Darlin' is a 2019 horror film written and directed by Pollyanna McIntosh, who also stars as the Woman. It is a sequel to the 2011 film The Woman, but it is an original story based on a series by Jack Ketchum.
At the end of The Woman, Darlin', Peggy, and Socket Cleek joined the unnamed, feral Woman in the wilderness. Years later, Peggy and Socket have passed away, while the now teenage Darlin' has reverted to a feral personality. One day, Darlin' is found by civilization and taken to a hospital, then a Catholic boarding school called St. Philomena's, where the staff and other students try to civilize her. While a Bishop attempts to exploit her progress for fame and fortune, the Woman cuts a path of destruction to retrieve her.
Tropes
- Attempted Rape: A man tries to rape a homeless woman. The Woman pulls a gun she stole from an officer on him, then drags him away and eats him.
- Bungled Suicide: At one point, Darlin' attempts suicide or tries to force a miscarriage by drinking bleach. It doesn't work; she just becomes sick.
- Death by Childbirth: Peggy had died this way, and her child was stillborn as well.
- Engineered Public Confession: Sister Jennifer managed to record the Bishop talking about how he is a pedophile and then plays it before the church.
- Exposed to the Elements: The Woman and Darlin' can stand in the snow barefoot and in tattered rags without any trouble.
- I Am a Humanitarian: The Woman and Darlin' eat human flesh several times.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The Woman impales the Bishop with a flag.
- Line-of-Sight Name: By the time she is found, Darlin' has forgotten how to speak. The people name her Darlin' after her bracelet with her name on it.
- Made of Iron: Darlin' shrugs off getting hit by a car.
- Mistaken for Gay: When the Woman starts asking around for Darlin', a homeless woman named Mona thinks she is hitting on her.
- Mugged for Disguise: The Woman kills a homeless man named Charlie and takes his jacket, then kills an officer and takes his gun and sunglasses.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When she was feral, she didn't think much of it, but after being civilized and finding religion, Darlin' is horrified that she ate Peggy and her hiker boyfriend after they died.
- Named After Somebody Famous: One of the students named her pet mouse Jennifer Lawrence.
- Not Me This Time: When it is discovered Darlin' is pregnant, Sister Jennifer accuses the Bishop of raping her, as she knows he's a pedophile and he had raped her when she was a child. The Bishop truthfully says he didn't rape her and given how far along she is, she was pregnant long before they met her.
- Pedophile Priest: The Bishop preys on the students. He tries it on Darlin', but is turned off when he sees she is pregnant.
- The Reveal: Darlin' had sex with a hiker and is pregnant. The Woman made her go to civilization so she could have the baby safely, and now the Woman wants the baby.
- Roaring Rampage of Rescue: The Woman enters the city and kills everyone in her path to rescue her adoptive daughter Darlin'.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After the Woman runs the priest through with a flag pole, Mona and the rest of the homeless crew immediately hightail it.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Peggy had passed away in the years between The Woman and this film. Socket's fate is ambiguous; Darlin' says she ran away after Peggy died, but given she is blind and completely animalistic, it is unlikely she survived.
- The Voiceless: Darlin' starts out this way before she relearns how to speak. The only word the Woman says is "Darlin' ".
- Wild Child: After living in the wilderness with the Woman for years, Darlin' has become just as feral as her. Eventually, she remembers how to speak and becomes somewhat civilized.
