I Spit on Your Grave is directed by Steven R. Monroe and written by Jeffrey Reddick. It stars Sarah Butler, Chad Lindberg, Daniel Franzese , Rodney Eastman, Jeff Branson & Andrew Howard. It is a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. Plot finds Butler as Jennifer, a writer who retreats to an idyllic beauty spot known as Mockingbird Trail to write her second novel. But her life is shattered when she is brutally gang raped and left for dead by a group of locals. But the men may just rue the day they set about this particular woman.
OK, there are some fans of the original film out there, where it has enough support to have it listed as a horror cult classic of sorts. It isn't remotely a good film, whether it's judged as feminist wish fulfillment or a grimy gorno exercise in censor baiting, fact remains it's badly acted, badly directed and just leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Monroe's remake, and lets face it in this day and age of gorno and torture porn excess the film was ripe for a re-imaging, is a film of two tonally differing halves. Two halves that while not making a satisfactory whole, do make for an attention grabbing-squirm inducing-viewing. The unease remains, I mean how can it not with gang rape and revenge fuelled torture as its centre pieces? But it's competently acted, especially by Butler who gives a bold show in a challenging role, and for those who like blood letting grue; the film in its last third delivers by the bucket load. Directing wise, Monroe is guilty of letting the build up drag too long, and even tho the pay off is worth the wait (you go girl), taking its lead from the Saw/Cube movies lacks invention and almost steals what freshness the film had to offer.
It will find an audience for sure, while it's equally going to find enemies in critical and PC correctional quarters. But for a horror movie of this time it does its job well, and as remakes of older horrors go it's one of the better ones: surpassing the original by some margin too. 7/10
OK, there are some fans of the original film out there, where it has enough support to have it listed as a horror cult classic of sorts. It isn't remotely a good film, whether it's judged as feminist wish fulfillment or a grimy gorno exercise in censor baiting, fact remains it's badly acted, badly directed and just leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Monroe's remake, and lets face it in this day and age of gorno and torture porn excess the film was ripe for a re-imaging, is a film of two tonally differing halves. Two halves that while not making a satisfactory whole, do make for an attention grabbing-squirm inducing-viewing. The unease remains, I mean how can it not with gang rape and revenge fuelled torture as its centre pieces? But it's competently acted, especially by Butler who gives a bold show in a challenging role, and for those who like blood letting grue; the film in its last third delivers by the bucket load. Directing wise, Monroe is guilty of letting the build up drag too long, and even tho the pay off is worth the wait (you go girl), taking its lead from the Saw/Cube movies lacks invention and almost steals what freshness the film had to offer.
It will find an audience for sure, while it's equally going to find enemies in critical and PC correctional quarters. But for a horror movie of this time it does its job well, and as remakes of older horrors go it's one of the better ones: surpassing the original by some margin too. 7/10