Yet another Jack Ketchum-Lucky McKee collaborative adaptation adds another effective installment in Ketchum's 'cannibal clan' series - following 2009's "Offspring". I haven't read the novel as of yet, though it seems apparent that Mckee's cinematic interpretation's of Ketchum's novels are traditionally spot on, as opposed to the disappointingly hollow film adaptation of the stomach-churning book "The Girl Next Door"...
The film begins with a seemingly normal, rural family with it's fair share of dysfunctional reticence. The lawyer husband's unlikable arrogance and belittlement toward his timid wife, the pre-pubescent son's social insecurity and the eldest daughter's secret pregnancy are defined well throughout the developmental portion of the movie, before things take the expectedly dark turn. The husband's hunting outing results in the capture of a wild woman (one of the cannibals from "Offspring"), who is shackled up in the family's cellar as the husband insists on them all chipping in and training her like a dog. The film gets progressively darker as sexual abuse comes into the mix as well as torture...
"The Woman" is quite a disturbing and highly misogynistic film that primarily relies on it's strong performances. That's not to say there's no gore, as the ending is a total bloodbath with some exceptionally nasty gut-munching and bodily mutilation. The use of contemporary sounding soft-rock music made for an unexpected and interesting soundtrack during the numerous, bleak montages of turmoil amongst each of the character's inner-struggle and individual neurosis.
Yet another Jack Ketchum-Lucky McKee collaborative adaptation adds another effective installment in Ketchum's 'cannibal clan' series - following 2009's "Offspring". I haven't read the novel as of yet, though it seems apparent that Mckee's cinematic interpretation's of Ketchum's novels are traditionally spot on, as opposed to the disappointingly hollow film adaptation of the stomach-churning book "The Girl Next Door"...
