What is a good horror movie trilogy? How about all three of these films? Offspring movie, “The Woman” and Darlin starring Lauren Canny. Here are movie reviews starting with Darlin‘, followed by two mini-reviews for both The Woman (2011) and Offspring (2009.) Those unaware of the origins of the characters, each film comes from a story by author Jack Ketchum. The novella is called “Off Season”. Those venturing into his work should be warned of his penchant for violence and cruelty.
With the release of Darlin’ in July 2019, fans of the first two films, have been left with mixed emotions. Pollyanna McIntosh returns this time as the director, writer, and actress. Darlin’ continues the story which began with a wild cannibalistic clanswoman. She roamed the woods in Offspring and was subsequently ‘civilized’ by a lunatic lawyer in The Woman.
Horror Trilogy Movie Reviews. “Offspring”, “The Woman”, and “Darlin'”
Darlin’ Plot
Darlin movie picks up where the previous film ends, taking the character of its youngest survivor and shoving her into the glaring lights of a hospital. While the Woman lurks in the shadows watching the girl is covered in mud, doesn’t speak, and resembles a wild animal more than she does a girl. Amazingly, she cleans up well after a mani-pedi from her new friend nurse Tony. Seemingly, he is the only person to realize this girl is more than a homeless person from the streets and treats her as one would if trying to gain the trust of a dog.
Die, Die My Darlin’ Review
The film comes in very separate yet specific parts and not all of them mesh together. The story as a whole is one that kept me attentive until the very end, hoping that the finale would be big enough to write off its many flaws. The performance from Lauryn Canny as she is a perfect unity of nature versus nurture.
In light of how quickly she picks up learning to speak, I found the overuse of snarling, hissing, and mime from McIntosh’s Woman as she fervently hunts down the last of her clan, caused my nose to wrinkle from time to time. As did the introduction of a group of homeless women. Without further explanation, they were unneeded and taken away from the rest of the film.
Little Darlin’
I came for the characters and it’s within this area that I was disappointed the most. Despite previous films only canvassing globs of the Woman’s motivations, the narratives were clean lines of fluidity. Both films have continuous destructive and shocking forces. Offspring was written by Ketchum and the more popular The Woman in collaboration with Lucky McKee. Although a valiant achievement for a debut feature film from McIntosh, that next-level signature is what’s missing here.
The Woman herself relies on the zombie-like hissing sound I can only imagine was picked up from McIntosh’s work on The Walking Dead. In previous films, she knows some words but here has reverted to being devoid of language.
The film as a whole is still something I enjoyed. If you ignore the flashy sidebars of a wild feral woman with aviator sunglasses enjoying her first ride in a car hanging out the window with her tongue out (ok maybe not her tongue out;) then what remains is a solid continuance of the story people like me have been waiting for. Perhaps not exactly as I anticipated. But if a rewatch is the measure of a good film, then I’d certainly do that here.
I give Darlin‘
3 convenient baby carriers out of 5
The Woman Review
The Woman is a hard film to watch and yet I’ve been known to rewatch this iconic film. This is a genre fan film. Mainstream audiences veer to the other side of the street for both this movie and the original bulldozing splatterfest, Offspring.
The Woman is not as controversial as the first film, however, it’s the divide between those that see it as a feminist statement and those that do not. There are plenty of movie reviews that champion both sides of the argument. Either way, it’s the final showdown, the reveals of brutality and insinuations of the family dynamic that make the film shocking and compelling.
On the surface, it seems like the type of film about a modern man turning a feral into what will be a better version of a woman to fit into society. It’s the undercurrent of the sadistic husband, the grotesqueness of the family’s only son, and other tiny tidbits that become noticeable to a keen eye.
I’m Every Woman
Within the simple and understated performances, it’s where Pollyanna McIntosh is at her strongest. Even in shackles, her allegiance with those within the family structure is a powerful one. Her silent stares and willingness to comply belies the dramatic and brutal finale.
It’s in The Woman that meets Darlin’ who is a toddler in this setting. To find out how the young teenager in the latest film ended up as a feral in the woods, is it important to know where she came from? Not really but as a fan of this anesthetic-inducing cruncher of a story, you kind of have to see The Woman. Even if it’s only to see the master of tension, Lucky McKee, work his magic as director.
Offspring Movie Review
The last of the movie reviews in this trilogy of horror is Offspring. This was the film I was put off seeing until recently. Many horror fans unanimously agree Offspring is not only the weakest film compared to The Woman but also not a very good one.
The opening scene hits hard with a mother returning to her house where a babysitter is charged with the care of her young child. Because of these gruesome murders, a task force is in place to find out what’s going on.
Meanwhile, in a farmhouse in Maine complete with a couple and a baby, their houseguest Claire is coming to stay to get away from her narcissistic and violent husband. What it lacks in character development, it makes up for in setting the scene for everyone to meet in the middle. Just like a mini-tornado complete with tiny biting children.
Not to mention, the budgetary limitations are obvious in this film, yet astonishingly gory. The violence perpetrated by The Woman and her crew is free of the motivations movies of this ilk are generally prone to. I am not someone who’s drawn to gore for gore’s sake however, I can still acknowledge that this movie was not the unenjoyable mess I anticipated. I even enjoyed Art Hindle’s role as detective and everyone knows cops in horror are the worst.
Can’t Get Enough of You Baby
The setting is mundane and akin to similar tales in films like The Hills Have Eyes. Here it involves a bunch of feral cannibals living in a cave. They are working their way up the coast on a hunt. The Woman guides the short growling tufted wig-wearing minions on their rampage and is urged to steal babies as they go. Add to that, this tribe of wildlings isn’t a family unit. Instead, they are the result of babies snatched and growing up in the care of The Woman. This movie completes the cycle of the trilogy or begins it if you wish.
Finally, of the three films, Offspring will never set the bar for anything particularly spectacular. The camera work is messy, the lighting is wrong and the costumes are pretty humorous to anyone with eyes. I’m still glad I sought it out and I recommend it to anyone with a soft spot for this particular storyline, don’t skip it, just watch it.
