SciFiNow Exclusive: I Spit on Your Grave in 4K with Terry Zarchi

I Spit on Your Grave remains one of the most shocking and controversial films of all time, influencing genre cinema, spurring on imitators, and inspiring pop culture. The film itself needs virtually no introduction and has fuelled debate for decades, both dismissed as exploitation and celebrated as a feminist classic.

Having just been re-released in the UK on 4K Ultra HD, restored from director Meir Zarchi’s own personal 35mm film, a revisit feels timely. We’ve widely covered the franchise in the past and encourage genre fans to take that journey too. Be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart but it’s also something you won’t easily forget!

We caught up with Terry Zarchi, documentary filmmaker and son of I Spit on Your Grave’s Meir Zarchi, to tell us more about the restoration and what’s next as the film approaches 45 years…

Hi Terry, we’ve spoken in the past about the original I Spit on Your Grave film and the franchise as a whole. How was it for you going back to Meir’s own 35mm camera negative for this brand-new release?

It’s been a really special experience for me and my family. This is actually the first time in 44 years that it will be seen in the UK in this state, scanned from my father’s own print as you mentioned. It means a lot to me. My mother, who is no longer with us, actually did the negative cutting on the picture, so they took this original negative that’s been stored away in a laboratory vault for many decades and got this beautiful 4K presentation. It looks so lush and I felt like I was seeing it for the first time, like seeing it through a very clean windshield. The blood is so red, the trees look so green, and the wilderness looks incredible. There’s also a lot of background detail I hadn’t noticed before.

What was the condition of the camera negative? You hear stories about some film reels being badly stored or damaged, but it sounds like this was well preserved!

Yes, it was very well preserved. There was some very slight vinegar syndrome here and there, but for the most part it looked incredible. It was very surprising for me because I’m used to seeing a lot of old 35mm prints which are completely scratched and filthy. Also, in this film we’re used to seeing a dirty, horrifying, exploitation story but now it looks so clean and crisp. People always talked about it having a grainy, naturalistic documentary look and this really comes to life. The cinematographer, Yuri Haviv, did a great job building such strong visuals but also using the environment this film takes place in.

Can you talk about this new 4K release and what it contains across the three discs?

There’s a ton of great material including a new, UK-only audio commentary and intro with Camille Keaton, a new interview with film historian Chris Poggiali about legendary distributor Jerry Gross who was instrumental in marketing and releasing the film, an interview with Meir Zarchi, more commentaries with Meir and critic Joe Bob Briggs, alternate opening titles (for Day of the Woman as it was first known), a look back at the locations, my own 8mm film with Camille Keaton which is fun, footage of Camille and Meir’s real wedding, rare set photos and, of course, my feature documentary Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave. I’m really happy to see everything presented together. This collector’s edition is the Grand Slam release for this movie. If you want to go to the school of I Spit on Your Grave, this is it! You’ll see the movie looking better than ever and you’ll learn a huge amount of history from all the extra material.

How does Meir feel about the ongoing popularity?

He keeps a low profile and takes everything in his stride, but I don’t think he ever expected any of this. I believe he’s happy that so much has come from this one low-budget movie he made. There are sequels, a remake, the documentary, books have been written, and of course the original film is still being discovered and talked about to this day.

Since I Spit on Your Grave has become your family business, do you feel protective over the legacy?

That’s interesting, I never looked at it that way, but I am very proud of my father’s cinematic achievements, making a little film regardless of the subject, that people are still talking about years later. I think it’s important that I’m not just jumping in and taking over. I feel like I’ve earned my keep. I worked my butt off making my documentary for five years. It was a huge amount of work but it paid off. What started as a film interviewing my father on his experiences evolved into speaking to several of the cast and crew and telling the bigger story. Then, I also produced and edited the sequel, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu, which reunited the original director and star and took the main character’s journey full circle. Then both films were released on the same date in April 2019, which was crazy. All this of course stemmed from me being dragged into appearing in my father’s 1978 film as a child!

So I feel it’s satisfying that I’ve contributed my own parts to this greater legacy. I’m grateful and happy to see audiences still connecting with the film. We may have some new things planned for I Spit on Your Grave, since next year will be the 45th anniversary. I can’t say anything right now but stay tuned. No matter what your take is, everyone’s view is important and I think there’s always a conversation to be had, and maybe it’s more relevant now than ever.

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment presents I Spit on Your Grave out now on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from 26^th September. Find it here.