I Spit on Your Grave was banned in many countries when it was released, and is still banned in some countries today. The film was controversial for its graphic violence and revenge storyline, and was called a “video nasty”. Feminists protested the movie and accused it of glorifying rape.
If you like rape and revenge stories then this movie is definitely recommended for you. I am only commenting on the 2010 remake, as I never saw the original produced in 1978! This movie needs a strong heart to watch. It is unbelievably graphic and brutal. I have to confess that the only reason I wanted to watch it was not because of rape and revenge but because “justice” i.e., how the justice is finally delivered.
Over the years, I have seen this title “I Spit on Your Grave” in stores and movie places in passing but never really took interest in watching it because I thought it was just another horror movie. I finally got curious and decided to watch it. All I can say is I almost stopped watching a few times but managed to watch what happened to the young lady in the film. I really have no words except to say that how can anyone do that to another human being?
The sad thing is that it probably goes on a lot and simply says that we are not as “civilized” as we think. With that being said…bravo for what she did to them in the end. Is it worth watching? I can’t say. Seeing what is depicted is ultimately an individual call. I have always been sensitive to those that have been raped and I have imagined the extent that it can go like what is depicted in this movie. But at the same time, it still probably does not do justice to the level of trauma that one would experience. Human beings can truly be vile creatures and this movie shows us how.
Jennifer Hills, (played by Sarah Butler), is a writer, and has travelled to a remote place in the woods for peace and quiet and to get a little rest and relaxation. In the woods she was savagely raped and assaulted by four people including a police man, Jennifer did not know what to do or where to go. Everything is fair in love and war. Escaping all attempts to kill her, she decides to stay in the woods to take revenge on her rapists. She realized that her rapists are beasts and they do not understand any reformatory logic. She plots various types of sadistic revenge punishments she will exact upon her assailants.
I have to say, the movie is a satisfying watch. I enjoyed it and I felt a lot of justice within the actions of Jennifer. However, even though her actions are justified- I still feel like the actions that she is committing will not help her, she will have reality set in and she will realise what she has done / what has been done to her.
Watching this movie, I felt that this movie gets way too much hate. The acting for the most part, is believable and good. The film is well-paced and has some truly stomach-turning scenes. The story is compelling. The revenge portion of the film is done well, as the victim plays mind games with her attackers, causing them to turn on each other and panic.
This film has a very long rape scene and the antagonists are not given any motive as to why they attacked her. But this is exactly making the film more realistic, as in real life most attacks happen unprovoked. This film is not a masterpiece, but it is scary as these are real people committing a real crime. This could happen and has happened in real life. There are no monsters, just evil humans.
Finally, to say this film is “over the top” is quite the understatement. This movie has that element which would give nightmares.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
