The Woman (2011)

I've always been a huge Jack Ketchum fan, and was fairly disappointed by his first "cannibal tribe" movie, Offspring.  However, I heard great things about The Woman and I like Lucky McKee's style, so I was looking forward to checking this out.

This was a seriously creepy movie, that's for sure.  It's nice to have vague knowledge of the previous movie, but not entirely necessary.  This movie works as a standalone, and as a much better overall movie than Offspring.  Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) is a rural lawyer, with a bit of a weird side, to say the least.  His wife, Belle (Angela Bettis) is very submissive and quiet, bowing to Chris's every instruction.  His three children, Peggy, Brian, and Darlin', are equally quiet, and seem used to strange requests from their father and odd goings-on around the house.

So when Chris brings home an unsocialized wild woman (Pollyanna McIntosh), the family does not seem to be as fazed as they should be.   Chris expresses interest in turning the Woman into a productive member of society, but methinks he just wants to torture and rape her.  Just a hunch.

Meanwhile in the family, little Darlin' wants to make friends with the Woman, not understanding why she is tied up in the basement.  Peggy becomes withdrawn at school and home.  Her teacher (and I) suspect a pregnancy.  Brian becomes more sexually interested in the Woman, even watching his father rape her on at least one occasion.  Brian, too, becomes interested in the woman's torture, cutting off one of her nipples, which his sister witnesses.

Everything comes to a head for Chris Crazypants when Polly's teacher comes to the house to confront the family about Polly's pregnancy, at the same time that Belle threatens to leave and take the kids with her.  Not only do we get to see El Lawyer Loco in full effect, but the secret behind the dogs in the barn is revealed. 

I can't say I loved the ending to this movie...it just seemed too contrived and weird.  But the level of creepiness unique to a Lucky McKee work is ever-present in this flick.  Everything from the oddball music to the Leave it to Beaver-esque vibe of the family gave me an eerie feeling throughout.  This is definitely one to check out, and I am really looking forward to reading the accompanying book.

Random: New Obsession - Jack Kilborn/J.A. Konrath

Up until recently, I have been in graduate school for the last two and a half years.  There are lots of things you give up when getting your masters' and one of those casualities is leisure reading.  Commuting and down time in the evening is replaced by reading textbooks and journal articles instead of the gory tomes I love so dear.

I become a bit obsessive with certain authors and types of literature.  I went on a chick-lit spree a couple of summers ago, reading every Jennifer Weiner-esque book I could get my hands on.   Last summer revolved around my discovery of Jack Ketchum, and I found myself standing in line at Borders weekly, plucking up another Ketchum paperback.

For Christmas, I recieved the Amazon Kindle.  I am not into shilling any company, but this is literally one of the best gifts I've ever gotten.  I can read books everywhere, even standing on the subway or sweating on the elliptical, without struggling to keep the pages open.  Additionally, many horror novels on the Kindle are cheap or even FREE. (I'm not kidding)  And this is how I discovered Jack Kilborn/J.A. Konrath.

This man has written many books, a number of which have gone unpublished.  Several of his previously unpublished works are now available on Kindle for rock-bottom prices.  Although he writes many mysteries and thrillers nowadays, most of his rejected and sliced up works were down-and-dirty horror.  I've been wanting to post more book reviews on this site, and Kilborn's books are just the right place to get started.  I'm in the midst of reading Trapped and I literally can't put it down.  I'm sitting at my desk in my office, and my sleeping Kindle is in my bag, taunting me.

If King's works aren't nasty enough for you, and you've already plowed your way through Ketchum's books, then make Kilborn your next stop.  His writing is definitely not for the weak of heart....or stomach.


photo source

Movie News: Offspring Sequel - The Woman

This one has really flown under the radar...it doesn't even have an IMDB page yet.  I'm a HUGE Jack Ketchum fan and I'm really excited for this.  Ketchum has been penning a book, The Woman, which picks up right where Offspring left off.  It will be released on hardcover in January 2011.

In addition, Lucky McKee has teamed up to work with Angela Bettis, Sean Bridgers, and Polyanna McIntosh on the movie version.  Now I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie version of Offspring but I loved the book  So I am looking forward to see how this particular movie turns out with some new drivers at the wheel.

Production begins next month in Massachusetts.  They actually had plans to shoot in the Offspring location of Muskegon, Michigan, but the state told them no freakin' way.

Here's the synopsis from Dread Central:

"The Woman is the last surviving member of a feral clan that has roamed the Northeast Coast for decades. When the last of her family is killed in a battle with the police, The Woman finds herself alone, severely wounded and vulnerable. Unfortunately, she is now a far too easy prey for local hunter, successful country lawyer and seriously disturbed family man Christopher Cleek. With his twisted set of ideals, Cleek decides to embark upon a deranged project - to capture her and "break" The Woman - a decision that will soon threaten the lives of Cleek, his family and The Woman."



More to come as filming begins!

photo source: http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/jun10/woman.jpg

Movie News: Offspring out on DVD? That was fast!

Apparently I'm falling off my game a little bit in my old age. Right in time for Halloween season, Jack Ketchum's Offspring is out on DVD. That one slipped right by me. Was this even out in theaters? Not that I can see.

I rushed this to the top of my queue and will be checking it out this week. Also, the poster with the baby is badass. You know my feelings on babies in horror movies, but this one isn't answering a deadly cell phone, so it's cool.

Movie News: Jack Ketchum's Offspring

I love that this is the photo that appears when you google image search "movie + offspring". It definitely tells us we're in for something good and gory.

Jack Ketchum's previous novel, The Girl Next Door, was recently made into a really great film. He's using the same crew and taking a stab at Offspring. Although Offspring is actually the sequel to Off Season, it looks like the rights to that one were a little tricky to obtain, so they're going with Offspring.

Those who have read either of the books know that which one is the first and second really doesn't matter. Offspring ends up summing up what happened in Off Season, and to be completely honest, I thought that Offspring was gorier and more exciting than Off Season.

Obviously this movie is a huge departure from The Girl Next Door, which contained pretty serious subject matter involving child abuse. Offspring is just down and dirty cannibalism, and we're not talking refined Hannibal Lecter-types either. These people are living in a cave, impregnating themselves with some poor guy they kidnapped, and wearing skins as clothing.

If you haven't read the book, check it out before the movie drops.

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (2007)

Although I haven't read the Jack Ketchum book yet, I was pretty excited to find out this movie was being released on DVD. There's a lot of buzz being generated around this topic right now due to this movie, as well as the premiere of "An American Crime" at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ketchum's book is loosely based on the story of Sylvia Likens, who was the victim of the worst crime in the history of the state of Indiana. Although the details are pretty different from the actual case (I dove into the "true crime" file after seeing this movie), the plot is still terrifying and I certainly had trouble sleeping last night.

Blythe Auffarth stars as Meg Loughlin. After a deadly car accident, her parents are left dead, and her little sister (Susan) left with limited use of her legs. They are sent to live with their aunt, Ruth, who is divorced with three sons. From the beginning of the movie, Ruth is obviously very creepy, and immediately professes her disdain for girls. She's also obviously not a "typical" mom -- as she drinks and smokes with her young sons and their friends.

David is one of those friends, and he takes an immediate liking to Meg. It's obvious that all of the boys in the neighborhood, including David, like Ruth, due to her lax rules and constant innapropriate conversations about sex, girls, etc. So when Meg comes to David asking for food, he is shocked. She admits that she hasn't eaten in two days, and Ruth won't feed her because she believes she is fat.

Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. Ruth's punishments for Meg only become more disgusting and appaling. She begins by tying her up in the basement, trying to force to to "admit" to things that she hasn't done. Keep in mind that she is doing this in front of her sons, and several of the neighborhood children. Unlike the other children, David feels that this behavior is wrong, but feels that there is no one he can tell. He sneaks food and water to Meg, and promises he will help her.

Meanwhile, the torture continues -- Meg is burned, starved, raped, beaten, and the final atrocities are difficult to watch, and sadly, that's not even the extent they went to in the real story. All the time, Ruth continues to tell the boys that Meg deserves this punishment, and tells her sister Susan that if she tells anyone, she will get the same punishments.

It's hard to look at this in terms of a horror movie - it wasn't a gratuitous torture flick like Hostel or Turistas -- it was more along the lines of a terrifying look at what sick humans are capable of - a la The Last House on the Left. This is certainly not one to curl up with popcorn and rate on the scream factor.

I thought this movie was shocking, and well-made. Blythe plays a very emotional and intense role as Meg, and Blanche Baker is very effectively creepy and insane "Auntie" Ruth. I am looking forward (albeit before I eat anything) to An American Crime (which I'm excited to hear is starring the fabulous Ellen Page)

Grade: A (bathtub scene in I Spit on Your Grave - awesome and shocking, but totally f-in sick)

Off Season by Jack Ketchum (1980)

I have to admit that in terms of horror novels, I haven't ventured too far from Stephen King (my all time favorite) However, when I heard about Jack Ketchum due to the two movies coming out related to one of his books, I dropped by Borders to see what was in stock. There wasn't much of a selection, so I settled on Off Season.

Off Season, Ketchum's first book, was initially heavily edited in order to be released. Many saw the book as not much more than violent pornography, but I believe horror fans will have a different view.

Overall, Off Season was a fantastic read, and in fact, I finished it in about two days. It begins with a young woman from New York, Carla, who rented a cabin in rural Maine in order to finish a project. But before delving into her work, she has invited some friends, including her sister, Marjie, to visit for the week. Everyone arrives and settles in for fun and relaxation, but little do they know (dun-dun-dun) that there is a family of cannibals residing nearby, complete with several maniacal children.

I was truly impressed by the way that Ketchum represents the cannibal family. These are not Hannibal Lecter types -- otherwise civilized humans with a taste for liver and fava beans, or even comparable to the family in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- inbred Southern hicks that have gone a little off the deep end. Ketchum thoroughly describes the cannibals as they are -- primitive animalistic humans who have been living this way for generations and have no understanding of civilization or even modern tools and technology. In no part of the book do you ever feel compassion or understanding for these individuals.

My only minor complaint with this story (and I've heard this in reference to other Ketchum works) is that it was a little hard to keep track of the characters at times -- he uses names for the "humans" in the story, but the cannibal family are all referred to with vague monikers (man in red shirt, tall lanky man, pregnant woman, etc.)

This book is extremely graphic in terms of sex and violence, but I found it very gripping, enthralling, and interesting. Shortly after I finished reading, I found out that there is a sequel (The Offspring) and I am heading over to put my order in at Amazon. Definitely a good read for a hardcore horror fan, but not for the weak of heart.

Grade: B+ (SK's The Shining -- before you saw the Stanley Kubrick movie)