Cinemagic released I Spit on Your Grave on 22 November 1978. The Jerry Gross Organization re-released the film two years later.
I Spit on Your Grave is probably the most disturbing film of the rape-revenge subgenre of horror. My preference in these films is a brief rape and a lot of revenge. This is why I’m so fond of Ms 45. But that ain’t reality. And Grave presents the rape and the incredibly violent act that it is.
The rape goes on for almost a half hour. Obviously, it isn’t sexy. In fact, it isn’t even sex. It is pure brutality. It is so bad that I haven’t watched it for a decade. And I never will again. However…
I watch the last half hour every year or two. And I will continue. Because these guys deserve to be killed over and over.
But this is the problem with the film. A one-to-one ratio of rape-to-revenge just isn’t enough. And the final guy gets a death that, while thematically great, is practically underwhelming.
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas in her excellent book, Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study, notes:
Even today, the blatant (and yes, sensationalized) depiction of human suffering in I Spit on Your Grave emphasizes how sensitized we are to glossy depictions of rape. However, somewhere in those grueling 25 minutes is a lightning flash of empathy where we realize we are trapped, too — even leaving the cinema or turning off the DVD can’t take back what we’ve already seen. Jennifer’s rape therefore leaves us powerless. [The film] moves the onus of trying to comprehend the brutal incomprehensibility of rape firmly onto the spectator.
She is right. Society gets a skewed perspective on rape with more “sensitive” depictions. I think men can easily understand the horror of being anally raped in prison. It shouldn’t be hard to expand this to understanding all sexual assault. If not, I Spit on Your Grave provides a very good example.
As far as I know, I Spit on Your Grave was the first rape-revenge film where the victim gets the revenge. This is an essential innovation. And a big reason I admire the film.
Here is the film. If you’d like to skip the rape, watch the first 20 minutes. Then you can skip to 47:00. It’s still hard to watch. If you would prefer just the revenge, skip to 64:00.
I Spit on Your Grave (1978) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
