"I Spit on Your Grave, Rape Culture!"

      “I Spit on Your Grave” is the perfect example of the malignant cancer known as “rape culture” growing in the U.S. This film shines a clean light into the dingy corner infested with the horrors humans may produce. The movie portrays an author being raped by four men at the same time. This young woman is degraded, beaten, and left for dead. She trades her typewriter for a knife, and torments her abusers not just physically, but mentally, as well. 

This famous 1978 film is a staple in the horror community for many reasons. Heart wrenching when thinking of how close to reality this story lies; while some countries strive for gender equality by implementing laws to stir away from sexual assault, the U.S. legislation still applies the same old saying, “boys will be boys.” With light punishment being implemented on men of a certain race or social class, is it a wonder why the rape scene in this film scares people so much? I mean, it happens in real life, and the full weight of the justice system will not be placed on the actual criminal. This film resonates with our society today, just as it did when first released. 

            Our protagonist manages to pull herself together, and goes after the men who mutilated her human spirit, and takes justice into her own hands. There’s a moment in the story where the lead character walks into a church, kneels before an altar, and asks for forgiveness, for she is about to sin.

It’s understandable why this film would cause such shock when first released; the rape scene is long, uncensored, and stomach-turning. The film was banned in Norway, Ireland, and Iceland. It’s interesting how much of an outrage this film caused upon its release, and actions were immediately called for, like censorship. Why is it that a film with a brutal rape scene seems to spark more outrage than actual rape in the U.S?

            In 2016 there was nowhere you couldn’t help to hear about the Brock Turner case, where the Stanford student was accused of rape, and proven guilty via DNA proof, yet was given a light sentence. The case was criticized as judicial bias in favor of male and class privilege. The likelihood of rape taking place in a first world country sadly staggers- with knowledge of this beforehand, it’s no wonder this film engulfs us in terror and pity. The entire cast did an amazing job at enacting such horror. This scary classic embodies the worst of human malice. As the film progresses, we’re able to see more into the rapists lives, and meet them as regular people. The lead character terrorizes the rapists’ reality, handling psychological terror in a perfect manner. 

The subtlety in which our lead character handles her anger in the second half of the film seems really ballsy, as in, she gets too close to the rapists, close enough to kill her at any moment. “I Spit on Your Grave” is an epic film that remains memorable for various reasons like, it’s close relevance to a core problem in our society, the film’s extreme graphics, and traditional story of revenge. If you have not seen it yet what are you waiting for? Join us in the traumatization of “I Spit on Your Grave!”