Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study

by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Often considered the lowest depth to which the cinema can plummet, the rape-revenge film has been dismissed as exploitative and sensational, catering to a demented demographic. Only on such rare occasions as Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, John Boorman's Deliverance and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill has the rape-revenge movie transcended what is commonly assumed to be its intrinsically regressive nature.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Horror, Feminism, Media Tie In, Pop Culture

238 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2011

About the author

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is a film critic, research academic and the author of seven books on cult, horror, and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics. She has recently co-edited the book ReFocus: The Films of Elaine May for Edinburgh University Press, and her forthcoming book 1000 Women in Horror has been optioned for a documentary series. Alexandra is also a programming consultant for Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the largest genre film festival in the United States.

Reviews

[Bryan Cebulski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer on the genre. Heller-Nicholas casts a broad net and winds up only scratching the surface insofar as analysis is concerned, but she does a fantastic job of revealing the many ways the rape-revenge formula manifests in film. Diverse representations and all that. Most films get only a couple sentences breaking down their content outside just outlining the plot, but it's still revealing. I suppose there's not that much work done on the topic to draw from. Heller-Nicholas does frequently cite the sources that do exist (mainly, of course, Clover's Men, Women and Chain Saws). I was only expecting something more in-depth, and maybe with a more pointed argument as regards the genre's relationship with gender politics. What we have instead is a relatively simple thesis that rape-revenge narratives come in many shapes and sizes--from shoddy exploitation to big-budget blockbuster--and that for various reasons these movies are very, very interesting.

I would not recommend reading through this book all in just a few sittings like I did. Just reading mere outlines of these movies' plotlines gave me nightmares.

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read! I really enjoy exploring film criticism and gaining a deeper knowledge of genres and categories. Previously when I thought about rape-revenge films I automatically defaulted to them being in the exploitation or horror genres. So it was interesting to see in this book how Alexandra Heller-Nicholas was bringing up examples of a lot of films that fall outside those genres. It definitely expanded my thinking.

I’m glad that I was able to read the second edition of the book that came out in 2021. Getting to see #MeToo brought up as well as the chapter focused on women-directed rape-revenge films really added to the overall reading experience. Going through this book introduced me to so many movies that I’ve never heard of before and am now interested in seeing.

These types of films can be difficult to analyze. Is the emphasis of the movie on sexualizing a rape scene or showing the character getting their revenge? How graphic should they be? Is it a feminist film or just showing extreme hatred towards women? Who has the agency? What about survivors seeing the films? What does it say about the filmmakers who create these movies? I think that the author did a really good job at exploring the complexities of these films and not shying away from messy conversations or uncomfortable realities.

[Alex Pagliuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a horror fan, and someone who tries to read criticism of substance regularly, I've been reading others perspectives, opinions and ideas about the first edition of this book for a decade now. It comes up often in criticism and conversation about rape-revenge films and horror more generally, especially when the conversations or criticisms include some aspect of the relationship between horror and gender. With the publication of the second edition, I thought it was time to finally jump in and read it for myself.

It doesn't disappoint. Less a discussion of a specific sub genre in horror and more an analytical look at how disparately employed "rape-revenge" is a storytelling trope across genres, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is essentially building a case to say that it's worth considering how diverse those stories are, how diverse the perspectives and portrayals are and asking we think about what the way this storytelling trope is used across time, national boundaries etc. In a way, she's suggesting that because it's been used in such diverse ways, we can see it less as some kind of filthy, disgusting thing which is only the domain of exploitation, and see it as something that can reveal a good deal about the time, places and people who produce them, and providing a lens through which to account for those differences. Some of the answers we get from those questions might be quite ugly, but that doesn't make the questions worth asking, especially as this edition includes a section dedicated to women who've made rape-revenge films and Heller-Nicholas takes pain to make clear that victims of rape and sexual assault have found catharsis in both consuming and producing these films, and have been explicit about this. If nothing else, the case she's making is for the wider world to expand their ideas about what this storytelling trope is and can do, if examined/thought about/discussed seriously.

For film scholars or academics, this might seem a bit superficial, but at the same time, it's written and edited in a way that makes it an easily accessible text for laymen. At a time when there's a good deal of hand wringing about the state of cinema, where movies are going and the "serious cinema" crowd are decrying the masses for not recognizing film as an art form, it's good to have people with academic backgrounds writing or reissuing books about various things in film which are accessible to the general public interested enough to begin self education.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful analysis, of a conflicting genre for women viewers. Unfortunately, there is so much shock-sclock in this sub-genre of exploitation flicks, it would be difficult to find the gems without the work of such feminists. Valuable even as a listing of worthwhile films to watch, regardless of their mainstream blurbs. Paraphrasing one comment, sometimes these film-makers have made powerful feminist statements, without intending to, and would deny it, if ever asked!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very surface-level introduction to rape-revenge films. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas's primary intention with this book is to "[survey] a sample of rape-revenge films that span genres and national and historical boundaries to emphasize that, in regard to the representation of sexual violence especially, 'diverse notions coexisted contemporaneously'” and continue to do so today" (18). In other words: there are lots of types of rape-revenge films. The genre is diverse and the content of each film varies depending on its sociohistorical context, with the only commonalities being the presence of rape and revenge. Heller-Nicholas provides no theory or interesting or novel arguments. At times a film will receive a 1-2 page analytic treatment; at other times we're given what amounts to a list of films with no critical thought at all. Analysis focuses primarily on narrative with little discussion of film technique or theory.

Frankly, there is little of academic (or "critical") interest here at all, although I now have a huge number of films to watch. The book is fine if you want a layman's introduction (survey) to the genre, but don't expect to really learn anything about it.

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for horror fans

[Struan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting broad net look at a feminist dissection of the Rape-Revenge genre of movies. Heller-Nicholas is a great writer, full of insight and incredibly readable.

[Laura Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my private goals for the year is to read more about movies, particularly horror movies. This is a great primer to one of the grungier subgenres of shock cinema -- particularly with an eye to a feminist, critical read of it.