So you've put together a Millennium Edition of the beloved classic Night of the Living Dead, and followed that up with a Millennium Edition of the timeless ReAnimator...what do you do next to keep the clamoring fans satiated?  You go straight for the jugular and release the grittiest piece of cult cinema ever...I Spit On Your Grave.  And that's just what Elite Entertainment has done for you.  

Ever since Siskel and Ebert (whom I feel have been the two most destructive forces in film) said that I Spit On Your Grave "made men want to rape women", this films reputation has been carved in stone.  You either love it or despise it...there are very few stuck in between.  If you are one of those who loves ISOYG, than this release will be a treat as it is filled to the brim with commentary, reviews, photos and more; and if you are one of those who hates it, well that's too damn bad, sissy.  And if you haven't seen it before, then here is the inside scoop.

ISOYG is a pitbull of a movie...it latches on early and just won't let go...and just when you think it can't possibly bite any harder, it starts in with its claws.  Jennifer Hill is a writer who wants to get away from the distractions of big city life by renting a summer house on the side of a middle-of-nowhere lake.  But as much as she wants to remain unnoticed and keep to herself, she attracts some unwanted attention immediately upon arrival.  It seems that some local hicks have taken a bit of a liking to Jennifer's summer dress legs or bikini body.  An interest that can only lead to one thing in a revenge film.  

The backwoods boys, along with their retarded accomplice, decide that Jennifer will be the village idiots first sexual experience...whether she wants to or not.  The men capture her, and attempt to get the mentally challenged guy to rape her, but when he is not able too, they decide it is their turn.  And this is no quick rape scene here folks...director Zarchi drags this one out over almost 30 minutes of film as Jennifer repeatedly escapes and is found again only to have another man take his turn with her.  She is beaten, abused, and battered, and left for dead. 

But things take a different turn when Jennifer survives.   She is now the hunter and the men are the prey.  She stalks and traps all of the men one by one and extracts the only revenge suitable for rapists...death.  Axes, ropes, knives and...umm...severed limbs (cross those legs guys) are the tools of Jennifer's retribution, and her justice is swift.

ISOYG portrays the violence and disgust of a rape scenario with brutal thoroughness and an unflinching accuracy.  Even the movie's lack of any soundtrack lends itself to the utter realism.  If you were infuriated by the thought of sexual abuse before, you will be irate after seeing what is done here, but that is what makes the events that follow so fulfilling.  There is something timeless about wanting the victim to be able to exact their own vengeance on those that have perpetrated violence...and you will feel that Jennifer has fulfilled her revenge quotient.

I did have a problem with the way in which she baited a few of her victims prior to their murders, and I felt that a small injustice was done in the handling.  Jennifer uses her body and sex as bait for some of the attackers to throw them off guard and I am certain that this not at all how someone who is forever emotionally scarred would choose to get back at the beasts who caused the horror in the first place.  But that aside it is great fun to see some rapist pig get his junk sliced off.

In the genre of rape/revenge film (scary there is a genre for that), I Spit On Your Grave has always been the leader.  Often copied and imitated, but never duplicated, ISOYG is a piece of cinematic history whether people like it or not, and finally it has been treated as such.  So grab up this Millennium Edition and cringe along with the rest of us...oh and be sure to check out the new commentary by the legendary Joe Bob Briggs...it's worth the price of the disc by itself to hear him elaborate on the movies advertising errors (the tagline says she kills five but we count only four), the small-minded comments of Siskel and Ebert, and whether or not this movie actually IS the most disgusting movie ever made.

Whether it is or not, it is officially here to stay, thanks to Elite Entertainment.

-aaron-
 

Directed by: Meir Zarchi   Written by: Meir Zarchi   Also Known As: Day of the Woman, I Hate Your Guts, The Rape and Revenge of Jennifer Hill   Based on the Novel By: Ray Russell   Cast: Camille Keaton Eron Tabor Richard Pace Anthony Nicols Gunter Kleemann

DVD Features: THX Widescreen Dolby Digital 5.1 Commentary By Writer/Director Meir Zarchi BONUS Commentary By Joe Bob Briggs! Theatrical Trailers TV Spots Still Photo Gallery Reviews Foreign And Domestic Cover/Poster Art