Review: I Spit on Your Grave – The Complete Collection
Blu-ray & DVD: I Spit on Your Grave – The Complete Collection (1978 – 2019)
Back in the “video nasty” days here in the UK, owning a copy of the 1978 movie I Spit on Your Grave could get you a fine and possibly even a prison sentence…I remember at one point actually dreading knocks on the door, thinking it could be the police wanting to drag me away for the heinous crime of owning grainy 4th generation VHS copies of ISOYG, Zombie Flesheaters, Evilspeak, et al.
Jump forward 30+ years and now common sense has prevailed and not only can you buy the original ISOYG movie on Blu-ray & DVD, it is also accompanied by 4 additions to what is now a franchise, plus a very interesting documentary.
This box set includes:
- I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
- I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
- I Spit on Your Grave 2 (2013)
- I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance is Mine (2015)
- I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu (2019)
- Growing up with I Spit on Your Grave (2019)
The original 1978 movie is still very powerful (despite the censorship cuts still imposed by the BBFC) and its low budget just enhances the grittiness of the situation that rape victim Jennifer (Camille Keaton) finds herself in.
Any movie involving rape is of course going to be uncomfortable viewing, and while being raped is something that can never be fully recovered from, solace comes from the fact that the revenge dished out by Jennifer on her attackers is also something that they will never recover from.
The same basic rape/revenge storyline continues throughout the entire series, with just a few minor changes here and there. The 2010 sequel (my pick of the bunch) is a modern retelling/reimagining of the original, ISOYG 2 has a model drugged and flown to another country where she extracts her revenge in eye watering detail, Vengeance is Mine sees the return of Jennifer (Sarah Butler reprising her role from the 2010 remake) in therapy and taking revenge on sexual predators to a whole new level…which includes a scene with a penis, a mouth, and a knife…it doesn’t end well for the penis. While Deja Vu is interesting as it reunites original writer/director Meir Zarchi with the original Jennifer Camille Keaton. Though overlong at 2 and a half hours, Deja Vu brings everything full circle in what could well be the final entry in the series.
After watching the 5 movies it is good to sit back and watch the informative documentary ‘Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave’, written and directed by Meir Zarchi’s son Terry Zarchi (who also had a cameo in the original movie).
The documentary includes never seen before footage and some fascinating interviews with all involved, leading to a few times of me exclaiming “well I never knew that!”. Plus it also enforces the fact that these are just movies…unlike some of the graphic real life horror that is shown uncensored on major news outlets and social media these days.
The movies themselves are very divisive and if the concept of them has never made you watch them before, then nothing here will either. However, for the cinephiles who have seen them before, or have at least thought about watching them, then this is a great buy to get them all together with the added bonus of a very enjoyable documentary and some fantastic special features.
For the completists out there, the original, the sequel, and part 2 have had the BBFC trim bits away (part 3 and Deja Vu are unrated).
Available in the UK as a complete set for the first time, this unique collection is packed with over 6 hours of brand new bonus material, including extra footage, behind-the-scenes clips and exclusive to Blu-Ray audio commentaries.
Review by Dave from discs kindly supplied by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment via The Warrior Agency.