The Woman

The Woman is a 2011 Horror film directed by Lucky McKee and based on the book by Jack Ketchum (who also co-wrote the script with McKee). It is about a feral woman who is one day kidnapped by Chris, a suburban dad, lawyer and hunter who locks her up in his cellar and, with the help of his family, attempts to "civilize" her. He's... not exactly the best man for the job. Violence, Domestic Abuse, bloodshed and a harsh feminist attack on misogyny and male dominance ensue.

The film gained infamy at a Sundance Q&A screening, where a woman fainted and a man went on an angry rant at the director.

A loose sequel to the 2009 film Offspring.

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Tropes used in The Woman include:

• Amoral Attorney: Chris, though most of his evilness is shown outside the courtroom.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Gruesomely averted with Belle and Miss Raton.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Belle finally snaps and threatens to walk out after finding out that Chris and Brian have been raping the feral woman.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Peggy.
• Completely Missing the Point: Some people (including the guy from the Sundance screening) felt that the film was misogynistic for its depiction of violence against women, even though the film is one giant Take That to misogyny.
  • Though some reviews went the opposite route, claiming it was misandrist.
• Domestic Abuse: Chris regularly slaps Belle around whenever she speaks out of line.
• Foreshadowing: Chris remarks that the feral woman, after she's cleaned up and put in a crisp new dress, looks like one of the wives from a polygamist cult.
• Going Native: At the end of the film, Darlin', the youngest daughter, joins the feral woman and heads off into the woods to live with her. Peggy hesitates, but then starts to follow them as well.
• Gorn
• Half the Man He Used To Be: Brian.
• He-Man Woman Hater: Chris.
• Hot Teacher: Miss Raton.
• Housewife: Belle is a very traditional, submissive, 1950s-style housewife.
• Hypocritical Humor: "That is not civilized behavior!" Coming from the man who's keeping a woman locked in his cellar.
• I'm a Humanitarian: The feral woman has no qualms with biting off Chris' finger or Belle's face. For that matter, the other feral woman Chris has locked up doesn't have a problem with eating Miss Raton alive.
• Jerkass: Chris and Brian.
  • Asshole Victim
• Kill the Cutie: Belle.
• Only Sane Man: Peggy is the only one who seriously criticizes Chris' capture of the feral woman, what with Belle being too henpecked to stand up to him and Brian being too much like his dad.
• Parental Incest: Chris thinks that Miss Raton is insinuating that he raped and impregnated Peggy. The worst part is that he's probably right... and that she's probably right as well.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The feral woman gets one at the end.
• Shrinking Violet: Belle, likely as a result of years of Domestic Abuse.
• Standard Fifties Father: Chris is a very dark subversion.
• Stepford Smiler: Both Chris and Belle.
• The Stinger: A bizarre live action/animation hybrid featuring Darlin' on a boat landing on a desert island.
• Straw Misogynist: Chris. His claim that he's trying to "civilize" the feral woman is merely an attempt to justify his misogyny, and is played alongside his abuse of the women around him. This is made explicit during the climax, where we see that this isn't the first time he's done this.
• Teen Pregnancy: Peggy.
• Torture Porn
• Turn Out Like His Father: Brian is growing up to be the same kind of misogynistic Jerkass that his father, Chris, is.
• The Unfair Sex: The two male characters in the film are also its most evil.
• Wild Child: The feral woman.