The infamous 1978 cult classic, I Spit on Your Grave, has just been re-released in the UK on 4K Ultra HD, restored and fully remastered from director Meir Zarchi’s own personal 35mm print. As controversial as ever, the film shocked and divided the world as Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) is brutally assaulted and enacts her horrific plans for revenge, culminating in some of the most gruesome scenes ever captured on film.
A mainstay of the “video nasty” craze, the movie is presented within a stunning three-disc collection with new and exclusive UK extras (including a UK-only audio commentary and intro with Camille Keaton) and a wealth of bonus material. Terry Zarchi, documentary filmmaker and son of Meir Zarchi, also gets his feature-length film Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave, showcased in this set, and he tells us more about this notorious film and the new release.
Firstly, what’s your earliest memory of I Spit on Your Grave?
You know, honestly, my initial memory is being approached by the crew on my father’s movie telling me I was going to be in a scene. I was scared and started crying! [Laughs] I was just shy and didn’t want to do it. Then, my first memory of actually being around the set was with my sister when we looked out from a window and saw the lead actress, Camille Keaton, totally naked. We were shocked. We were never allowed on the set itself, but we peeped through a window and we were like “Oh my God, she’s naked!” Many years later, in my documentary Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave, I got to interview so many people who worked on the film and really explore it as an adult, but as a child those were my only real memories.
As a young person, how aware were you of any controversy surrounding the film?
It was kind of quiet, only in my teenage years did I finally realise that my father made something different, or that there were bad things being said. I never really paid too much attention, and nobody ever gave me a hard time about it. If anything, in my late teens people became quite amused or intrigued when they learned about this connection I had.
Do you think your father Meir [Zarchi] had any notion of how much of a huge story it would become, or do you think in the moment he was just making the film he wanted to make?
I truly believe he was just making the film based on his experience. The back story is that he stumbled across and helped a sexual assault victim and took her to a police station. The way she was treated was so awful, they were asking her “why were you in the park at that time?” and “why did you dress that way?”, as if she was to be blamed for what happened. He got very angry, wrote a script and added the sweet revenge part. So, I don’t know if “innocent” is the right word, but it was a rather innocent approach for him to vent his frustration around the treatment this poor girl received. So no, I don’t think he expected any of this, considering it’s one of the most talked about films in cinema history!
I hear he’s still in good health! How does he feel these days with all these new formats and renewed interest the film gets, not to mention this new 4K release?
I always say he takes things in his stride. The fact that the remake was released in 2010, then the sequel in 2013, part three in 2015 and I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu and my documentary released the same year in 2019, it’s very cool. I think it’s just a joy that it’s all emerged from this one low budget movie that filmed in 1976, released in 1978 as Day of the Woman and then re-released in 1980 as I Spit On Your Grave after Jerry Gross, the mastermind behind the campaign, changed the title, hired a young Demi Moore to pose as the model on the poster, cut a new trailer, and brought us to where we are now.
The film is famously still cut by the BBFC in the UK. Parts have been restored over the years but it’s still not entirely uncut. What’s your take on this?
I wish I knew and it seems strange in today’s time. Look at what films and TV shows get away with in 2022! As I recall, people seeing horrendous acts on YouTube has proven to be worse in terms of attracting copycats, and yet a feature film, an artistic work, draws more controversy. It’s a fascinating subject which we could talk about for hours, but I don’t know the answer.
Can you tell us about the new 4K release in the UK?
Yes, it’s the first time in 44 years that it will be available scanned from my father’s own 35mm film print, very exciting! The film looks incredible, so sharp and clean, and I noticed a lot of details in the frame which I had never seen before. There’s three discs and some beautiful art cards included. In terms of extra content, there’s multiple audio commentaries including a UK exclusive commentary and intro with Camille Keaton, an interview with Meir, behind-the-scenes, vintage TV and radio spots, plus my feature documentary is on there too. I would say this is the definitive edition for fans to get hold of.
It’s important to touch on the last sequel, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu, since you produced and edited the film and worked with your father. What are your best memories from that time?
It was an amazing process, everything from casting and finding our talented actors, to post-production, and going into a big studio for the poster shoot with Jamie Bernadette, who is incredible in the film. You know, a lot of things have changed between now and back in the 1980’s and 90’s when my father was selling these films into different territories, but you learn everything you can, find new creative ways to do things and just buckle up!
How long did it take to make your documentary, Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave?
It took around five years in total, and I started it in 2013, working on it little by little and shooting small segments at a time. Then five years later I was right in the middle of working on I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu. I finished the documentary and by pure miracle they both got released on the same day in April 2019! It was really special. But what’s interesting is that the documentary changed so much while I was making it. At first, I had the title, I Spit on Your Grave: The Man and Madness Behind It All and it was all focused around my father and his story. Thankfully Camille [Keaton] signed up and we filmed her for a whole day, then I decided I had to get the four male actors, I managed to get two, and it grew from there. I also found the production manager, someone involved in the distribution, I spoke to fans around the world, I spoke to a sexual assault victim, so it kept on growing. In documentaries, you don’t start with a script as such, so it evolved and we got all this great material, then the story completely changed.
What do you feel is the legacy of I Spit on Your Grave?
I think the legacy is around the subject of sexual assault and how much of a taboo it still is. Remember it goes right back to how that poor victim of assault was treated after those horrible things happened to her, which made Meir write the movie in the first place. A lot of people ask is it a misogynistic film, or does it empower women? There’s a million people on both sides of the fence and it’s so divisive. So I think a large part of the legacy is the subject matter but, secondly, a movie was made about it, telling this awful story in the form of art, which is what cinema is. Another lesson is that films don’t need to be perfect. Here’s a movie made on a low budget and there are certainly imperfections, but those imperfections – whatever they may be – fly past your eyes because of what’s happening on screen. You don’t need to make a perfect movie for it to be a success.
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment presents I Spit on Your Grave out now on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from September 26th.
