The 2011 American horror movie The Woman often differs from its source material - a novel of the same name that was released a year prior. The movie, which was released as part of the Bloody Disgusting Selects line, centers on The Woman (Pollyanna McIntosh), who is the last survivor of a cannibalistic tribe. A successful lawyer - who is eventually revealed to be twisted and misogynistic - Chris (Sean Bridgers), finds the woman and kidnaps her, taking her to his family home where he and his family members (played by Angela Bettis, Lauren Ashley Carter, Zach Rand, and Shyla Molhusen) attempt to forcibly domesticate her.

While it sounds like prime, gritty horror movie material, The Woman was first adapted from a book. Dallas William Mayr - better known by his pen name, Jack Ketchum - published his novel The Woman in 2010. In fact, he co-wrote the novel with Lucky McKee, who directed the film version. The novel was a sequel to Ketchum's 1991 book Offspring, which itself was a sequel to his 1981 novel - his first novel - Off Season (together, the books are known as the Dead River series). In 2009, there was a movie adaptation of the former, which was directed by Andrew van den Houten. Following the success of 2011's The Woman, actress Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead) decided to make her own, standalone sequel movie called Darlin', though this did not involve Ketchum, as it was not based on one of his works.

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Ketchum was directly involved with the movie adaptations of his novels, though. He wrote the script for Offspring and worked with McKee to adapt The Woman for the screen. In fact, uniquely, the latter book and its movie version were written around the same time as a collaboration. Thanks to Ketchum's involvement, this movie is extremely loyal to the book, often following it line-for-line and even keeping in much of the vulgarity, brutality, and gore of the original story. Nevertheless, despite Ketchum's involvement, there are times when the movie version of The Woman does veer off from its source material — here's every major difference explained.

The Woman's Backstory

In the book version of The Woman, readers learn right away that the title character is the last remaining member of a cannibalistic tribe that had been roaming the northeast coast - near Maine - for many decades. In the movie adaptation, though, The Woman's backstory and connection to the tribe are not mentioned. Instead, viewers are meant to have seen the previous movie, 2009's Offspring, and infer that she is a tribe member.

The Woman's Voice

In Ketchum's 2010 book, the point of view switches between the Cleek family members and The Woman. The Woman has a clear voice that allows readers to understand her character and even sympathize with the experience she is enduring or take pity on her. The movie, though, takes a different approach. Pollyanna McIntosh, who plays The Woman, was given no comprehensible dialogue to deliver in her performance, as The Woman cannot communicate with the Cleeks. In the movie, her character occasionally speaks un-subtitled Gaelic, and viewers must analyze the actress's expressions and actions to understand what she's feeling or thinking. There was no way for McKee and Ketchum to offer viewers a glimpse inside of The Woman's head, but made McIntosh's performance all the more compelling as a result.

In the book, having insight into The Woman's psyche adds an extra layer to the story. It's this that allows readers to connect with her and even root for her sometimes, despite her being a dangerous cannibal. In the movie, meanwhile, it's easy to root against Chris, who tortures The Woman and - in many ways - his own family members. But, because The Woman seems scary and violent - and because viewers don't get a chance to hear her thoughts - they aren't guaranteed to root for her, either, which resulted in conflicted feelings about an ending that would have likely been more clear-cut - similar to other movies in the rape/revenge sub-genre - with the inclusion of The Woman's inner monologue.

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The Teacher's Role

In the book version of the story, Peggy's teacher - Ms. Raton - has more of a natural role, while in the movie her involvement doesn't fit. Ms. Raton notices that Peggy might be pregnant, and tries to reach out to her to help her through the ordeal. In the book, Ms. Raton worrying about Peggy is continuous, and her coming to the Cleek home seems like a natural advancement of her role in the story. In the movie, though, Ms. Raton doesn't have as a big of a part. As a result, her showing up at the door seems bizarre and uncalled for.

The Epilogue

At the end of some of the book copies of The Woman, there in a limited-edition extra chapter or section titled "Cow" that some readers argue contain the best parts of Ketchum's story. "Cow" is an epilogue that details what happens to the surviving characters after the events of the book's ending. This epilogue reveals that The Woman has made the Cleek sisters as feral as she is, and together they kidnap a man who is meant to repopulate The Woman's cannibalistic tribe. The film, though, does not touch on this information, and simply ends with The Woman and the Cleek sisters walking into the distance. In the movie, the ending is more ambiguous as to what will happen to them, and paved the way for McIntosh's sequel, Darlin', to explore the aftermath in a different route.

The Story's Pace

Overall, the original version of The Woman does a better job with pacing the story. Ketchum strategically hands out bits of information to readers - like the fact that there's a fourth Cleek child kept caged in the barn - gradually and pointedly, in a way that makes for big, shocking moments that are spread out. In the movie, this same information ends up being revealed, but most of it isn't mentioned until the grand bloody finale, which feels blindsiding.

While there are always gripes readers have when seeing their favorite books turned into movies, fans of the 2010 novel The Woman were surely pleased upon viewing the screen adaptation. While changes to the source material do occur here and there, overall the movie is extremely loyal to the novel, even containing its small subtle layers that invite further societal critiques.

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