By Malice Intended

The exploitation films of the 1970’s remain unsurpassed in their ability to shock and even disgust.  They encompassed a number of subgenres that kept curious audiences, in search of crude novelty, coming back in droves.  These films exploited the American public’s fascination with sex and violence in ways that mainstream Hollywood didn’t dare dream. Arguably, none were more brazen in this sense than the subgenre known as “rape and revenge films” in which the victim of said sexual assault extols swift justice on her attackers. Perhaps the most infamous of that dark corner of the cinematic universe was Meir Zarchi’s 1978 shocker I Spit on Your Grave. 

Even in the post torture porn era, I Spit on Grave retains the power to repel audiences.  Surely, a remake would not be able capture lightning in a bottle in that same way, given modern Hollywood’s penchant for watering down potent ideas in order to increase their mass appeal. 

Cinetel Entertainment and director Steven R. Monroe have decided to follow in the footsteps of Platinum Dunes Entertainment by attempting to remake this gruesome genre standard.  Sarah Butler plays Jennifer Hills, a writer who retreats to the seclusion of a small town to complete her first novel.  Upon arrival she is beset upon by a group of local perverts who stalk and gangrape her.  Jennifer takes time to recover from the horrific experience, and then sets about the business of making sure that her attackers receive their comeuppance in increasingly ghastly ways.

The bare bones plot is very easily conveyed in the trailer.  Though it gives the viewer an idea of what to expect, those who are not familiar with the legacy of the original may be in for a rude awakening if they decide to take in a Friday or Saturday night viewing while on a date.  The remake seems intent on matching and maybe even outdoing the quotient of the original, as it openly flaunts the fact that it will be released with out an MPAA rating. 

The theme of dismemberment and emasculation persists throughout, which offers an odd twist on the slasher/torture porn aesthetic.  In most horror pictures, women are the victims.  In this case, the female victim subjects her male tormentors to the most unspeakable acts.  While this hardly excuses the inherent misogyny or the idea, it does offer something that audiences may not be expecting or ready to experience.

If this new version of I Spit on Your Grave is as uncompromising as this trailer suggests, the film could serve as proof that truly daring filmmakers still exist in the Hollywood machine.  The original is, to this day, a lightening rod of controversy with some praising it as a parable of female empowerment and others decrying it as voyeurism for latent sexual deviants. 

It will be interesting to see how the public reacts.  Jaded though the American public may be, there are still some lines that audiences prefer not to be crossed.  Where does genuine exploration of certain subject matter stop and exploitation begin?  The extreme reaction to such boundary crossing entertainment ensures that films like I Spit On Your Grave will continue to be made and remade so long as the medium of cinema exists.