This FEMINIST movie was made in 1978 originally as a FEMINISM propaganda disguised as horror movie. (because rape is HORROR, get it?). It is one of the most remade movies of all times: in 2010, 2013 then TV Series and now again for the #MeToo movement in 2018 another remake (I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu)the idea is simple: it teaches girls that men who rape women must be killed, not jailed

Being such a huge fan of the horror genre, I knew I had to watch 'I Spit on Your Grave'. I'd heard from a relative that the original was so gory and uncensored that it was banned in a number of countries, so my interest was immediately piqued. However, I was recommended by another friend to skip the original and go straight to the remake, so that's exactly what I did. Going into the movie I expected something similar to 'The Last House on the Left' and it does share it's similarities, the main one being the premise of a rape/revenge plot, but there are also a lot of differences. The movie is incredibly predictable and lacks in any kind of creativity or originality (which is a pandemic in the horror genre over the last couple of decades). The length, brutality and realness of the rape scenes is by far the most memorable part, since it's so disturbing. Having watched so many horror movies over the years, I've become rather desensitised but that really did affect me. In that way, at least, it succeeded because I strongly believe that all horrors should have an impact on the viewer and this one certainly did with me. However, unfortunately, that's where the good ends for me. The complete lack of build-up, one dimensional and unlikeable characters and over-dramatised and unrealistic murders completely detracted from the potential the movie had. Admittedly, the cast did the best with the scraps of material they were given but even that didn't save the characters. The antagonist's (the rapists) were a bunch of men that for some unknown reason were all totally okay with participating in a brutal gang rape and torture, and actually found pleasure and humour in it. Not one of them showed any ounce of remorse, humanity or regret and it makes no sense that these young men would be so incredibly evil and black and white. Whilst the Sheriff was expanded on slightly more with the introduction of his wife and daughter, the others were completely undeveloped and bland. Even the main character herself, Jennifer (Sarah Butler), was lacking in any kind of personality, back-story or intelligence. Why was she even at the cabin in the first place? The reason we're given is that she's writing a story, but why would she go to that tiny, off the grid town that she clearly knows nothing about all on her own? There were numerous signs from the get go that the men she'd met around town were strange yet she did nothing about it. But the scene where she escapes from the cabin into the woods and bumps into the Sheriff is where the stupidity really starts. What Sheriff would take a young woman that has just been raped and tortured in the most horrendous way back to the scene of the crime? Why the hell did she go with him? Anyone in that position would be screaming and begging to get in the car and drive away to the police station. Even as the Sheriff was in the cabin asking odd questions, Jennifer still didn't catch on to the shadiness of his character. Her stupidity continues after she escapes the rapists into the stream and apparently goes on to live in the wilderness for months where she admits she fed on rats, pigeons and other vermin of the like. This is where the story really does get too far-fetched. Why the hell would she do that? Why wouldn't she return home to safety and then plan her revenge from there? How would she even have survived out in the woods on her own without even the basics of clothes? Supernatural or fantasy horrors may be better able to get away with this kind of far-fetched nonsense, but 'I Spit on Your Grave' is supposed to be a realistic story of a woman who was a victim of a cruel and senseless crime that sought revenge. That means it should be as authentic and realistic as possible. The revenge killings during the second half of the movie only take the movie to new levels of stupidity. Instead of just killing the men, Jennifer somehow manages to fashion complex devices and methods of killing them that she would be completely incapable of executing on her own. Whilst the rape scenes resonated because they felt so real, the murders entered into Saw-esque territory which felt unfitting with the first half of the movie. 'I Spit on Your Grave' is definitely what I would consider to be a mediocre horror movie that's seeping with over-used cliches and lacking in logic, coherence and thought. It also suffers from bland, unrelatable and boring characters that are impossible to invest in and incredibly over the top violence and gore. The only reason this movie has managed to get a 3 star rating from me is because the rape scenes do have a lasting impact as it really hits home how many women (and men) are victims to such evil and brutal crimes everyday.

These actors could actually act. The rape scenes were far more believable and the revenge scenes were far more inventive and spectacular. More nudity was needed though considering this was a multiple rape film. And considering how unhinged jennifer became we really needed to see her kill the sheriffs family. The film wussed out on that one. Overall though, very enjoyable and female empowering when the killings start kicking in.

I like the revenge/horror genre as much as anyone but this movie is totally forgettable. The acting and the writing are pretty bad. Every situation is foreseeable, over-exaggerated and nothing unexpected ever happens. The first part of the movie, is in my opinion the least mediocre one even though it's full of clichés, it is still watchable through and through and even somewhat entertaining with no real boring parts.However the second part, the revenge one, isn't boring either but it is where all the inconsistencies, clichés and absurd situations really start to show off. Just to list a few : It was obvious the woman was going to jump in the river and try to disappear in the muddy waters, how they just didn't see it coming is beyond me. Then she reappears somewhere between a month or a few years later (it is unclear when exactly) and starts knocking out her rapists with a baseball bat and a tire iron. This is the usual cliché you'd see in every 80's action movie : Hit a bad guy on the head to knock him out for a while... "He will -always- wake up later...".Except that in really it does rarely work like that. Chance are, if you hit someone with a baseball bat to the head, he's never gonna wake up or if you miss your swing or don't hit it the right way (which is very likely if you're a woman vs 4 big guys) he's not even gonna get knocked out. The middle ground "knock-out effect" is extremely hard to obtain consistently especially with a baseball bat and a tire iron which are gonna brake bones and leave some serious injuries or just do very little damage if the guy you're targeting starts walking towards you with his hands in guard, reducing your momentum and swing distance. This was never though of in 80's movies and still isn't, worst part is that a girl has to wield these kinds of weapon makes it even less believable... I would have believed it if she went for shooting tranquilizer darts while waiting from a safe distance, or if she'd laced their food with drugs... But this frail woman who KO's all those big guys ? Sorry, not buying it for a second.To me, the most important part of a story like that is that it has to believable. But this one, despite being watchable, just isn't.