Wednesday, July 4, 2012

I Spit on Your Grave (1978)


Director: Meir Zarchi

Starring: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols, Gunter Kleemann, Alexis Magnotti, Tammy Zarchi, Terry Zarchi

More info: IMDb

Tagline: This woman has just cut, chopped, broken and burned five men beyond recognition... but no jury in America would ever convict her! I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE ... an act of revenge

Plot: An aspiring writer is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated, and left for dead by four men whom she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.


My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? YES!

#270 on Drive-In Delirium Volume 1 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

I've been gone for a while on an extended working vacation (comic/movie/nerd conventions) and last night was my first real night home, relaxed and ready to watch something as I hadn't seen a movie in over a week (it was murder). I decided to go for an exploitation triple feature starting with I DRINK YOUR BLOOD (1970), I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) and DOUBLE AGENT '74 (1973) delivering lots of blood & boobs. What a fun night.

Want to hear a grossly obscene and tasteless joke? Highlight the following invisi-text to see it (YOU HAVE BEEN AMPLY WARNED):
What do 9 out of 10 people LOVE? Gang rape.


I haven't seen SPIT in a long time but it felt like revisiting an old friend. This flick is brutal and in your face. The rape scenes are painful to watch and are some of the most shocking I've seen (I still haven't seen IRREVERSIBLE (2002), something I need to do soon). It's the kind of thing where you feel bad for the actress (Camille Keaton, btw, is Buster Keaton's great niece) almost as much as you do for the character. It goes from bad to worse with each subsequent rape. Man, this is some harsh shit and Keaton pulls it off beautifully. There aren't many actresses that would go this far for their craft.


I can easily see how this can be a tough picture for someone to get through. Obviously rape isn't a walk in the park (for the victim, that is). The cinematography is outstanding. There are a lot of beautiful shots in this flick and you'd never know that something this vile would look so good. The Millennium edition DVD is the one to get with a fucking HILARIOUS commentary by Joe Bob Briggs. It's also surprising that there's no incidental music, just one scene with a harmonica and another with a church organ - both of which are being played by on-screen characters.


The final third of the picture is all revenge and IT...IS...SWEET! The trailer spoils all of it but it can't prepare you for the bathtub scene which will have your dick shrivelled up far inside you like a turtle's head. That's the money shot and it's a doosie. This is a great flick (for those who can stomach it) during a time when movies like this could be made. I long for the good ole days of 70s film making where people were daring and weren't afraid to offend. Films aren't necessarily made for a general audience and this one proves it.

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