6. I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
Banned: Australia, Finland, UK, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, China Meir Zarchi filmed this notorious slice of Rape/Revenge exploitation back in 1978. Apparently based upon his own experiences of encountering a young woman who had been raped in Central Park, New York and Zarchis disgust with the way the police handled the young woman, I Spit on Your Grave is certainly uncompromising viewing. Recently reappraised as a piece of feminist triumphalist cinema indeed, its original title was Day of the Woman - in which the female rape victim takes spectacular and ultra violent revenge upon her assailants, I Spit on Your Grave proved to be very problematic for film censors around the globe. The main bone of contention would be the films astounding level of sexual violence. The scenes featuring Camille Keaton (who plays the heroine Jennifer) being raped and sodomised by four local yokels are extremely brutal, harrowing and realistic. Her degradation seems to last for an eternity and it is horrific to watch. Jennifer wreaks vengeance in fantastic violent style. One scene that likely raised the censors hackles worldwide is the scene in which Jennifer pretends to get sexy with the yokel ring leader in a nice soapy bath. She feels him up a bit before sneaking a knife into the tub which she uses to slice off his knackers. Agonising scenes of blood spurting from the castrated man and his howling are juxtaposed with scenes of a stony faced Jennifer staring into the fire and playing opera music. The other three men are respectively hanged, hit with an axe and ploughed into with a boat engine. While not as egregious as the castration scene, their deaths are not particularly pleasant to watch. One of the notorious Video Nasties which was prosecuted for obscenity in Britain, I Spit on Your Grave really invoked the ire of the Irish censors who refused to pass it as late as 2011. It was also very controversial in Canada. It got into a lot of trouble in the territory of Nova Scotia. Certainly one of the worlds least feel good films, I Spit on Your Grave retains its power to shock and appall all of these years later.