31 Days of Horror: ‘I Spit on Your Grave 2’ Review

Stars: Jemma Dallender, Yavor Baharov, Joe Absolom, Aleksandar Aleksiev, Mary Stockley | Written by Neil Elman, Thomas Fenton | Directed by Steven R. Monroe

So it’s that time of year again. October. The trees are changing, the sky is darkening and Halloween is just around the corner. It seems only fitting then, that horror movies are released in large volume and horror fans around the world are wetting their gills with what is on offer.

A few years back we were treated to a remake of Day of the Woman or I Spit on Your Grave and it was a very good remake that while it wasn’t for everyone did a good job at updating the premise and adding some much needed gore to the mix. I was surprised, to be honest, to hear they were putting out a sequel though, but here we are.

Directed by Steven R. Monroe, the guy who directed the 2010 remake of I Spit on Your Grave, this sequel follows much of the same plot as the first film, with the obvious difference being that while the first film was set in a secluded woodland area, this one is set in a city.

We follow the main character, Katie, a young woman who is struggling to make it in the vicious and hard hitting world of modelling, through a series of situations we see that she accepts a particular job that then leads to terrible and tragic events, much like those that occurred in the first movie.

Jemma Dallender plays Katie and for an actress who has very little on her film resume, her performance is very good and she plays her part very convincingly. It’s a hard going concept but you know what to expect going in to this film I would imagine. The initial attack on Katie is disturbing, like any depiction of this sort of thing is, but from there the film becomes more of a revenge horror film and is easier to deal with.

Much like the original 1978 film and the 2010 remake, this will certainly not be for everyone. The plot if disturbing, like those that came before, and it is hard to say that the film is an enjoyable experience because of this. Still, the sequences of vengeance do fulfil expectations as far as I’m concerned.

It isn’t a perfect film, far from it, there are moments that seem unnecessarily brutal and long which make it hard to stomach. I understand that it’s a horror film and its dealing with harsh reality but I couldn’t help but find some sequences contrived and much too extensive. The setting, while different, is harder to expel disbelief from, in my view, I preferred the seclusion of the original film and its remake, but I liked that the film-maker made a real attempt to change it up and I respect that. I will say that the performances, for the most part, are well executed and the cinematography is easy on the eye.

A harsh and brutal film, yes, but a horror movie at its core, I Spit on Your Grave 2 will appeal to fans of the other “Spit-flicks” as well as those who enjoy revenge horror movies.

I Spit on Your Grave 2 is out now through Anchor Bay Entertainment, and is available on DVD and Blu-ray.