I Spit on Your Grave (2010, a remake of a 1978 film) will turn most people off. There’s rape, there’s murder. It’s exploitation, and it’s not pretty. And you might think of it as a low-grade B movie, but not so fast. This is a good movie. Not great, and not always believable, but it’s got flow. You keep expecting cheesiness but it never arrives; the production values keep it above its B-movie provenance.
As I wrote in “Riveting Rentals”:
I Spit on Your Grave (2010) continues along this vein, except now, instead of a couple, we are presented with a single, attractive young lady who thinks it a good idea to spend some time in a ramshackle backwood for a little peace and quiet. Why make it difficult for the local folk — just give them a single, defenseless, unattached woman. Though this movie begins with the basic plot lines of Straw Dogs and The Last House on the Left, this one differs in that it is a revenge flick, which can be kinda fun.
Jeannette Catsoulis, the Times:
Female-empowerment fantasy or just plain prurience, “Grave” is extremely efficient grindhouse. If there is any message here at all, it’s don’t mess with a novelist: being creative is her job.
It’s no mystery whether or not you’ll like this movie. Watch the preview. If you choose to watch, I Spit on Your Grave could be deeply satisfying. Available on iTunes.
Comparison Notes: Straw Dogs, Saw, Eden Lake, Last House on the Left