I read a few reviews of this over the last year, talking about how intense the movie was, as well as defending it as specifically not being misogynistic. Of course, since I'm looking for horror, it seemed only natural that I should want to put it on my queue. The prospect of this movie was a toss-up. I like Lucky McKee, but I never have felt like watching any of his work more than once. I enjoyed May, and I'm a fan of Sick Girl, but I've never wanted to revisit those. The story was put together by Lucky McKee and Jack Ketchum, I was enthusiastic to see Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, but I actually couldn't stomach the cruelty in it.
So, I'm glad to say that I think this is easily the best thing that either of them did.
I've read a lot of criticism of this movie on IMDB, and I found that the vast majority of the complaints were from people who thought that it was a wildly feminist movie, that focused on males being evil. This is only true if you have the narrowest view of the movie.
It's actually about an unsustainable power structure. The father has built up a very secluded life, and most of his actions are built around asserting authority over others. He also takes a few actions to conceal his failings.
The Woman is just a catalyst, more of a harbinger of the end of his rule.
There's a surprising amount that is left unsaid in this movie. It's strongly suggested that his older daughter, Peggy, is pregnant by him. People suspect this. Her actions suggest it. Some of his actions suggest it. But the movie never makes it crystal clear. This isn't a weakness at all, but it's peculiar. There's a child that is kept with the dogs, with some sort of a strange condition, who has been raised to think that she's a dog. We don't get much information about this either. It's implied that the father blames his wife for this deformity, and that he holds the shame of her existence over his wife.
It's easy to think that the son, Brian, is just as evil as his father. This is hard to tell. Since we only saw this part of their lives, we can gather that the father thinks that his son is the only worthwhile person in his household. So he's probably raised his son to carry on his work. This includes learning to dominate in order to assert authority.
The movie is a little disappointing at the end. Not the last shot, which actually feels nice, in a strange way. I think I'd have liked it if the father weren't killed. What would make the ending cathartic would be if we see him confronted with his crimes, and questioned by a higher authority.
On the other hand, who's to say that would provide any relief?
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