I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

	Directed by: Meir Zarchi	AKA Day of the Woman COUNTRY USA GENRE Horror NORWEGIAN TITLE N/A RUNNING TIME 100 minutes
	Produced by: Meir Zarchi Joseph Zbeda
	Written by: Meir Zarchi

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Jennifer Hills	Camille Keaton
Johnny	Eron Tabor	½
Matthew Lucas	Richard Pace
Stanley	Anthony Nichols
Andy	Gunter Kleeman

Review

This cult classic is notorious for being banned in a number of countries worldwide upon its rerelease in 1980/81, and for being dubbed "the worst movie ever made" by critic Roger Ebert. Seen in retrospect, the film's (s)exploitation aspects are less prominent than its reputation would suggest. Although he's a somewhat clumsy director, Meir Zarchi had a thematic vision with his film, even if it wasn't very subtle. The cruelty and horror of rape are effectively and daringly portrayed, and the objective is clearly not to glorify violence against women, as some contemporary critics seem to have fooled themselves into thinking. Still, Zarchi's punchline (if you like) is spelled out and overdone – both physically and thematically. At an artistic level, the film would have gained from not being so tied to horror conventions, but then again, Zarchi wouldn't have been able to kick as hard, surprisingly, and liberatingly (he seems to think) as he did. Bear in mind that I Spit on Your Grave was made in Hollywood's classic vigilante era – this was not the first post-rape revenge spree portrayed on film. The performances are surprisingly useful, even if most of the characters act incredibly stupidly – especially when the movie's dichotomy hasn't given them the upper hand.