20 Best Horror Movies Of 2021
3. Violation
The rape-revenge subgenre has undergone something of a resurgence in recent years with female filmmakers coming aboard to offer their welcome perspective on a type of movie that too often trivialises - or exploits, even - the impact of sexual assault.
Violation, co-directed and co-written by its terrific lead Madeleine Sims-Fewer, is one of the genre's most bracing and uncompromising entries ever, following a woman (Sims-Fewer) who seeks ultimate revenge against the man who raped her.
What differentiates Violation from almost every other movie in this torrid subgenre is how matter-of-factly it deals with both the trauma caused by sexual assault and the nature of revenge.
This isn't about superficial empowerment where the victim kills their attacker and freely moves on with their life. Sims-Fewer dares to go deeper and consider the scars that last longer, that bringing more violence into the world isn't necessarily a satisfactory solution.
It's certainly not for the faint of heart or stomach, but boldly confronts audiences about their own idea of justice.