TMR: Rape And Revenge And The Last House On The Left

A remake of the infamous movie I Spit on Your Grave will be out in October, so I took a look at the rape and revenge genre standout, Last House on the Left.

When I first heard of I Spit on Your Grave, I didn’t care what the movie was about, I just thought that the movie sounded awful.  What a terrible title.  It was only relatively recently that I actually found out what the movie was about and the aptly title genre it was a part of.  The movie is about a woman writer, Jennifer, going out to the countryside for some quiet time to work on writing.  A group of local men are offended by her existence as an independent woman and decide to give her a scare at her cottage, which quickly escalates to violence of not just a physical nature, but a sexual nature.  After destroying her manuscript and repeatedly doing what the police refer to as a ‘date and dash,’ the men assign their mildly retarded associate to kill her, but he can’t go through with the act.  Jennifer spends the next few days piecing her manuscript and psyche back together and then begins to carry out a plan of revenge against the men.  This is a perfect example of the exploitation/horror subgenre of ‘rape and revenge.’

The rape and revenge genre, obviously, was never highly regarded, despite its rather high popularity during the 70’s.  Since exploitation films are coming back ever since the torture porn genre gained a foothold, we should expect to see more of this brutal sort. Rape and revenge films follow three acts, like every other film ever.  The three acts typically are as follows:

Act 1: A woman is raped, tortured, and left for dead.

Act 2: The woman lives and recuperates as best she can.

Act 3: The woman murders all of her attackers.

As you can see, I Spit on Your Grave follows the structure to an absolute tee.  Most rape and revenge flicks follow the structure exactly as in this movie, with a few exceptions. Exceptions such as the French (they always do things differently) film Irreversible¸ which shows the same story in the manner of Momento (backwards), and with male friends of the victim seeking revenge (akin to Death Wish) and failing; and the classic Wes Craven film, The Last House on the Left.

What separated Last House on the Left from other rape and revenge flicks was that instead of the woman seeking revenge herself, it was her family, specifically her parents.  In the original, Mary, the main girl, goes to a concert with her friend, whereas in the remake, she just goes to hang out with her friend while she’s vacationing with her parents at her second home in the woods.  The two girls end up running afoul of villain Krug and his crew, consisting of his girlfriend, his friend Weasel (in the original) or his brother Francis (in the remake), and his son Junior/Justin.  Beatings, amputations, murder, and rape occur, Mary escapes but is shot in the back while trying to swim away.  The villains end up at Mary’s home and are given a place to stay the night by her parents.  Mary makes it home, and the parents figure out what the scoundrels did, and take it upon themselves to avenge their daughter.

I watched the remake and am about to watch the original.  I enjoyed the remake a fair deal because of Aaron Paul, from Breaking Bad, and Garret Dillahunt, who I first saw in Deadwood, and has been popping up in a bunch of movies in bit parts since, or at least, I’m noticing them now that I’m aware of him.  Either way, they are both excellent actors and should be on your radars as well.

The following refers to the remake of Last House on the Left.

Theatre: No, despite the good acting of the two previously mentioned.

Buy: Still not good enough.

Rent: Sure thing.

Download: Definitely, give it a view.

To contact the author of this post: corey.hales@wildgunmen.com

Comments (13)

  1. Radical Rules Rawks says:

    just saw the original (like an hour ago at the plaza) I spit on your grave. not bad, but not as deep as you put it. they just rape her, there is no I don’t like you, and infact it was to get the dumb one laid.

  2. Chico says:

    yeah, i downloaded it and haven’t watched it yet. keep meaning to get to it, but stuff keeps coming up. i never expected it to be ‘deep’ as you put it, because it’s an exploitation film. if you want to see a shallow modern exploitation film, check out ‘bitchslap.’ it’s goddamn awful, but is kind of funny in how awful it is.

  3. Greg says:

    “The Last House On The Left” is actually based on a Ingmar Bergman movie called “The Virgin Springs”. It takes place in medieval Sweden, a young girl ends up getting raped and murdered by a group of herders. These three men decide they are in need of a place to rest and stumble upon a home, which of course was of this poor girls parents. The parents find out that these herders murdered their child when they try to sell them her clothes and exact their own revenge. This movie was well beyond it’s time for 1960, on a side note Max von Sydow (the father) is a bad ass in this movie. Also of note, “In The Bedroom” is another remake of this movie.

    • Chico says:

      That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know that. I’ve heard a lot about Bergman but I’ve never gotten around to seeing anything he did. As for Max von Sydow, he’s always a bad ass. Dangerously so.

  4. Coach Outlet says:

    Coach Outlet product line in constant expansion of the new class of products, Coach Outlet such as watches, footwear, jewelry, hats, Coach Outlet Online scarves and gloves. After a series of small clothing, Coach Outlet increase the entire product family of Cheap Coach Handbags new vitality. Lightweight handbags more and more female consumers, COACH has launched a series of Coach Outlet to cater to this trend. Mentioned in fashion design, have to mention the Louis Vuitton UK brand labeled products, carefully planned in 2001, is about to a chain of \ Coach Outlet online \-shaped pattern decorative products. This series of products including Coach Outlet Online , hats and accessories. This series of Coach Outlet , the actual implementation of the brand Coach Outlet Usa years of marketing part of the strategy. Coach Bags Sale designer culled from the historical archives of the company accumulated a chain of \ Coach Outlet Online \-shaped pattern. But only as a marker of the brand, not as a new identity. Louis Vuitton Bags usual style is simple, realistic brand.

  5. Some are Louis Vuitton Handbags getting more than they Louis Vuitton Belts bargained for as they search for ad hoc Louis Vuitton Belts jobs. One Palm Beach man who previously Chanel Handbags worked on crews renovating Walmart stores agreed to Coach Factory Outlet clean out an apartment after a tenant Louis Vuitton Purses committed suicide. But he drew the line Chanel Handbag at hanging up a sex swing. Still the plaintive Boss Belts pleas for work keep coming online. That is because Coach Factory Online carpenters, bricklayers, roofers, Louis Vuitton Purses painters, electricians, plumbers and Coach Factory Online carpet installers have largely been left Coach Factory Outlet out of the economic recovery. Builders are Coach Factory Stores not hiring, homeowners are deferring Coach Outlet Store renovations and governments are postponing Coach Outlet Online highway and bridge projects. Economists Coach Outlet are forecasting that the Labor Department will Coach Factory Outlet announce on Friday that the nation’s Coach Outlet Store employers added about 165,000 net jobs last Coach Outlet month — few of them in the construction Coach Outlet industry.

  6. Coach Outlet Online is well known for the special design and the best service Coach Outlet for customers, and it’s a leading American designer and maker Coach Outlet of luxury lifestyle Coach bags and accessories. Coach Factory has become necessary in everyday life of women seeking fashion and simple designs simple Coach Factory Outlet and elegant to look at very affordable and practical. Coach Outlet knows what the needs of women when it comes to handbags with Coach Outlet Online wide range of bags collections. Sac Louis Vuitton are full of colors and beautiful designs with the most fashionable designer concepts. Coach Factory is one of the most famous coach outelt store in U.S that all the people like to consume. The brand new Coach Outlet Online coming from getting a high-end made to order Coach Outlet Online substances tag that will only the high-class, celeb types can afford; Coach Factory Online many substances brand the way the complete Eastern Hemisphere can enjoy. Coach Outlet Online all best on sale in our Coach Outlet sale center. Coach Baby Bags is a perfect pop-bright finish to a polychromatic look! Flattering in a slouchy style with the chain-linked Coach Outlet handles adding a modernistic cool, Louis Vuitton pas cher makes a fantastically stellar addition to your classic coach outlet coupon!

  7. w says:

    Recently, the spread of the Internet Cheap Hermes handbags Tarzan “free riders Raiders” has aroused the concern of the the Taishan management department. The Raiders recorded six fare evasion route Tarzan managers pointed out that the risk higher for several of these routes, mountain difficult to walk, poor parts of communication Hermes handbags outlet signals, more prone to accidents. This is not a single phenomenon. Baidu search for “free riders Raiders”, nearly a week of entry to more than 10,000. Vast amounts of information from Sanshanwuyue these beautiful mountains and rivers, the Jervois these “paradise on earth, and then to Sichuan, Yunnan tourism province, a variety of scenic fare evasion routes, methods, the Internet can find, and many lines are
    Hermes Steve Clemence Bags
    Hermes 2011
    Hermes Victoria Handbags

  8. 4 Accessories5-inch iPhone,Iphone Accessories that he designed Iphone Accessories iPhonePRO.Iphone 4 Accessories The designer describes the design Iphone 4 Accessories concept of this iphone concept machine is mainly for the Iphone 4s Accessories convenience of those who love to shoot,Iphone Accessories so he is jackyluck

  9. Pants are Louboutin Wedges worn people Louboutin Sandals lower Louboutin Slingback body clothing louboutin flat oppo about Louboutin Sneakers just a bird Sac hermes help people sac chloe we like swimming nike tn

Leave a Reply