I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE! (1978)

By Jimmy Squarejaw

*WARNING*

All movies reviewed for SUNDAY SNUFF contain graphic depictions that may include rape, live animals being murdered, and extreme gore.  None of the writers condone such acts we just watch this shit.

There are a few movies in the “Extreme” spectrum that I would consider to be cornerstones in the genre.  Although it’s a completely subjective list, and some of these movies might even seem somewhat tame now but upon their releases each one bore a hole through your senses and raised the bar to what people could get away with on film.  I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT for me are in this group of movies and this week I’ll be chatting and making disrespectful jokes about I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE.

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (aka DAY OF THE WOMAN) is part of the rape revenge genre that came to fruition in the 70’s.  It’s a story about Jennifer, who is a writer who rents a nice lake cabin for the summer to write her first novel.  When she rolls into town from the big city she stops for directions and gets gas at the local octane dispensary, known today as a gas station.  Just like in every small town the attendant and his goofy cohorts that are playing some kind of “throw the knife in the ground” game in the background can’t help themselves to eye fuck every inch of her body.  Jennifer didn’t seem too put off by this and continues onto the lake cabin to settle in.  Later on the town retard Matthew, known today as developmentally disabled, shows up to deliver Jennifer her grocery order that she called in.  Matthew rounds out the four members of the local rape union of Kent, Pennsylvania that we'll see a lot more of soon.  

Over the next few days all of the goons start playing little games with her like speeding around the lake while Jennifer is swinging in a hammock writing, or sneaking around her cabin at night making yippy noises.  This  harmless fun escalates quickly when two of the goons start circling Jennifer while she’s relaxing in a canoe on the lake, tie her boat to theirs and race off into some secluded part of the woods where Johnny, the octane attendant, is waiting.  Well kids from here it just goes south.  Johnny makes himself known as the leader in this group of guys and makes the other two pin Jennifer down while he strips totally naked and rapes her.  Then a little later on Andy, the suspender-wearing hillbilly who plays a harmonica has the other guys pin her down and rapes her.  Then even later the quartet of backwoods rapists find Jennifer back at her cabin and try to make Matthew, the special needs grocer, rape her.  He does but story of his life he can’t cum. Wah wah. So then Stanley, the last of the four, decides he’s wants a hummer instead of intercourse with Jennifer's bread bowl full of man chowder but gets all pissed off instead and beats the living hell out of her.  Whoa whoa whoa, HEY WHOA HEY!  Now that is where the line is crossed!  The other guys have to break Stanley off of her because beating the girl is not cool, only repetitive rape is cool.  They calm him down and split the scene in haste, but Johnny figures it's not the best idea to leave witnesses and makes Matthew go back to kill her off on his own.  Sounds logical to trust some one with the mental capacity of Mariah Carey to go kill off a girl who they all just raped.  Of course Matthew can’t so instead he wipes blood on the knife like he did kill her and goes back to the group who is waiting in a getaway boat. 

After some time the group of improv rapists starts wondering why no one has discovered Jennifer’s rotting dead corpse in the cabin.  The safe thing to do is a drive by in their boat and realize she’s alive when they see her lounging outside.  Awkward!  Well shit now what?!  Slowly but surely Jennifer gets her strength back and cleverly stalks the group plotting her revenge.  And this is where I bow out of the synopsis so I drop any spoilers!  But just know this, revenge is best served in a sudsy bathtub!

I love I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE!  It’s intense, brutal, and has lots of social commentary for the time period.  Yes, it is a gritty independent film but this adds a realistic quality to the movie.  The no frills rape and revenge scenes have a creepy vibe to them too that definitely churns the stomach.  Although I do prefer LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, only because David Hess is my all time favorite villain and his character Krug is my all time favorite character in movies, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE is an incredible watch and I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it!  In the weeks to come we'll also tackle the amazing but illegitimate sequel SAVAGE VENGEANCE and the incredible remake from 2010! 

Also, if you’re watching it with a group of people that has never seen it before do me a favor, at the 33:09 time mark yell out, “Did he miss?” and watch how many friends you make!

Blake and Jimmy’s Extreme-O-Gauge!

Gore: 2 out of 5, like I said the violence has no real frills, but that’s part of it’s charm!

Rape: 5 out of 5,  this is a great first date kinda movie!

Animal Death: 0 out of 0.

Necrophilia: 0 out of 0, I’m sure parts of Jennifer died during some of the forced intercourse, but not every part!

Torture: 4 out of 5, between the rape and revenge there is some serious torture going on!

Overall Movie: 4 out of 5, classic flick but for me LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT holds the 5 
out of 5.