Matilda Lutz

The rape-revenge sub-genre has grown tedious and tiresome. There is nothing particularly novel or clever about these films, which almost always present the male perspective of a woman’s sexual trauma and envision her enacting some grotesque revenge fantasy. That’s a huge narrative (and social) liberty to take with something as serious as sexual violence, and the prospect of sitting through yet another rape-revenge movie directed by some white dude is an exhausting one. So it was intriguing, and somewhat exciting, to learn that Revenge was written and directed by a woman.

In 2002, a movie terrified a generation with seven simple words: “Before you die, you see the ring.” The ring of ‘The Ring,’ this creepy video tape (and the weirdo ghost attached to it), was based on a Japanese novel and subsequent movie adaptation but went on the great success and acclaim in its own right. (Many, this writer included, actually prefer Gore Verbinski’s American version to the original.) A not-so-hot sequel followed and then, well, nothing. Maybe the idea of a VHS tape that kills everyone who watches it started to lose its cache after VHS went extinct. Just a guess.