary includes the filmmaker, author/screenwriter Ketchum, and the track is livelier.
Additionally, there is a recent interview with Andrew van den Houten and Pollyanna McIntosh, talking about how she was cast as how “The Woman” character was developed. In the original screenplay, she was supposed to die, but her performance was so compelling that producers suggested letting her live to allow for a possible sequel. It’s an enjoyable discussion.
There is also a long fly-on-the-wall documentary on the production, archival cast and crew interviews, an archival discussion with Ketchum from the shooting location, a restoration comparison, co-star Andrew Elvis Miller’s audition scene, as well as tons of publicity materials and more.
The sequel, entitled The Woman, is admittedly much better on a technical level. There was clearly more money involved in this production, with some detailed sets, as well as plenty of impressive photography (particularly during the climax). The 4K image is fantastically sharp, showing every horrid detail with crystal clarity.
In this effort, “The Woman” (Pollyanna McIntosh) is discovered by sociopathic family man/lawyer Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers). Instead of calling the police, he takes her home, ties her up and begins abusing her in every imaginable way. He does inform family members, including wife Belle (Angela Bettis), doting, disturbed son Brian (Zach Rand) and daughters Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter) and Darlin’ (Shyl;a Molhusen) of most of his acts and what is occurring on the property, but they don’t seem as bothered by what’s occurring (or, for that matter, concerned for their own safety) as they should be. The stress of the situation does slowly tear the family apart when, after several horrific days, “The Woman” finally breaks free.
It is easy to see what the movie’s themes are given the oppression and treatment of just about all of the female characters. It’s certainly an important message and, like the previous title, there are some graphic moments that are effectively jarring.
The overall delivery, however, leaves a bit to be desired. Instead of being low-key and charming before showing their hidden, dark side, Chris and Brian are pretty much exaggeratedly horrible right from the outset. It’s difficult to believe that no one around town would already be aware of the leers and unusual behavior of these individuals. And while one can understand the beaten-down Bette being afraid to speak up, everyone’s behavior appears unnecessarily exaggerated. There are bizarre tonal shifts to comedy that, for this reviewer, don’t work, and as the story progresses and the horror, jokes and surreal situations are further amplified, the concept becomes harder and harder to buy into. With the exception of a schoolteacher who only appears in a couple of scenes, there are no relatable characters here who can help bring us into this awful world.
As mentioned, however, the picture quality is excellent and there are a great many bonuses for those who admire the movie (most of which are from previous editions). There are four commentary tracks. McKee talks about working on the movie and the themes. He also claims that a particularly outrageous and over-the-top twist at the end of the movie is based on actual events (I would be far more skeptical of the “real” sources from which these details came). There’s another track with McKee and crew going over technical elements, a commentary from McIntosh about “The Woman” character and a film critic track.
There is also a newly assembled, 75-minute fly-on-the-wall documentary about the production. You’ll also get a new interview with Lauren Ashley Carter about her experiences on the shoot, an archival featurette on the movie’s production, an extended panel discussion on the film from a 2011 London screening, deleted scenes and outtakes, biographical featurettes, a ton of promo materials and even an animated short made by the editor.
And as for packaging, there is an insert booklet with more writing on the movies.
The story continues in another sequel called Darlin’ (which is not featured on this set) from 2019, but for those who appreciate the series or the first two pictures, The Woman & Offspring “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD set will impress. While the themes and meanings are clear and they have their moments, these pictures just aren’t to my tastes. However, they do have a big fan base and they’ll be thrilled by the image quality and tons of extras (a few of which are new). If you have the stomach for these pictures, then you probably shouldn’t hesitate to pick them up in 4K Ultra HD.