Blu-Ray Review – “I Spit On Your Grave” – 1978

Published on February 7, 2011

I Spit On Your Grave

1978
2.5 out of 4

“God, I can’t stop the bleeding!”

A casual horror fan will watch a horror film, take it for what it is, like/dislike it, and move on – if they bother at all. But us “hardcore” horror fans, the ones that live for this shit, we’re different from any movie fan, horror or not. We seek out movies most people will go out of their way to avoid. We’ll watch and subject ourselves to things most people refuse to – for better or worse. And when a film holds the same amount of notoriety over 30 years after it was released, well, just try and hold us back! So when two of the nation’s top critics, a young Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert claim that a film is a “vile bag of garbage” and that viewing it was “the most depressing experience” of their life, we’re set to buckle in and see just how bad this movie is. Most of the time, we’ll watch and wonder what it was that got their delicate panties in a bunch (Saw). Sometimes, albeit less frequently, we’ll watch and much to our own surprise, we’ll find ourselves agreeing and understanding what all the fuss was about (Irreversible).

And sometimes the movie is I Spit On Your Grave.

An exploitation film so mean-spirited, so vicious and repulsive, that even us hardened horror fans feel a little bit of everything I mentioned above. The movie centers on a lovely young woman named Jennifer Hills, who travels from New York to a small summer cabin on the lake to write a novel. Unfortunately, she’s caught the attention of the town’s sleazy mechanic, his cronies and the mentally challenged dime-store delivery boy. First she’s teased. Then harassed, and then brutalized and finally gang-raped – no less than 3 times during a grueling 30-minute stretch of the film, and as if the boundaries of taste haven’t been tested enough, the retarded delivery boy is pressured to “get some” too. The rest of I Spit On Your Grave focuses on Jennifer’s subsequent revenge on the creeps who left her for dead, dispatching of them in various grisly ways.

Let’s go ahead and dispense with “the bad”, and confront what so many critics have sliced into the movie for. For one, the film is cheaply made – the audio is muddy at times and the visuals during some of the film’s darker moments can only be cleaned up so much on DVD. Let’s face it – it was shot for shit, and it shows. Personally, I think it added to the overall tone of the film. It’s a scummy movie, and it looks scummy too. And yes, Jennifer is raped in graphic, ugly, detail…at length…three times. I’m not crazy for watching rape in the first place, but director Meir Zarchi went overboard here. We get it! They’re redneck rapists! I think the fact that it happened at all will get the audience good and mad, rooting for Jennifer’s inevitable revenge, but Zarchi must have really felt like her future actions weren’t justified enough unless we REALLY hated these guys. That, or – and most critics no doubt agreed with this suspicion – he was simply upping the “shock value”.

But aside from that and the overall theme just being one of uncomfortable contempt, I Spit On Your Grave is also very effective not only as a repulsive exploitation film, stirring our guts into an angered frenzy like it was made to do, but is well-acted by it’s two main stars primarily, Camille Keaton as Jennifer, and Eron Tabor as the ringleader of the film’s rape squad. It’s Keaton’s disturbingly realistic performance of pure agony and pain that makes the rape sequences so difficult to watch and her torture so hard to endure. It’s actually a very brave, vulnerable performance, overshadowed by the second half of the film when she becomes a sneering, seductress to lure in her prey. None of the sequences after the rape feel as…I guess “authentic” in her acting, which is what ultimately reminds us that this is only a movie, and moreover, a rather by-the-numbers slasher one now too. Tabor, on the other hand, gives a very relaxed, though intimidating performance as Johnny – in fact, he’s so engaging as the film’s villain, it’s actually kind of a shame he hasn’t starred in anything since – not that I would brag about being a “convincing rapist” in my resume, but the man had chops and probably could have went places. If nothing else, I Spit On Your Grave might have done more damage to all involved in its production than any film I can think of.

Sub genre: Rape/Revenge. Time: 101 minutes. Ratio: (1.85:1) Widescreen. Unrated: Sequences of extremely graphic and sadistic rape and violence, strong language, graphic nudity and gore.

The Best Digital Bang For Your Hard-Earned Buck:

Back in 2002, Elite Entertainment released a “Millennium Edition” that was thought to be the end-all, be-all edition of I Spit On Your Grave. That’s kind of hard to argue when its revival and re-release on DVD and Blu-Ray has essentially carted over everything from that edition, and only added one additional bonus feature. And since the features are the same on the new DVD and Blu-Ray, the Blu-Ray wins out for having the added advantage of Hi-Definition video quality.

First up is an Audio Commentary by director Meir Zarchi. The elusive director has finally come out (well, in 2002) to deliver a very informative commentary about the making of the film and its now infamous effect on audiences and critics over the years. Since it’s clear Zarchi prepared for the commentary in advance and is obviously reading his notes, it’s not exactly what I would call a relaxed commentary, but hey, this is really the first time someone’s asked him to respond to the negative stigma the movie has, so I’m glad he thought it out and was thorough! It’s also very interesting to hear him challenge his critics to do a separate commentary of the film, so that fans could get a rival viewpoint! I kinda wish that happened!

A second Audio Commentary by cult film historian Joe Bob Briggs is available, and people – even if you DETEST this film – this commentary is worth listening to. Anyone familiar with Joe Bob’s shows, comedy acts and reviews knows the guy is hilarious and off-the-wall, and that doesn’t change here. He clearly respects the film and defends it with ease and humor, and yeah, sometimes just plain old makes fun of it. Leave it to Joe Bob Briggs to find something funny in a film about rape and revenge, but…he does!

There’s also an Alternate Title Sequence (0:16) showing it with its original title, Day of the Woman.

A smattering of promotional materials like Theatrical Trailers, Radio Spots, TV Commercials, and Photo Galleries presenting the various posters and VHS artwork.

The new feature on this re-release is a brand new Interview with Meir Zarchi (29:00) called “The Values of Vengeance: Meir Zarchi Remembers I Spit On Your Grave”. It’s a casual interview with him, as he reflects on the film’s impact and tenacity to stick around all these years – much to critic’s disdain, I’m sure. Nothing huge, but again – the guy is very elusive, so any time he comes out to speak on the project, fans perk up.

Oddly missing in action are the scathing reviews by Siskel and Ebert, as well as other critics and columnists during the film’s release that were provided on 2002’s “Millennium Edition” DVD, which is a shame. The criticism of the film is certainly a huge part of its notoriety, and should have been included.

Also missing – just in general – is ANY involvement by star Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, or anyone else involved in the film! Whether any attempt to contact them fell short, or perhaps they dismissed involvement simply because of the film’s effect on their careers is a mystery, I guess. It still would have been nice to hear what they might have to say about this film and its rather unflattering “legacy”.

Sequels: SOME people consider the 1993 film Savage Vengeance to be the long-awaited sequel to I Spit On Your Grave. It’s got a similar plot, it stars Camille Keaton (again) and she’s even playing a character named Jennifer (again) who gets raped (again) and lives to exact revenge on her assailants (again). Obvious similarities aside, I’ve never been 100% convinced this was a sequel. What do you think? Weigh in, I’d love to read some debate!

Remake: One HELL of a vicious remake in 2010. Go figure, the film thought to be “un-remake-able” was remade after all, and wouldn’t you know it, is more savage than the original.

Bottom Line: For all its faults, controversy and 30+ years of hatred, I Spit On Your Grave is actually a pretty competent horror film with some overall good performances, some genuine shocks, and some real unease and terror. Whether you agree with, relate to, or justify the actions presented on the screen or the intentions of the filmmakers involved, you can’t deny the film’s effect on your sensibilities, nor the conversations you’ll be having when it’s all said and done. While most of the features listed above are the same on both the old 2002 edition, Anchor Bay Entertainment have still managed to put together a great new release for this movie with an interesting new interview and an impressive Hi-Def transfer.