I Spit On Your Grave

The assembly line-like production of remakes of an earlier generation’s horror staples continues with this slick, unpleasant make-over for Meir Zarchi’s notorious (if not actually good) shocker, which is listed under its less-lurid alternate title Day Of The Woman in the credits.  It’s a thoroughly professional job, which improves in every single aspect on the amateurish original without convincing anyone that there’s a crying need for its existence.

A thoroughly professional job, which improves in every single aspect on the amateurish original.

Though horror remakes have been solid theatrical earners and had a more than healthy market on DVD, I Spit presents problems. Having been shorn of 43 horrid seconds by the UK’s film classification body the BBFC (though many horrific and upsetting moments remain), it’s possible a fan core audience will shun the result in theatres and opt to source ‘uncut’ versions through means legal and otherwise. 

Thus, I Spit On Your Grave, which premiered at London’s FrightFest, might become a ‘video nasty’ all over again.

In an exact reprise of the set-up of the original film, novelist Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler, excellent) rents a cabin by a remote lake (from character actor Tracey Walter)and almost immediately gets into a feud with resentful, lecherous, in-the-bone evil locals. 

The rape-and-revenge scenario plays out again, with a major plot addition in the shape of an interfering Sheriff (the remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre had a similar character), fewer plot-holes, a more suspenseful build-up, a less-protracted (though still repellent) gang rape, and a much more outrageous (and, it has to be said, crowd-pleasing) series of reprisals.  The sub-plot with the probation officer rapist in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo hit all the story beats here without making such a gross meal of them.