130) Revenge Narratives

I saw the trailer for I Spit on Your Grave a few days ago, and was struck by the prevalence of the "revenge theme" in the horror genre. The revenge story arc is fairly formulaic. Young woman who is outside of her normal environment (a city girl in the country, or vice versa) is brutalized and raped by a group of locals. Said locals pay dearly (torture, and sure death) at the hand of the young woman or the young woman's family.

Some more examples, so you can see the arc in action. I Spit on Your Grave is actually a remake of the 1978 movie by the same name.


Similarly, 2009's The Last House on the Left is a remake of Wes Craven's 1972 thriller, which is based off of Ingmar Bergman's 1960 classic, The Virgin Spring.


Couldn't find the trailer for The Virgin Spring, but here's a clip in another language. You get the gist.


There are certain elements that I find interesting in these revenge narratives. Mainly, the scenario in which it is believed that a woman would not only be justified in horribly violent revenge, but that she could actually go through with it. Apparently, the ingredients for such a scenario includes a young woman who is either a virgin, or possesses virginal or pure qualities. Though physical violence is a must, it's not enough that the woman be beat up for a prolonged period of time. The act of rape by multiple men is key in pushing the crime into the warrants-brutal-revenge territory.

The bottom line is, the more horrible the initial offense, the more satisfying it is for the viewer to watch the protagonist exact her revenge. It's no matter that the acts that she performs (in I Spit on Your Grave, it's clear that she uses her sexuality to her advantage) are no better than those inflicted on her. But somehow, it's made acceptable to us and the fictional authorities, as no one ever seems to face any real life consequences for their vigilante revenge.