I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

It is funny, Hollywood continually remake movies that often do not need that type of treatment. One such movie is I Spit on Your Grave. While I have not watched the remake, it is clearly a film that did not need to be remade. Straightforward and powerful, that movie made an impact in one viewing during the 1980s when it finally came off the banned movie list. Last night, I decided to watch it again.

Plot/ An aspiring writer is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated, and left for dead by four men whom she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.

I remember seeing this one for the first time in the 1980s and I was shocked at the pure violent acts that took place. When I watched this one again last night for the first time since, the same appalling feelings filled my mind. This is not a typical exploitation flick from the 1970s; it is purely the terror of rape and the type of revenge that could develop. This is straightforward and lacks the cinematic efforts that often try to sugarcoat the degrading act. While the acting is uneven, the characters rather flat an unlikeable, the movie works by instilling a sense of realness in creating the true horror of an unthinkable act. In the end, I Spit on Your Grave (AKA Day of the Woman) is not for everyone. But it is a movie that is much better than may realize and one that will leave a lasting impression if you can make it through it.

Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

After taking a break from blogging last night so I could focus on Steelers101.com, I figured it was time to finally sit down and write about this next flick, the controversial Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence). While my review is below, let me start by stating that no matter what you feel about this movie (or type of movie) writer / director Tom Six must be applauded for his willingness to push the envelope in filmmaking. Too many times, films of today must fit into a cookie cutter, something neither Human Centipede movies do.  

Plot/ Martin is a mentally disturbed loner who lives with his mother in a bleak housing project. He works the night shift as a security guard in an equally grim and foreboding underground parking complex. To escape his dreary existence, Martin loses himself in the fantasy world of the cult horror film The Human Centipede (First Sequence), fetishizing the meticulous surgical skills of the gifted Dr. Heiter, whose knowledge of the human gastrointestinal system inspires Martin to attempt the unthinkable.

I am all about movies that are disturbing and applaud filmmakers that want to push the limits with their craft, in Human Centipede 2 that is what Tom Six does. Yes, it lacks character development, there is somewhat non-linear plot, and it lacks tension or scare. What is it you ask? It is one of the most disturbing and visually violent films I have seen in some time (maybe ever). The entire film is a journey into the dark depths of a psychotic mind, consumed with creating something that could scar the weak and squeamish. Honestly, it took me a while to grasp what I had watched and determine my real thoughts. In the end, yes some of it was truly gross, unexpected and visually intense, but it was also a far superior movie in compared to the first and the black-and-white cinematography is a perfect choice. It is definitely not for everyone and if you are in any way squeamish or cannot handle graphic violence for the sake of graphic violence stay far away. If not, it is a disturbing spiral that may be one of the more disturbing flicks I have seen.