I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

Movie Info

Makes sense to involve the law this time…but also makes it worse

Jennifer Hill (Sarah Butler) is a writer travelling to a remote cabin in the woods to work on her novel in peace and quiet.  When she catches the eye of a group of local men (Rodney Eastman, Daniel Franzese, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Chad Lindberg), Jennifer becomes the victim of a violent rape.  Left for dead, the men think they have gotten away with their crimes…but Jennifer comes back with a vengeance to makes those who caused her pain pay for what they did.

Directed by Steven R. Monroe, I Spit on Your Grave is a horror revenge thriller.  The film is a remake of the controversial 1978 film originally titled Day of the Woman then retitled I Spit on Your Grave.  The movie had ratings challenges and an unrated version of the film is readily available.  The movie was met with mostly negative reaction and a low box-office draw.

A walk in the country…

The original I Spit on Your Grave was pretty gratuitous, but it was effective.  This film seems less so and it is almost impossible not to compare the two films.  Both films are essentially grindhouse style films, but this version of the film is much cleaner than the original.  The quality of actors (for the most part) has gone up in 2010 version, but that doesn’t mean the movie is better.

The original I Spit on Your Grave had that classy looking low-budget thing going for it.  Despite the horrible content and sketchy acting, the movie looked great.  Here the movie looks technically clean, but it loses the edginess of the first film because it is too clean.  The movie looks Hollywood and doesn’t look and feel as violent and violating as the first film.  In cleaning up the film, it almost makes it more gratuitous.  It feels like this is just a film to sell instead of having a message or even a debate if the film is pro-feminist or anti-feminist as with the first film.  It just feels like torture porn.

You’ll peck your eyes out!

The rape in this movie is bad, but it seems toned down from the original rape (though both rapes are excessive and definitely are problematic in that sense).  Another issue stemming from this movie is an attempt to make more rounded assailants.  Part of the redeeming quality of the first movie is that the movie is about Jennifer’s attempt to cope with what happened to her (be it very unrealistic).  After the rape in this film, you don’t see what happened to her and you don’t see her coming back from the horrific attack…here you see how the guys go about their everyday life…and suddenly Jennifer is back to destroy them.  You do not see how she went from the bridge to murderer or how she dealt with the horrors she faced.  It takes the focus off the victim and weakens the film.

Looks like he’s trying out for a 28 Days Later remake

The movie tries to make the revenge fit the crimes.  The decision to include an officer makes sense in the bigger picture.  The character of this film seems more likely to go for help before acting on her attackers, but now she cannot (though simply leaving always in an option in both films).  A big complaint (justly) about the first film is that rape victim wouldn’t put herself in a situation where she could be victimized again or use sexuality to woo her attackers.  Here Jennifer is more in control, and uses the men’s sins against them…I get the guy likes to watch, so he gets his eyes picked out, and that he man who talks about her teeth gets his teeth pulled, but it just wasn’t as cringe-worthy as the original kills (but better than the boat scene for the original’s last two victims).

I Spit on Your Grave’s remake really isn’t worth it, but is often available with the original.  This makes for a compare and contrast situation and to see how horror have evolved or stayed the same in the thirty years that separated the films.  The movie should not be watched by victims of sexual assault because even if you have not been assaulted, the movie is rough to watch, and it could easily be a trigger.  I Spit on Your Grave was followed by I Spit on Your Grave 2 in 2013.

Related Links:

I Spit on Your Grave (1978)