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 new 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.
For thoughts on The Woman and Offspring, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Arrow Video presents The Woman and Offspring with impressive 2160p transfers in the original 1.78:1 aspect ratios that allow each film to look its best. These have been newly restored in 4K by Moderncine and presented in 4K resolution graded in HDR10/Dolby Vision. The Woman remastered the original digital intermediate with the help of the film’s editor and post-production supervisor Zach Passero which was approved by director Lucky McKee. Offspring had its original Super 16mm camera negative scanned in 4K under the supervision of director Andrew van den Houten. Fans of the series will be blown away by the results.
Offspring has a bit more texture to it with the filmic source, but there is no discounting the beautifully grotesque visuals of The Woman captured digitally with intense clarity. Both films are bursting with texture and nuanced detail and clarity on display in the natural environments. These films were a labor of love, and you can discern every hair of the ridiculous wigs and the ridges of the costumes and production elements. This universe feels grimy and lived in thanks to the robust depth of field. Dolby Vision finds more faithful saturation within the natural landscapes. Black levels are mercifully deep with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights show no signs of blooming. This transfer showcases nothing in terms of damage or unwanted digital nuisances such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such unsightly features. Arrow Video has treated these films with great reverence.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray set comes with a pretty nice DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track for each film that delivers the ideal experience for this content. There are intense moments in each film, but neither will be accused of being an audio spectacle. The films are saturated with environmental effects that wake up the surround speakers and allow the actions to feel authentic to the space. The music sets the stage for these stories which permeates the room effectively. The track has a purposeful and precise sense of directionality with sounds always emerging from the appropriate channels. Dialogue comes through clearly in the front channel without being overshadowed by any sound effects or the score. There are no stumbling blocks with fidelity or damage to the track. This audio presentation is great work from Arrow Video. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Special Features
The first pressing of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Woman and Offspring includes a 40-page bound booklet featuring new writing by Michael Blyth, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Kevin Kovelant. These provide great insight into the films, the creatives, and deeper themes in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:
The Woman
- Commentaries: A quartet of commentary tracks are provided which examines the film from a myriad of different viewpoints with some overlap but enough unique insights to make each track worthy of a listen for different reasons.
- Commentary #1: Director Lucky McKee
- Commentary #2: Director Lucky McKee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek, and composer Sean Spillane
- Commentary #3: Star Pollyanna McIntosh
- Commentary #4: Critic Scott Weinberg
- Dad On The Wall – Filming The Woman: A 75-minute documentary shot by the director’s father Mike McKee that gives you some cool fly-on-the-wall moments from the production of the film.
- Meet Peggy Cleek: A 20-minute interview with star Lauren Ashley Carter in which she discusses getting involved with The Woman, the importance of music in the film, the most nerve-racking shots in the film, how the role impacted her after production, working with Lucky McKee, and much more.
- Malam Domesticam – The Making of The Woman: A 26-minute archival featurette that shows the production of the film including the construction of the set, crafting the look of the film, working with the performers, and more.
- Meet The Makers: A seven-minute collection of short pieces produced for Chiller that detail the production of the film.
- American Horror – A Panel Discussion: A 45-minute panel from FrightFest 2011 featuring Lucky McKee, Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Ti West discussing the future of horror. It is interesting to see how the conversations here have played out to date.
- Deleted Scenes: A six-minute selection of unused scenes is provided featuring some decently interesting moments.
- ¡Mi Burro! – A Short Film by Editor Zach Passero: A seven-minute animated short film that is definitely worth checking out.
- “Distracted” by Sean Spillane Music Promo: A five-minute promo video for the song from the film is provided.
- Theatrical Teaser: A nearly minute-and-a-half-long teaser is provided.
- Theatrical Trailer: A nearly two-minute trailer is provided.
- Image Gallery: A selection of stills from the production of the film is provided.
Offspring
- Commentaries: A pair of commentary tracks are provided which examine the film from an archival and more recent point of view with plenty of tidbits about the production and adaptation.
- Commentary #1: Director/producer Andrew van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain
- Commentary #2: Writer Jack Ketchum, director/producer Andrew van den Houten and producer/cinematographer William M. Miller
- Pollyanna & Andrew: A lovely 14-minute conversation between the director and star in which they discuss the current trilogy of films, how Offspring stands apart, the arc of the character, the development of the look, and more.
- Fly On The Wall – Filming Offspring: A 43-minute documentary that gives you some cool fly-on-the-wall moments from the production of the film.
- Progeny – The Birth of Offspring: A 21-minute archival featurette that shows the production of the film including the construction of the set, crafting the look of the film, working with the performers, and more.
- Meet Jack Ketchum (Extended): A six-minute piece with the writer in which he discusses his love of gruesome horror, his part in the film, the inspiration for the story, and more.
- Restoration Comparison: A three-minute comparison between the original look of the film and the 4K transfer.
- Audition to Scene: A minute-long comparison between an audition scene and the final version.
- First Stolen’s Bailout: A three-minute piece on the unlikely jail time and subsequent bailout for one of the performers.
- Webisodes: There are eight webisodes totaling 18 minutes that dive into the production of the film.
- Archive Easter Eggs
- Cannibal Dance: A silly 24-second dance from the cannibals.
- Kid Cannibal: A minute-long lighthearted piece with one of the kid performers.
- Prowler Stick: A 41-second faux commercial is provided.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute trailer is provided.
- Image Gallery: A selection of stills from the production of the film is provided.
Final Thoughts
The Woman and Offspring are not always the easiest films to watch as they revel in cruelty and unearth some truly unpleasant situations that are liable to stick with you longer than you may want. The Woman is the superior of the two films as the series seems to gain a stronger sense of thematic resonance while maintaining its gnarly streak. That being said, Offspring is entertaining on a visceral level with all of its genre trappings. Pollyanna McIntosh is a force of nature in these films, and we love what she is serving up in both of these features. This unlikely series is one that has our attention, and we only wish the third installment had been included in this new release. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray set featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a nice array of new and archival special features. If you love the series, this is the ultimate way to own it. Recommended
The Woman and Offspring are currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
![‘Swiped’ Review – A Sharp Biopic On Whitney Wolfe Herd And Sexism In Tech [TIFF 2025]](https://cdn.geekvibesnation.com/wp-media-folder-geek-vibes-nation/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/g_20cs_swiped_still_1_e58fe01b-300x168.jpeg "‘Swiped’ Review – A Sharp Biopic On Whitney Wolfe Herd And Sexism In Tech [TIFF 2025]")
