Review: The Last House on the Left vs. I Spit on Your Grave
Sexually offensive movies went with the aging of 70's along with bell bottoms and discos. However, there has been a recent reprisal of sexually graphic movies hitting the theaters. Movies such as, The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave have given a whole new meaning to the genre of revenge films. The Last House on the Left was first released in 1972 and was banned in the UK for violent rape scenes and extreme violence. The same happened to I Spit on Your Grave when it was released in 1978; it was quickly banned in several countries including Germany, Norway and Iceland. It was banned also for its violent rape scenes and extreme violence.
Both films can be categorized as revenge films, with the main characters coming back to commit atrocious acts of vengeance on their rapists. In the film, The Last House on the Left, the main character involves her parents who help her kill her attackers in such ways as leaving one of her attackers paralyzed with his head in an active microwave. The main character in I Spit on Your Grave goes on an independent killing spree, targeting each person involved in her gang rape, including the mentally challenged man who was forced into raping her. There's a very graphic scene of her hooking a fishing line through each eyelid of one of her rapists, followed by the slow drowning of another in acidic water, and the ass raping of another with the barrel of a gun.
Ironically, both films showcase the love of a family. In I Spit on Your Grave, the sheriff has a family who he shows his undying love towards. The morning after the rape he goes home and washes up, even going as far as to praise his daughter and hug her lovingly. You would never suspect that he was involved in a brutal gang rape the night before. Likewise, in The Last House on the Left, once the victim's family becomes aware of who their visitors are, their nice, Leave It to Beaver demeanor becomes that of a focused, sadistic killer as they come up with torturous ways to slowly kill their daughter's attackers.
I will say that the rape scenes in both films are extremely hard to sit through, although the rape scene in I Spit on Your Grave is not only prolonged but is also more graphically sadistic than in Wes Cravens film. Both films showcase women in vulnerable situations being raped and in the case of Last House on the Left, brutally left for dead. While watching either film, you never know what to really think; you know rape is wrong, but dammit so is murder. The only emotions running through your head are anger, disgust and horror. However in the end, you can't help but to side with the women. True, the men did not warrant this kind of killing, but the women did nothing to provoke such brutal rapes. Either way you think, at the end of the day, a vagina still beats out having a penis.
Both films can be categorized as revenge films, with the main characters coming back to commit atrocious acts of vengeance on their rapists. In the film, The Last House on the Left, the main character involves her parents who help her kill her attackers in such ways as leaving one of her attackers paralyzed with his head in an active microwave. The main character in I Spit on Your Grave goes on an independent killing spree, targeting each person involved in her gang rape, including the mentally challenged man who was forced into raping her. There's a very graphic scene of her hooking a fishing line through each eyelid of one of her rapists, followed by the slow drowning of another in acidic water, and the ass raping of another with the barrel of a gun.
Ironically, both films showcase the love of a family. In I Spit on Your Grave, the sheriff has a family who he shows his undying love towards. The morning after the rape he goes home and washes up, even going as far as to praise his daughter and hug her lovingly. You would never suspect that he was involved in a brutal gang rape the night before. Likewise, in The Last House on the Left, once the victim's family becomes aware of who their visitors are, their nice, Leave It to Beaver demeanor becomes that of a focused, sadistic killer as they come up with torturous ways to slowly kill their daughter's attackers.
I will say that the rape scenes in both films are extremely hard to sit through, although the rape scene in I Spit on Your Grave is not only prolonged but is also more graphically sadistic than in Wes Cravens film. Both films showcase women in vulnerable situations being raped and in the case of Last House on the Left, brutally left for dead. While watching either film, you never know what to really think; you know rape is wrong, but dammit so is murder. The only emotions running through your head are anger, disgust and horror. However in the end, you can't help but to side with the women. True, the men did not warrant this kind of killing, but the women did nothing to provoke such brutal rapes. Either way you think, at the end of the day, a vagina still beats out having a penis.
