I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE DÉJÀ VU: REVENGE FOR REVENGE

 

 

In 1978 the rape/revenge movie I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE was unleashed on audiences and surrounded by controversy. Critics hated it, the film only did decent at the box office and it would have disappeared in obscurity. Except for two things. The controversy only fueled people to want to see it and the arrival of VHS meant that they had the access to do so. Here we are 44 years later and still talking about it. This time around it’s because of the film being released on Blu-ray as well as the 2019 follow up I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE DÉJÀ VU. 

First off you need to do this. Ignore and forget the remake and its sequels. None of that matters when it comes to this film. Meir Zarchi returns to the writing and directing chores for this time and he once more offers a disturbing rape/revenge picture as if the first one weren’t enough. 

Jennifer Hill (Camille Keaton) has moved on with her life. She wrote a book about her experiences and it’s become a best seller and she’s become a celebrity author and rape counselor. The film opens with her having lunch with her daughter Christy (Jamie Bernadette), a professional model. As they leave they’re approached by an adoring fan, or so it seems. In reality these are relatives of the men Jennifer killed in revenge for her rape and they kidnap her and Christy. 

Various family members are involved in this scheme and they are led by Johnny’s wife Becky (Maria Stillman). The rest include Matthew's father, Herman Duncan (Jim Tavare), Andy's cousin, Scotty Chirensky (Jeremy Ferdman), and Stanley's brother, Kevin Woods (Jonathan Peacy). Johnny was the gas station owner that Jennifer killed along with Andy, Stanley and Matthew. But this group sees things differently. In their mind Jennifer was the one responsible for it all and their family was innocent. 

The plan is to take their revenge on Jennifer. Becky is upset and angry that they kidnapped Christy as well but continues on with her plan. The story moves forward with trying to kill the two, escapes from the group, recaptures, rapes and the same sort of situation found in the first film. There’s really no need for details since you can imagine what takes place. It is sort of interesting to find a revenge revenge movie. I can’t think of another one that’s been made. 

While it might seem like this is just a repeat of the original films it…well…yeah it is sort of. A few items have been changed but it basically boils down to a rape and revenge. These movies are definitely not everyone’s cup of tea but for fans of the genre and the first film they will find this movie interesting to watch. 

There is one major flaw with the film and that begins with the running time. At almost 2 and a half hours this one feels like it goes on forever. It could definitely have been trimmed down to 90 minutes or even 1 hour and 45 minutes. Most of the extra time is spent with Becky going on and on about her husband, what she plans to do to Jennifer and lengthy monologues about injustice that was done to her and the families involved. These become incredibly boring and most will be scrambling to find the fast forward button each time they begin. 

This is not the fault of actress Stillman though. She does a commendable job here. So does most of the cast, especially for a movie that isn’t quite mainstream. The fault lies with Zarchi who wrote the script and directed the film. Is he trying to explain himself for the first film? Is he seeking redemption for the controversy of that movie? Or is he trying to make this film seem more legitimate in its use of graphic violence? Who knows? In any event he bogs down the story with these lengthy diatribes and it is the fatal flaw with this film.

In the end if you were a fan of the original film then you’ll definitely want to see this one too. For those who never saw it but heard about it, it’s worth watching simply for the history behind it and the fact that while brutal in its depiction of rape that is actually a plus since it doesn’t gloss it over and treats it for what it is, a terrible thing to have happen. This one is well made but slow, so keep that remote handy.

While released in 2019 Ronin Flix is releasing it now in a special edition and the original film as well. They’ve done a great job with both, the quality of the print being the most notable thing about them. But they’ve added a number of extras as well. These include a new audio commentary track with film critic Joe Bob Briggs, new cast interviews, an exclusive making of featurette, behind the scenes footage with Zarchi and the cast and the original theatrical trailer.

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