A while back, I wanted to start a series comparing original horror films to their remake. The goal was to break both of them down and see which one was superior in my eyes and why. I started with the controversial films, I Spit On Your Grave. I Spit On Your Grave follows a writer, Jennifer Hills, who travels to a remote cabin to focus on her book. Her trip takes a horrifying turn as a group of locals break into her cabin, assault her, and leave her for dead. Beaten but alive, Jennifer plans her revenge against each man. I hope you enjoy and let me know which films I should do next! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Let’s start with the main protagonists, Jennifer Hills! I personally love both of these portrayals, but for different reasons. Camilla Keaton brought a fun charismatic role to her character. Sarah Butler brought the shy, introverted writer, character trait to her role. When it comes to their revenge scenes, their personalities change drastically! They seem to really lose themselves in their characters, and their performances are impeccable! It’s impossible to choose a winner because they were so different and they both are completely bada**!

As for the antagonists of the story, Andy, Stanley, Johnny, Matthew, and (remake) Sheriff Storch, it’s also impossible to choose the most despicable of the bunch. They all treated Jennifer as an object they can do whatever they wanted to, and they all deserved their comeuppance. I think one of the differences between the two groups is, in the remake, each person had their own distinct characteristic; more so than the original. You knew more about the characters and the way their characteristics were used against them, that made for better storytelling.

Now we come to the controversial subject that steers people away from these films, the assault scenes. Before I start with that, I have something to say. Admittedly, when I first wrote this article a couple of years ago, I defended the use of the the scenes and I figured since it was all fiction, that people shouldn’t have had a problem with it. It was a very naive viewpoint on my part and I’ve since then listened and understood and I deeply apologize. Although the scenes from both films are extremely messed up, I believe the remake certainly gets the edge for toning down the brutality.

Now that we have the controversial subject out of the way, it’s time to focus on the best parts of the films, the revenge of our lead women! Now, the different ways that these two exact revenge are very interesting. Camilla Keaton’s Jennifer used seduction to lure the men into a false sense of security before killing each one. Sarah Butler’s Jennifer used a different approach. She manipulated the men and made them think someone else was messing with them, and used that to maneuver around her assaulters.

When it comes to revenge, exact revenge is the best way to do it. For this reason, I have to say this is why the remake is superior. Simply put, Butler’s Jennifer turns each sin against the sinner! Everything her assaulters did to her, she did right back to them. Andy dunked her head in water repeatedly, so she dunked his head in a bathtub full of lye. Mathew choked her while he r***d her, so she strangled him right back. Stanley liked to watch everything, so she had his eyes plucked out. The I Spit On Your Grave remake is the perfect revenge film in my opinion.

I personally love both films, but I believe the remake won this round. It handled a messed-up subject in somewhat more subtle way. I love the music, and I love the more exact revenge. Which film did you prefer?