Exclusive: Bob Kurtzman Talks Lucky McKee’s “Hardcore” The Woman

Steve Barton |

Sep 20, 2010

This writer is just back from a set visit to the currently-shooting Sony Pictures’ production Hostel Part III in Detroit, Michigan, and while press is currently under embargo on that film (rest assured, we’ll have the goods for you as soon as it’s lifted!), we did speak with the film’s FX make-up head Bob Kurtzman, who gave us the lowdown on Hostel Part III as well as on the recently-wrapped The Woman.

Directed by Lucky McKee and starring Angela Bettis (May), Sean Bridgers (“Justified”), Pollyana McIntosh and Carlee Baker (Wicked Lake), The Woman (which is a sequel to the Jack Ketchum-inspired Offspring) revolves around the titular character, who is the last surviving member of a feral, nomadic clan who is pursued by a local hunter – whose perverted intention is to capture and ‘break’ the woman.

Kurtzman, whose company Precinct 13 provided make-up FX for that film as well, told us, “I wasn’t on location for The Woman, but it was (apparently) grueling. Big Al (Alan Tuskes, Precinct 13’s shop supervisor) went to the location for four weeks and said, ‘It was like going to summer camp, like Evil Dead II except with a smaller budget and smaller crew.’ It was a tight little movie, and they had the makeup guys sharing a dormitory-sized room, but it went well. It was another one that was just very low-budget, and we had to pull a bunch of shit out of our asses fast.”

When asked to compare the gore quotient required for The Woman to that of Hostel Part III (the latter a sub-genre of film and a franchise which certainly relishes in such), Kurtzman surprisingly stated, “The Woman is WAY heavier. It’s kind of hardcore.”

Visit the official website for Offspring: The Woman here, and stay tuned for exclusive coverage from our visit with director Scott Spiegel’s third entry in the Hostel series soon.

Synopsis
The Woman is the last surviving member of a feral clan that has roamed the Northeast Coast for decades. When the last of her family is killed in a battle with the police, The Woman finds herself alone, severely wounded and vulnerable. Unfortunately, she is now a far too easy prey for local hunter, successful country lawyer and seriously disturbed family man Christopher Cleek. With his twisted set of ideals, Cleek decides to embark upon a deranged project – to capture her and “break” The Woman – a decision that will soon threaten the lives of Cleek, his family and The Woman.

Exclusive: Bob Kurtzman talks McKee's Hardcore The Woman