Lucky McKee's THE WOMAN Picked Up By Bloody Disgusting Selects, Headed For Theaters

In very welcome news, Variety is reporting that Lucky McKee's controversial shocker, The Woman, has been acquired by Bloody Disgusting Selects for theatrical and home video release in the US.  The Woman premiered at Sundance with a particularly lively first screening that involved a shouting match during the Q & A, and a viral video of a disturbed patron ranting about how the film should be burned and never shown again.  While that piece of video became a sort of a calling card for the film, and has been mentioned in every interview I've read with Lucky since, I'm very glad this film will finally be given a chance to succeed on its merits, rather than simply as a meme.

The Woman is a challenging, and at times harrowing film, but it is a great and truly horrific film that deserves a chance at real success.  Unlike some of the typically gory fare that makes it to multiplexes these days, The Woman is a film made with heart, and with an eye toward telling a story, rather than simply staging a series of extreme sequences for their own sake.  While I wouldn't call it a message movie, I think that there is definitely something in there to spark conversation about the broader implications of institutionalized misogyny and how the women in our own lives are treated.  But hell, it's just plain fucked up to watch, too, and it is an experience that is as visceral as it is thought provoking.  You'll get out of it what you bring to the table, and sometimes that won't be pretty.

Bloody Disgusting Selects have taken on a number of interesting international horror and thriller films.  So far, they've shown Rammbock (on DVD and VOD now) and Yellowbrickroad in selected AMC theaters with Phase 7 and ScreenAnarchy fave, Cold Fish coming soon. These engagements have been limited and targeted, and they are really trying to get the films out there in front of people, it is small, but it's a start.  These films would otherwise have no chance to be seen on a big screen, and for that chance alone, I commend Bloody Disgusting.

I asked Lucky McKee to give us a few words about this acquisition, and he graciously responded:

Hey. What can I say? I'm stoked the movie is getting released and I think there's a lot of smart folks involved that want take the right kind of chances with creative marketing so we can get The Woman in front of as many people as possible. One thing is for sure. When people see it - and whether they love it or hate it - they are going to talk about it. I think we need to keep that in mind, recognize what's working well for us so far, and push in the appropriate directions as we move forward. I'm very proud of the work my Woman Team did and this only gets me that much more excited to keep preparing my next project.

This film deserves our support.  We must prove to these distributors that there is an audience for smart, intense horror out there and that this stuff shouldn't always just be shuttled off to DVD. Check out Bloody Disgusting Selects homepage and watch this space for more release details.  Unfortunately, the film still doesn't have a proper trailer or poster, but when those become available, we'll be sure to share.

-via Variety