5. 'I Spit On Your Grave' Sexualises Rape
Does the poster for I Spit On Your Grave adequately promote what the film is about? Well, the film is a rape-revenge story about a woman who is viciously sexually assaulted and then embarks on a bloody quest for revenge, so I suppose yes, it does. However, it also goes one step further and, unlike the film itself, deeply sexualises the violence inflicted on the protagonist, photographing her from behind with ripped underwear to show off more of her skin. Given that this is
rape we're talking about, it's just a bit unsavoury, is it not? A film can depict rape, even graphically, and not
glamourise it, and I would even argue that the film itself does not make a fantasy out of the rape (the BBFC deemed the imagery "not credibly likely to encourage imitation"); it is shown as a hideous act, and most of the gratification for the audience is in watching her exact revenge for this act. The poster, meanwhile, urges us to ogle her post-assault behind, whereas in the movie, the nudity was really just an incidental part of the horrific act. Perhaps criticising the poster for being tacky is to miss the point, but there were far better ways to promote this movie...