3. I Spit On Your Grave
Also known as Day of the Woman; I Spit On Your Grave often finds itself alongside the likes of A Serbian Film and Salo: 100 Days of Sodom, as one of the most sexually graphic, violent, and controversial films of all time. A rave-revenge tale in a similar vein to Last House on the Left, I Spit On Your Grave is the story of how an isolated young female is pursued, attacked, and repeatedly raped by three woodland hicks. After recovering, she fashions a plan to inflict the same torture on the trio as they did on her, systematically isolating each gang member and murdering them one by one. I Spit On Your Grave was widely panned and discredited upon its release (Roger Ebert called the film a "vile bag of garbage"), but the film does have its admirers, and managed to spawn a remake in 2010, and even a remake sequel in 2013. Those willing to defend the film do so on the grounds that I Spit On Your Grave is as merciless and relentless as the brutal act of rape that it is attempting to portray - raw, bloody, and unflinching. Meir Zarchi's film is badly dubbed, ineptly shot, and received so many forced legal cuts that the it often adopts the appearance of a scratched DVD. Curiously though, like many of the other Video Nasties, its poorly-made, blatantly low-budget production gives the movie an unsettling and disturbing quality on top of the intense gore. The film survives through heated debate and discussion rather than repeated exhibitions. Indeed, I Spit On Your Grave continues to live on through criticism despite being released as a low-budget exploitation picture over 36 years ago. Does that make it a good movie? Hard to say. But it certainly makes it one of the most infamous Video Nasties of all time.