Rape and Revenge Films: Cult Classics and More
by SmakethDown638 | created - 08 Feb 2012 | updated - 08 Feb 2012 | PublicI have a lot these in my collection. This is not a "best of" list or anything, but more of what I have and recommend to everyone. It was the rape and revenge genre that changed my moving watching forever. I was a horror fan (thanks to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre) for a couple of years, but then I saw some of these movies, and I began to hunt down movies that are disturbing.
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1. The Last House on the Left (1972)
R | 84 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln
Votes: 40,293 | Gross: $3.10M
This was my first rape and revenge film. I watched it and it stuck with me for a good couple of days. I wasn't disturbed, but I was more blown away by what I had seen because I never really saw anything like that in a movie before. Raping, sadistic torture, and then the revenge were just incredible. I loved it, and I still do to this day. David Hess will always be one of my favorite cult actors. This is not for everyone, but I highly recommend this if you want to know more about rape and revenge movies.
2. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
An aspiring writer is repeatedly assaulted, humiliated, and left for dead by four men she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.
Director: Meir Zarchi | Stars: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols
Votes: 31,209
Naturally, I did a search on the web after seeing Last House, and I discovered this gem. Intense movie with some crazy scenes for sure. No music, so it leaves you feeling disgusted as there's nothing but quietness in between the scenes. Camille Keaton was great in this film, and just like Last House, this movie stuck with me for a while. Another favorite, and another essential movie for this genre.
3. Hitch-Hike (1977)
Unrated | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A bickering couple driving cross-country pick up a murderous hitchhiker who threatens to kill them unless they take him to a sanctuary. In return he agrees to split some bank loot he has on him.
Director: Pasquale Festa Campanile | Stars: Franco Nero, Corinne Cléry, David Hess, Joshua Sinclair
Votes: 3,203
Ah yes, another David Hess movie. Franco Nero (Django) is in this as well. Really good film that is truly underrated. Another memorable film, and it's a shame that it hasn't gotten the better dvd treatment.
4. Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young woman, rendered mute after a childhood sexual assault, is trained to seek violent revenge on those who kidnapped and forced her into prostitution.
Director: Bo Arne Vibenius | Stars: Christina Lindberg, Heinz Hopf, Despina Tomazani, Per-Axel Arosenius
Votes: 8,523
This film is on par with I Spit on Your Grave! Movie is intense as we see all kinds of hell for our main protagonist. The slow-motion death scenes in this movie were awesome, and this is really an inspiration for Tarantino's Kill Bill. Terrific movie that will you not forget!
5. House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
91 min | Horror, Thriller
Two low-life punks invite themselves to a party at a posh villa and after being taunted by their snobbish hosts, hold everyone hostage and subject them to various forms of torture and mayhem.
Director: Ruggero Deodato | Stars: David Hess, Annie Belle, Christian Borromeo, Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Votes: 5,941
David Hess is in this one, and it's the third role for him as a crazy villain. Very entertaining movie that is memorable. Some say it's better than Last House, which I don't agree with, but it is a really good movie though.
6. Death Wish (1974)
R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, Steven Keats
Votes: 44,051 | Gross: $22.00M
A Charles Bronson movie is part of this? Why, yes indeed. His wife is murdered, and his daughter is raped. Kersey decides it's time to take the law into his hands and get rid of the crime himself. Action-packed film, and a very good one. A little disappointing as we don't get the ultimate revenge so to speak, but we still get a good film.
7. Last Stop on the Night Train (1975)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A pair of psychotic hoodlums and an equally demented nymphomaniac woman terrorize two young girls on a train trip from Germany to Italy.
Director: Aldo Lado | Stars: Flavio Bucci, Macha Méril, Gianfranco De Grassi, Enrico Maria Salerno
Votes: 3,429
It's like Last House on the Left, only on a train! Really good film that has to be seen. Great atmosphere and lighting in this one. Under-appreciated film.
8. Ms .45 (1981)
R | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Zoë Lund, Bogey, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto
Votes: 12,553
It's like a female version of Death Wish. Really good movie!
9. Straw Dogs (1971)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan, T.P. McKenna
Votes: 64,509
Yes, Dustin Hoffman was in a movie from this type of genre. A really good film that is disturbing to many. It was very controversial at the time. Powerful film that doesn't get a lot of attention. Well, it was remade, so I guess it got some attention haha.
10. Extremities (1986)
R | 89 min | Drama, Thriller
A woman takes revenge on the man who invades her home and tries to rape her.
Director: Robert M. Young | Stars: Farrah Fawcett, James Russo, Alfre Woodard, Diana Scarwid
Votes: 4,297 | Gross: $13.42M
Don't overlook this one as it is pretty good!
11. The Virgin Spring (1960)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
In 14th-century Sweden, an innocent yet pampered teenage girl and her family's pregnant and jealous servant set out from their farm to deliver candles to church, but only one returns from events that transpire in the woods along the way.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson
Votes: 31,650 | Gross: $1.53M
The one that really started it all. A masterpiece of a film that has to be seen! This is the one that truly started the rape-revenge genre!
12. Trip with the Teacher (1975)
R | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A teacher and her class of female students take a class trip to the desert. Their bus breaks down, and they find themselves terrorized by a gang of psycho bikers.
Director: Earl Barton | Stars: Zalman King, Brenda Fogarty, Cathy Worthington, Dina Ousley
Votes: 1,642
Pretty good film for 70s sleaze. This one you don't hear a whole lot about, but if you watch it, you will enjoy it.
13. Born for Hell (1976)
Unrated | 92 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A disturbed American war veteran arrives in Belfast during the Northern Ireland conflicts, and proceeds to terrorize a household of female nursing students.
Directors: Denis Héroux, Géza von Radványi | Stars: Mathieu Carrière, Debra Berger, Christine Boisson, Myriam Boyer
Votes: 998
Didn't think much about this at first, but once I popped it into the dvd, it was a crazy movie! Very intense!
14. The Last House on Dead End Street (1973)
R | 78 min | Horror
After being released from prison, a young gangster with a chip on his shoulder decides to punish society by making snuff films.
Director: Roger Watkins | Stars: Roger Watkins, Ken Fisher, Bill Schlageter, Kathy Curtin
Votes: 2,326
Crazy ultra-low budget film. Hard to find, but if you get it, you won't regret it.
15. Run! Bitch Run! (2009)
Unrated | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Things go horribly wrong when Catherine and Rebecca, two Catholic schoolgirls, knock on the wrong door while selling religious paraphernalia.
Director: Joseph Guzman | Stars: Ivet Corvea, Cheryl Lyone, John Winscher, Peter Tahoe
Votes: 3,269
Here's one from recent time. A throwback to the genre as it takes place in the seventies. Well done film actually!
16. Savage Vengance (1993 Video)
Not Rated | 65 min | Horror, Thriller
Five years after she avenged her own rape, young law student Jennifer decides to take a brief vacation with a girlfriend. Unfortunately, they become the next targets of two depraved men.
Director: Donald Farmer | Stars: Camille Keaton, Nikki Riggins, James Cochran, Bill Gatson
Votes: 776
The unofficial sequel to I Spit on Your Grave. Get it if you dare. I got it just because I am a completest.
17. Don't Mess with My Sister! (1985)
R | 94 min | Action, Drama
Steven, a meek accountant-in-training, is living contentedly with his wife Clara and working for her brothers, managing the books at their junkyard. All of this changes when the belly ... See full summary »
Director: Meir Zarchi | Stars: Joe Perce, Jeannine Lemay, Jack Gurci, Peter Sapienza
Votes: 286
Got this mainly because it was the only other film directed by Zarchi (I Spit on Your Grave). Surprisingly good!
18. The Last House on the Left (2009)
R | 110 min | Horror, Thriller
After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging to the parents of one of the victims: a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics.
Director: Dennis Iliadis | Stars: Garret Dillahunt, Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Bowen
Votes: 100,403 | Gross: $32.75M
Unnecessary remake, but it was a good film. The villains aren't as vicious in this one, but there's still some good stuff.
19. I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
R | 108 min | Horror, Thriller
A writer who is brutalized during her cabin retreat seeks revenge on her attackers, who left her for dead.
Director: Steven R. Monroe | Stars: Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Daniel Franzese
Votes: 93,174 | Gross: $0.09M
Another remake that we didn't need. Not bad, but like the Last House remake, it suffers from the villains just not being as vicious. The *beep* the villains go through is insane though. That was the movie's saving grace.
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