Terry Zarchi is the son of writer and director Meir Zarchi who helmed the original “video nasty” I Spit on Your Grave, a previously banned, controversial cult film which changed the face of genre cinema forever. It spawned a remake, sequels and countless imitations.
Appearing as a child in his dad’s original 1978 film, Terry recently directed his feature documentary Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave, and even produced his father’s 2019 sequel, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu, which reunited Meir Zarchi with original actress Camille Keaton, reprising her role.
With both the documentary and Deja Vu sequel available in the UK for the first time as part of I Spit on Your Grave: The Complete Collection boxset, this notorious franchise is ripe for rediscovery among horror and revenge genre fans.
Terry Zarchi gives an exclusive look into his father’s controversial cult film, and his own role in the franchise.
You produced the latest sequel, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu, and directed Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave. How did you find working on these projects?
For me “producing” means doing anything and everything you have to do to make things work. Whatever it takes. I always tell people that I Spit on Your Grave is my family business, it’s what we do. We don’t have a restaurant chain, but what we have is this movie. So, making my documentary and playing a part in making I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu is me helping the family business.
It was an interesting ride. To be honest, I probably don’t enjoy producing as much as directing. However, on Deja Vu we were all there for my father Meir. We had a great line producer, Jan O’Connell, and an incredible cast and crew who understood what we were making and who wanted to do the best job possible.
As a filmmaker, I had full control over my Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave documentary. I’m a lot like Meir in that I prefer to take charge of my own movie, but both were great experiences in different ways.
How hard was it working with your dad on a film?
We definitely had our moments, no question about that! [laughs] We’d clash, but a minute later it’s all forgotten, and we had moved on. When you’re doing something creative, minds and ideas clash and it’s all natural. In the end, it’s about the collaboration and the creative effort to get the scenes, the day and the larger film finished on time. We all helped realise his vision.
When did the idea for the documentary first come to you?
Just after the 2010 remake, the popularity for the franchise started growing and getting loud. It woke people up. Audiences were revisiting the original 1978 film and talking about it, and suddenly it was elevated. I figured it was a good opportunity and good timing to tell the story of how it was made. It’s really the story behind the story, and I thought people might be interested in seeing that and learning more.
Did any particular documentaries help shape your style?
I actually didn’t take reference from any particular documentary. I wanted the story to be told very simply, matter of fact, and to explain the backstory and history exactly as it happened. The biggest challenge was condensing everything important in there.
Originally, the film focused on Meir and his own story, and then I got my sister involved as she was there with my father when he rescued a woman in the park who’d been assaulted, which spawned his idea for this revenge movie. Then original actress Camille Keaton agreed to take part in the documentary, after I almost finished editing, and then I was able to speak to some of the other actors and crew. So, it really grew, and I had to go back and re-edit the whole film. In the end, I was so happy because it allowed a lot of different people to share their stories.
Was Meir happy for you to tell both sides of the story, and include negative interviews about the film?
Surprisingly, Meir never told me what to keep in or take out of the documentary. It was never even discussed. I wanted to tell my version of the story and I really appreciated that he naturally let me do that. He told me that he loved what I did with the film and that made me happy.
We included both sides of the controversy debate, feminism and exploitation, because I want the audience to make up their own minds. I think I Spit on Your Grave gives a platform for this conversation and it can be talked about openly.
What do you hope audiences and film fans take away from the documentary?
The audience made the original film what it is. I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinion about the movie, I’d just like to show that there’s so much more behind it and within the backstory than meets the eye. It’s not some creepy underground movie, it’s a real film shot by a real crew with real actors from a script and there’s humanity there. It was also a struggle to get the original film out into the world, through the censors, controversy and everything else, and I found myself in a unique position to tell the story, with it being made by my father!
The UK has always been a great territory for I Spit on Your Grave and a lot of people there have embraced the franchise and I really appreciate that. I hope audiences enjoy the new Complete Collection boxset, diving back into the franchise, and I hope they can gain some new insights from the documentary, too.
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment presents I Spit on Your Grave: The Complete Collection out now on Blu-ray & DVD
