Review: I Spit on Your Grave (2011)

Cast Members of Note- Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Daniel Franzese and Chad Lindberg.

Jennifer is a sexy little writer who decides to rent a cabin in the woods to work on her newest book... right there you know she's destined to get raped, killed and/or terrorized in some way, right? It's so obvious. Hot chicks can not go into any backwoods locale alone, and hope to find any sort of comfort or solace. I think that's a law in most states. Especially in the South.

Yes, you should have known better. Now stop pouting.

Anywho, after spilling water on the rube at the gas n' go, and making out with the town retard, Jennifer decides to drink a few bottles of wine, smoke some marijuana cigarettes, and walk around her cabin half naked. With all of those elements aligned, it takes about 4 seconds for Jethro and his dim-witted crew of yokels to show up, and put a good rapin' on the city whore's ass.

"I should go look in there..."

Left for dead, Jennifer gets herself cleaned up, builds some crazy traps, and sets off on a mission to make the rape gang from Petticoat Junction wish they 'taint never done seen her pretty city titties... It really is your standard rape/revenge story, but I feel it appropriate to say that Jennifer doesn't play around, and she gets quite nasty in here revenge tactics. This is exactly why I don't rape people. Well, that and I'm not anywhere near that level of creepy.

I think at this point, I'd stop calling her a whore if I were you...

Well made and superbly acted by everyone involved, ISOYG 2010 is a nasty, unflinching little remake that should please even the most jaded of Horror fans. If you've seen the original, then not much here will come as a surprise to you other than the fact that the remake is a far better film than its 1978 namesake.

Rape/revenge movies are an acquired taste. They're usually stark and brutal, and on most levels, they're profoundly disturbing. Sure, the revenge aspect of things seem to make it all right in the end, but the slow and brutal build up that comes before that vindication is a tough thing to sit through for most folk. There's a reason that these movies were big in the 70's for a while and then disappeared for the most part... there's not a lot of fun involved for the audience.

That being said, these types of movies do have a strong and necessary message in them that begs to be heard, and it's basically "do unto others..." Sadly, in real life, these types of crimes go mostly unpunished for the most part, if they're even reported in the first place, and therein lies the beauty of a movie like this; the sick fucks of the world whom prey upon the innocent and chaste get what they deserve and more, even if it's only on film. It's almost like our own personal revenge, and damn if it doesn't feel good to see, even if it's incredibly tough to watch.

Sarah Butler will make you like her, feel for her, feel her pain, and cheer her on through all of the unspeakable acts that she partakes in, because she deserves her revenge. She's also a cutie, which never hurts things. Conversely, the villains of the film will make you seethe with anger, especially Johnny and the Sheriff; they're played to evil perfection by Jeff Branson and Andrew Howard. You will hate them, and I'm talking an extra special kind of hate here. The bottom line is that the cast did their jobs admirably, and pulled exactly what they were supposed to out of us, emotionally.

He got punched so hard his eyes are red!

The one criticism I have is this: how does a sweet, innocent type like Jennifer turn into a vicious, death-dealing angel of no mercy so quickly? I get it, but I mean she concocts some pretty elaborate "traps" if you will, and dishes out some really rough, slow torture to her victims. It felt a tiny bit odd to me. It really is a small issue, as the movie worked well overall, but I felt it worth a mention.

That smile is a trap!

When are city folk going to learn that you do not head off for an idyllic weekend in the country, unless you're armed for bear and willing to kill? You're just asking for trouble if you don't.

The worst kind of trouble.

Rape, torture, rape, anal shotgun violence, rape, eye torture, rape, hedge clipper to the groin, rape, face melting and rape. There's so much rape in this movie, that even one of the bad guys get raped... albeit by a shotgun, but it still counts. This is a tough one to sit through, and will most likely make you flinch and squirm throughout.

Personally, I'd take the fishhooks in the eyes, if I got a choice.

We do get to see the nice little body of Sarah Butler in various stages of undress, but considering the subject matter, it's not very enjoyable. She's very nice too look at before the nastiness starts though.

Sassy.

If you're going to rape someone, you should really be prepared to have your dick cut off. I mean, you pretty much have it coming, so, just prepare for that.

She is vengeance.

As remakes go, this one managed to improve on the original in most ways, and add enough flair of its own to make it more than just a simple retelling. You have to like the whole rape/revenge, female empowerment sub-genre to truly appreciate this one, because its a tough watch, but don't discount it as mere Torture Porn or blatant exploitation. It's more than that.

Bottom line is, this flick delivers the uncomfortable, messy goods.

A

Sarah Butler is destined to be a genre great, if she's so inclined. First though, she's intent on finishing this puzzle...

I know where one piece will fit...