When I first read that the controversial 1978 exploitation film I Spit On Your Grave was being remade this year, I grinned.
I love the original, as hard as it is to watch at times (the main character Jennifer Hills (played by Camille Keaton) gets beaten and gang raped).
I grinned as I imagined how the new Jennifer (Sarah Butler) will exact her revenge on her attackers in the remake.
I just love a good revenge film--- especially when a female character has the chance to take revenge on someone (usually a male or males) who have horrifyingly wronged her (usually through sexual and/or physical abuse).
Female driven revenge films, are rare enough, but especially when rape is involved (Lipstick, Sudden Impact).
This of course is because who truly wants to see a film where a woman is raped and/or battered? Revenge on her attackers is what the audience wants to see. When the woman gets her revenge on her abuser(s) that makes the movie a little easier to watch.
The original I Spit On Your Grave (Meir Zarchi, who wrote the script after he encountered a woman who had been beaten and raped. When he took her to the police, they did basically nothing useful in helping her. Zarchi was disturbed by the whole situation.) holds nothing back with the rape scenes. They are very difficult to watch. Jennifer is raped for a lengthy amount of time first in the woods, then later on back at her cabin.
I doubt the remake will be as graphic in that respect as the original.
Maybe this is a good thing.
But the rawness of those scenes is what made the 1978 version so real and shocking.
Jennifer's revenge on her rapists in the original were classic. She was merciless. And she had the right to be. She hangs one, axes to death another and in the most infamous scene of the film, castrates one of her rapists.
Hopefully in the remake, the deaths of her attackers will be just as good.
I love the original theatrical poster tagline: "This woman has just cut, chopped, broken and burned five men beyond recognition... But no jury in America would ever convict her!"
The poster in itself is a favorite of mine.
I remember being a teenager and seeing the VHS of it in a movie section and the disturbing image of a woman bloodied in underwear holding a knife grabbed me instantly. I had to see it.
The remake poster (pictured at the beginning of this blog) is wonderful. It sticks to the classic-ness of the original poster.
The alternate poster however is not wonderful.
It looks like a bad horror film poster.
And the ultra bad, ultra wrong tagline: "It's date Night" is awful! Jennifer isn't date raped. She is attacked by strangers.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman..." as cliche as the saying is, would have been so much better.
October 8th 2010 (the release of the film) is Day of the Woman.
I love this play on the original title of I Spit On Your Grave.
Although I already know the remake won't top the original, I'm very excited to see it.
I'm rooting for the 2010 Jennifer Hills to be just as merciless.
It's (hopefully!) castration time!
Remake Trailer:
Original Trailer:
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