221. 31 Days of Halloween 2025 - Day 16: REVENGE (2017) dir. Coralie Fargeat

REVENGE is the feature directorial debut of Coralie Fargeat, Oscar-nominated for directing last year's total fucking banger THE SUBSTANCE. THE SUBSTANCE had a budget of $17 million. REVENGE had $3 million. And in comparing both movies, it gives me great joy to see that Fargeat's penchant for the surreal and gnarly diminishes not with a lowered budget. Her ideas remain just as ferocious and maximalist, like a sledgehammer to the face. REVENGE refers to the second part of the "rape-revenge" couplet as a woman named Jen (Matilda Lutz) exacts hers against three married men: one who raped her and the two friends who did nothing to stop nor punish it. These men (one of whom is her now ex-boyfriend) are armed with rifles, riding on ATVs and Range Rovers. Jen has on a T-shirt and shorts. She had heels at one point but sacrificed them to the desert. So, yeah. The odds aren't great. But spite is a hell of a drug. Some would say it's even better than peyote. Fire and brimstone ensues in a whirlwind of viscera and chipped nail polish. REVENGE is now available to stream on Tubi. --- Follow The Movies on Instagram & Letterboxd Throw a couple dollars in the tip jar!