FrightFest 2010 Review: I Spit On Your Grave
I Spit On Your Grave (2010)
Directed by: Steven R. Monroe
Starring: Sarah Butler, Daniel Franzese, Chad Lindberg, Rodney Eastman
Review by: Ben Bussey
Jennifer Hills is about to start writing her second novel. She drives up to an idyllic lakeside cabin in the heart of a beautiful wood, hoping for nothing more than a few months of peace and solitude, in which she can write, drink a little wine, and smoke some reefer. Unfortunately (and that really isn’t a strong enough word here), she has unwittingly attracted the attention of a number of local men of somewhat lax morals (again, that’s putting it very mildly). These men proceed to attack Jennifer in her secluded residence, where she is degraded, humiliated, beaten and raped, and not just once. But once they’ve had their fun and are about to finish her off, Jennifer suddenly disappears. The rapists struggle to find her and do away with any incriminating evidence, unaware of the fate that awaits them; for while Jennifer’s ordeal may be over, theirs is just about to begin.
Many readers, I’m sure, will be questioning the need for me to write a synopsis here. After all, this is the remake of I Spit On Your Grave, surely one of the most notorious, controversial films of the last forty years, and a long-established horror staple. But I should confess something straight away: I have never seen the original I Spit On Your Grave. And I don’t think I’m all that unique among British horror fans in that regard. The movie was infamously blacklisted by the UK government in the Video Recordings Act of 1984, and while a great number of the films banned by the VRA have since been re-released in their entirety, I Spit On Your Grave is to this day only available in an edited version, with almost three minutes cut out. And even those who deplore such censorship still tend to declare that Meir Zarchi’s film is very unpleasant viewing. All this considered, I must be honest that I had some trepidation going into this remake. Word was that Steven R. Monroe and his team had stayed very true to the original whilst bringing it into a 21st century context and aesthetic.
Obviously, for the aforementioned reasons, I cannot tell you how loyal Monroe’s film is to Zarchi’s. Whether this puts me at an advantage or disadvantage; again, I really don’t know. But I must admit that going in I never anticipated that I would come out saying this…
I Spit On Your Grave is a fun movie.
Yes, I said it. It’s really good fun. It’s exciting, thoroughly entertaining, and often rather hilarious. (I know that might sound unlikely, but bear in mind I’m seeing this at Frightfest – and at Frightfest, people tend to applaud the gory bits. As such, the reaction to the final scenes of this movie was bordering on ecstatic.)
Not that it’s so much for the first hour or so, of course. Not at all. The first hour, as I DID anticipate, is really quite grueling. Knowing what’s going to happen to Jennifer, the slow build up to the first attack is tense indeed. Both the direction and performances are nicely understated. The cast don’t put a foot wrong: as Jennifer, Sarah Butler effectively conveys an unguarded, unassuming nature without ever coming off dim-witted, whilst her male co-stars (I still can’t quite get over the fact that one of those is Rodney Eastman, Joey from Nightmare On Elm Street 3!) make for entirely convincing amoral scumbags. That they would take an interest in Jennifer is not surprising; that she has done nothing to attract that attention is also clear. Butler is indeed a very attractive woman, as the character needs to be, but never is it suggested that she has done anything to warrant what happens to her; never is it remotely implied (as I understand some have claimed of the original) that she deserves it.
But when it comes to Jennifer taking her revenge, that’s another story entirely. Once that part of the story kicks in, there is no question whatsoever that these guys deserve it. There are absolutely no ruminations on the futility of vengeance, not so much as the tiniest hint of remorse or pity from Jennifer, and absolutely no suggestion that the audience should feel any sympathy for the rapists whatsoever. In short, we are openly and unambiguously invited to take pleasure in seeing these men suffer. And that’s when it gets fun. The methods Jennifer uses are sure to raise a smile on the face of anyone who loves a good bit of gore. Again, Butler does a bang-up job; her second act persona is so diametrically opposed to that of the first act, she could almost be a different character altogether.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is sheer exploitation. Not unlike the recent fourth Rambo movie, it spends its first half establishing the villians as utterly reprehensible, in order that we can feel nothing but pleasure watching them die horribly in the latter half. Crass and manipulative? Absolutely. But it certainly makes for cathartic viewing, and catharsis is one of the principle functions of horror movies after all. So, while I can’t tell you how the 2010 I Spit On Your Grave compares to the original, or how much of a new approach it brings to the material, I can say that it is a very well-made horror movie in its own right; by turns a disturbing, compelling and – yes – ultimately very enjoyable experience. As such, it almost pains me to admit that this is one instance in which I’m personally happy to take the remake over the original. Whether fans of Meir Zarchi’s film will feel the same – well, they’ll just have to see for themselves.
Editor’s note: Be sure to also look at our interview with the cast of I Spit On Your Grave from the Texas Frightmare Weekend, held earlier this year. (click here to read)
