The original I Spit on Your Grave is a genuine video nasty that has survived on little more than notoriety. With very little to contribute to cinematic history than a genuinely unpleasant rape scene and some infamous violence, it’s a movie that is perhaps best left in the past. But this is the age of the remake – it seems that any and everything is up for grabs, be it the genuine classics or forgettable exploitation flicks such as this. This is especially true for the horror genre – with studios looking to bleed every penny from the lucrative teen market, we’ve witnessed most of our favourite horrors given the makeover treatment in recent years. With such fan favourites as Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, and 
Leatherface it’s almost understandable – as recognisable franchise players, there is little doubt that studios will be able to rehash these marketable cash cows over and again, regardless of said remake’s quality. That being the case, one has to wonder what there is to gain from reviving I Spit on Your Grave. With no recognisable (read money spinning) villains of which to speak, and a reputation for violence that can unlikely be built upon or replicated, we have to ask the question – what’s the point?
Fortunately, Steven R. Monroe’s 2010 update is surprisingly effective. Sure, there is a certain amount of dross to wade through – clichéd beats, stock villains, and predictable twists – but Monroe has managed to carve himself a decent little shocker regardless. For instance, the isolated cabin filled with suspect noises to investigate is about as original as the group of sinister hillbillies that terrorize lead Jennifer (Sarah Butler), but despite that, it still works. Monroe displays a knack for amping up the tension at the appropriate moments, sure to make audiences squirm despite their better judgement.
That brings us to the inevitable unpleasantness. The most notorious aspect of the original I Spit on Your Grave is undoubtedly its lengthy and unsettling gang-rape scene, and it was inevitable that audiences would have to suffer a similar experience the second time around. Although far more forgiving than the original, and unable to go to the lengths of, say, Irreversible, the scenes presented here are still genuinely uncomfortable to watch. Even the most seasoned of gore hounds may have difficulty – it is relentless and, worst of all, realistic. Us horror veterans are far more comfortable with some good old-fashioned mutilation – it is, after all, much more fantastical and unimaginable in the realms of reality than sexual abuse, the kind of thing that is an unpleasant truth for many people. So it comes as no surprise that the film picks us pace – and entertainment factor – once the revenge (or, fantastical torture) begins.
Above all else, I Spit on Your Grave is creative in what it does. Aside from the lunacy of the Saw traps presented over the last few years, this movie boasts the most imaginative violence in recent memory. And this is where the real fun is to be had. Jennifer, it seems, has one of the fiercest imaginations possible when it comes to masterminding an ultra-violent retribution. Making extremely creative use of such things as a bathtub, some raw fish, and a shotgun (you couldn’t guess, seriously), Jennifer manages to inflict some ingenuous violence on her aggressors, somehow changing the tone of the film and delivering several punch-the-air moments.
Overall, I Spit on Your Grave works, even though it probably shouldn’t. Its grotesque but original violence sets it apart from much of the throwaway horror we endure these days, and the revenge story gives a sense of purpose for audiences to engage with. However, the uncomfortable scenes of sexual abuse serve as a reminder that we’d be no better or worse off without this movie. Still, if you are able to stomach this aspect of the film (as well as the dull predictability of its opening and two-dimensional antagonists), there is still some fun to be had, for new and veteran viewers alike. But just like the shudder that will ripple across the cinema as the camera falls upon a discarded and apparently innocent set of garden shears, this is a warning – there is nastiest ahead…
I Spit On Your Grave is in cinemas January 21st
