Rape and Revenge Films

Is a sub-genre of exploitation film that was particularly popular in the 1970’s

They follow the same 3 Act structure:

• Act 1 – A woman is raped and left for dead

• Act 2 – Woman survives and rehabilitates herself

• Act 3 – Woman kills racists

Films which follow and are similar to this structure are ‘Last House on the left’ and ‘I Spit on your Grave’. Revenge is an underlining theme in this genre of film and is the main focus of our narrative, with the female acting as the superior.

These films receive praise from feminists, particularly Carol J. Clover – who wrote, ‘Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film’. She examines the implications of its reversals of traditional film gender roles and focuses on the victim’s transformation into the avenger as the key scene.

In our teaser trailer, we are going to ensure that the key part is the action of the young girl acting as the avenger, building tension and un-easiness amongst the audience.