I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing a review for the 101 Films' release of the original I Spit on Your Grave on Blu-ray but, at times like this, it isn't surprising to find a remake being released on Blu-ray only a matter of months after the original was reissued.

Like A Serbian Film, Steven R. Monroe's films didn't best pleased the BBFC who insisted that 45 seconds would need to be removed before they would grant it an 18 certificate (much less than Srdjan Spasojevic's controversial movie) but enough to show that their stance on sexualised violence has not changed a great deal since Meir Zarchi's original came before them in the late 1970s. This rape-revenge film stays fairly faithful to Zarchi's 1978 movie but has some changes, some to do with modern technology (cellphones, DV cameras), the setting (the Deep South rather than New England) and others that are more to do with characters and the entire second half of the film and Jennifer's revenge.

Novelist Jennifer Hills decides that, for her latest book, she needs some solitude so reserve so cabin out in the country to get away from the city life that can bring so many distractions and interrupt her work. Driving around the countryside, she stops for fuel and asks the service station attendant, Johnny, where Mockingbird Lane is and, while she is there, she inadvertently startles Johnny, causing him to fall over and nearly soil himself, much to the amusement of his two friends. After regaining his composure, he her that she had overshot it by 10 miles and, with the keys that she picked up from Earl, the rather peculiar redneck owner, heads up to the cabin which is in a beautifully isolated spot overlooking a lake.

After catching some rays are sunbathing outside in her small bikini, she gets to work and finds words easy to come by without any distractions. She also decides to explore the area and keep up her own cardiovascular fitness by jogging in the woods which are peaceful and picturesque. When she returns to the cabin for a shower, Jennifer discovers that the plumbing is in some need of attention as the water is brown and the toilet won't flush. After calling the cabin's owner, a young man with learning difficulties, Matthew, comes over and repairs the toilet and the rest of the plumbing system seems to work as well. Delighted, she gets Matthew a kiss on the cheek and he runs off in embarrassment before Jennifer has a chance to pay him for his work. In the process of checking the facilities, Jennifer drops her cell phone into the toilet bowl and, despite quickly grabbing it and drying every bit with a hairdryer, it refuses to work.


As night draws in, there is a sudden bang at the door and, rather than anything sinister, it seems as if a bird has simply flown into the screen door and now lies dead on the porch. Although there isn't really anything concrete to suggest this, Jennifer can't shake the feeling that there is something, or someone, outside and so decides to relax with more wine and a joint. After venturing out to the shed to stop the door from banging, she returns to the cabin only to find a picture of Johnny and two other men as the wallpaper on her laptop. The next thing she knows, Johnny appears in the house with his friends Andy, Stanley with Matthew hovering at the door, clearly unwilling to come into the cabin but bullied by Johnny to be there and attracted to, and bewitched by, Jennifer.

With Stanley filming proceedings on his camcorder, the three men begin to torment her and make extremely threatening remarks, particularly to do with sexual violence. Although she is being backed into a corner, Jennifer makes a run for it and bumps into Earl and another man who are out hunting and he tells her to calm down as he is the Sheriff and asks her exactly what has happened. Interpreting her panicked speech, he correctly guesses that she has been terrorised by Johnny and Stanley and escorts her back to the cabin.


In true horror movie style, the sheriff is not going to help the damsel in distress and begins quizzing her about the amount of alcohol in the place and the "marijuana cigarette" butt before the other men show up again. With Johnny wielding a revolver and Jennifer truly outnumbered and outmuscled, what follows is an experience that nightmares are made of as the men coerce Matthew into losing his virginity by raping Jennifer and, once he has finished, the others join in, the gang rape moving from the cabin and into the woods with the whole thing caught on camera. With Jennifer utterly traumatised and thinking of nothing but escape, she jumps off a bridge and into the river but, after searching for days, the gang don't find a body so assume she is washed up somewhere else. After about a week of searching, the search is called off by Sheriff Storch, happy in the knowledge that what happened that night will stay secret.

Unfortunately for the redneck rapists, Jennifer is very much alive and spends a great deal of time recovering and planning her revenge which, as the saying goes, is served cold. It turns out that they messed with the wrong woman - a mistake that will prove fatal.

I don't mind being surprised but I have to admit that I was shocked when it was announced that there was to be a remake of I Spit on Your Grave. I thought it was one thing to remake the likes of Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Friday the 13th, but a film that was loathed by some critics upon its release and was subject to the harshest of censorship in some countries I thought was a different matter. Anyway, it was made, released, cut by the BBFC and given the limited theatrical run in the UK before this DVD and Blu-ray release which carries the same cuts as the theatrical version. The question is: is the remake any good?


I'm always very sceptical when a director of no great pedigree decides to revisit a film that is either a genre classic, as was the case when Marcus Nispel helmed remake of Tobe Hooper's masterpiece, so I was very wary when I put this Blu-ray in my PlayStation 3 as I partly wondered what a mess Steven R. Monroe would make of Meir Zarchi's infinite shocker. During the opening section, it seems a case of so far, so familiar only with much higher production values and slightly more accomplished actors. The biggest change came around after the rape sequence which, as in the original, is an extremely powerful piece of filmmaking that is uncomfortable viewing (and deliberately so) in which Jennifer is completely brutalised and treated as someone who isn't even human, more of a sexual plaything.

The second half of the film, the revenge part of the rape-revenge story, owes a great deal to the so-called 'torture porn' films such as the Saw franchise but is done in such a way that you don't dwell on the violent aspects of Jennifer's actions as these people weren't picked at random for some bizarre past misdemeanour but a brutalising gang rape that you know they did and would never be convicted of in a court of law.


I was quite taken aback at just how involved I became in the film despite being sceptical and almost in a state where I didn't want to like the film because of the subject matter and because it would fit in with my general philosophy of 'modern remakes are terrible'. The casting is extremely good except Sarah Butler, whose voice didn't seem to suit Jennifer in the same way that Camille Keaton did in the 1978 version. Despite that, she is an incredibly assured screen presence who was extremely brave to take on such a role in the remake of such a notorious film and one that has myriad detractors and some hard core fans. Jeff Branson is extremely imposing and threatening as Johnny, Daniel Franzese is well cast as the gluttonous and put-upon Stanley whilst Andrew Howard is suitably evil as Sheriff Storch. One of the major character changes is Matthew who has moved from a young man who is slightly simple, naïve and stupid to someone who clearly has learning difficulties and has difficulty speaking properly, having a profound stammer when he is nervous and Chad Lindberg does a terrific job in portraying the more sympathetic of the gang.

I Spit on Your Grave isn't a film that you particularly like and would sit down and watch for fun but it's one that you appreciate in the same way as Cannibal Holocaust and A Serbian Film. I was therefore surprised at just how accomplished this was with a decent script by Stuart Morse, pretty good direction by Steven R. Monroe and fine performances by the entire cast. Even more surprising was that it works even with the BBFC enforced cuts although I would like to see the uncut version that is only available on Blu-ray in the US. If you like the original film, I doubt you will be disappointed by this updating of Meir Zarchi's story and it is the best of the modern remakes by quite some distance. There is a nice touch the end where the credits begin with 'Inspired by Meir Zarchi's Film Day of the Woman' which won't mean anything to casual cinemagoers but is something there for fans who know about the 1978 film.


The Disc

Extra Features

There is a rather paltry selection of extra features with a single featurette and some promotional material and this is made all the worse by I Spit on Your Grave being almost the perfect movie for some exploration and in-depth interviews and perhaps a commentary by the writer, director and even Meir Zarchi.

The Revenge of Jennifer Hills: Remaking a Cult Icon (13:22, HD) comprises interviews with the principal cast members, footage from the film and some behind the scenes/B-roll footage. They all talk about how they were offered the parts, what they thought when they read the script and what they thought of the original film if they had seen it. It is odd that this piece should only involves the cast and not the filmmakers.

Original US Promotions consists of a radio spot, a teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer for the American unrated release.


The Picture
Overall, the AVC 1080p picture is very good with strong colours and decent flesh tones, displaying the Louisiana countryside extremely well, although the contrast levels sometimes leave something to be desired with some of the low light scenes having backgrounds that are grey rather than black and where some of the detail gets a little lost or distorted.

The location shooting in Louisiana gives the film an authentic Southern feel and things like the cabin, woods and bridge look the part so the effect is so much better than anything shot in a studio or against green screen.


The Sound
You have the option of a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track or uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo and I went with the former for my first viewing and found that the audio is, for the most part, excellent with superb separation and directional sound although it occasionally becomes a little muddy so that the odd word is lost. You don't get that with the stereo track that this is found lacking when it comes to the initial terrorising of Jennifer when the oppressive music and menacing delivery really put you through the ringer.

The score, by Corey Allen Jackson, is surprisingly good and really comes into its own when the group of men enter the cabin and begin threatening Jennifer as the music becomes increasingly loud, complementing the on-screen events and general tone perfectly and helping to make the scene as unpleasant as possible. There are several instances like this throughout the film, including when the boot is on the other foot, so to speak, and the music really helps to make the film the ordeal I imagine it set out to be.


Final Thoughts
I Spit on Your Grave was never going to be the most pleasant viewing experience of 2011 as the subject matter is such that the film should be tough to sit through. In terms of this as a remake, I was surprised at just how good it was as it is nearly on a par with the original film as it still has the same power and impact despite the increased production values and more accomplished actors (I should probably mention that Camille Keaton was a terrific screen presence in the original film and her performance was always going to be one that would be difficult to top).

Although not a great film, this is still worth watching and it comes in a better than average package with decent, though not stellar, AV quality so is something that horror fans, particularly those who appreciate the original film, would do well to check out.