I forgot where I read this, but earlier this week someone made the joke that if Hollywood only develops remakes, what will they have to remake 20 years from now? I thought it was hilarious, and interestingly enough, true. The remake craze continues this evening as CineTel Films has acquired rights to remake I Spit on Your Grave, the 1978 female revenge film that was reviled for its depiction of sex and violence. You can read all of the details inside.
The remake rights were owned by Meir Zarchi, who directed, produced and wrote the original. Though the majority of CineTel's releases are straight-to-DVD titles, the company will make "Spit" for a theatrical release.
In the original, a woman is abducted, brutally attacked and raped and then left for dead. She survives, hunts her attackers and dispatches them in graphic ways. Critics, especially Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, hated the film, much to Zarchi's delight.
"The more the film was attacked, the more money shot into my pocket," Zarchi said. "The two persons who contributed most to that, especially in the beginning, were Siskel and Ebert. ... I wouldn't change a frame of it, and I hope the remake is just as controversial."
Pic will be produced by CineTel prexy-CEO Paul Hertzberg and Lisa Hansen, with Jeff Klein, Alan Ostroff, Gary Needle and Zarchi as exec producers.
As reviled as it was when originally released, "I Spit on Your Grave" was a precursor to a slew of female revenge film hits, Hertzberg said. Contemporary genre fare has become so graphically violent that the original doesn't seem as outrageous as it did 30 years ago. Hertzberg is listening to pitches from writers on how to ratchet up the shock factor.
"After seeing what was done with an R rating on films like 'Saw' and 'Hostel,' we think we can modernize this story, be competitive with what this marketplace expects and not have to aim for an NC-17 or X rating," Hertzberg said.
Contacted by Daily Variety, Ebert said only that his hope is that this time, the result is a better film.
"Contemporary genre fare has become so graphically violent that the original doesn't seem as outrageous as it did 30 years ago."
While recent horror just keeps getting nastier, I'll tell you something, the shock factor of I Spit On Your Grave has diminished not one iota. It's still a grotesque, exceptionally unpleasant movie to watch.
As Much as I try to embrace the remakes of films from the same era as "I Spit" i cant help but get a little angry (anger maybe to strong) more frustrated at why these films need to be remade - I know that the remakes cannot diminish the orignals reputation(especially for those who cherish the orginals)but I cant see why films like "Spit" and "Last house on the left" need to be be made, especially as they will NEVER share the same impact and reputation as the orginals.
They will be just another "glossy" "throw away" film utlising the original titles. (Either make an 'Original' film [using that term loosely]or rework old films just dont defecate on the originals and give them a differnet title)
i have to agree with cinema suicide. that film still makes me uncomfortable, more than what they release now. i nominate we stop a remake and instead make it a long going series like the ANGEL movies. dont remake i spit on your grave and last house on the left. remake everything else if they must.
no one is doing Nail gun massacre..how about that?
Like I said, I hear about an upcoming remake "at least" once a week on this site. Obviously, I can't blame the site. It's the sterile imaginations of so many people working in the genre and the studios who won't green light a project that hasn't been proven to make money by historical precedent and marketing surveys that are to blame for the agonizingly slow suicide of this genre.
CineTel Films reports: "I Spit On Your Maid" a story of illegal immigration, degradation, and the loss of low-paying service jobs to foreigners.
SHIT, that sounds scary? ;)
This just proves again that the 00's will be known as a decade of recycled culture. 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's: all have definitive music, clothing, movies, etc. All we have now is retro this and remake that. Bullshit. Where's the new Kurt Cobain to help fix all this shit?
Sorry RUSHNMUTT. There was a little sarcasm to my RZ comment. But I could seriously see him doing this flick, it's right up his alley. It's got all the exploitation elements he likes, think "Devil's Rejects".
Jeez, the only way they're gonna "out-do" the original (& by out-do, I don't mean "make better") is by making the rape scenes XXX. Those scenes are what pissed so many people off when the original was released. Yeah, they can up the violence, but if they think that's going to make the movie just as shocking or revolting or whatever, they need to put down the pipe & just go make another Saw/Hostel knock-off instead....
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The remake rights were owned by Meir Zarchi, who directed, produced and wrote the original. Though the majority of CineTel's releases are straight-to-DVD titles, the company will make "Spit" for a theatrical release.
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