Reviewed by: Josh Haney
Copyright2008

        This film took me somewhere that I don’t know if I was
ready to go to.  I remember back in the mid 1980’s (I was
probably 8 or 9 at the time) I was home alone and happened
upon a videotape of a film that I probably shouldn’t have
watched.  It was gruesome, violent, and realistic to the
point of scaring me beyond any of the monsters and zombies
that I had up to that point subjected my formative young
mind to.  That film was I Spit On Your Grave. A year or so
later, I rented two films which had the same effect on me,
taking me right back to that state of total disbelief in
what I was seeing.  Those films were Last House On The Left
and Ms. 45.  Looking back now, after years of watching
things that have “desensitized” me to violence, these
three flicks still stick out in my brain as nasties, films
that everyone should watch at least once, just so you can
know they exist.  Movies that make you want to shower after
viewing them, a really hot shower that boils away some of
the flesh.
        Being a fan of Bill’s works, I never really know what
I’m going to be getting myself into with this guy.
Sometimes I laugh myself to near death, and sometimes I sit
very quietly and go ‘wow’.  This time around, there was
no laughing, no going ‘wow’, there was only stone cold
silence as the scenes unfolded before me.  Sure, the title
is descriptive, RAPE IS A CIRCLE, but what exactly does that
mean.  Some would probably jump to conclusions and say
he’s being misogynistic, or that this is just a glorified
male fantasy.  Those people are moronic assholes whose
opinion is worth as much as a hearty cabbage fart.
This work shows the trauma, anguish and above all constant
emotional toll rape takes on an individual.  I’m not going
to give away the crux of the story, because that is what
really seals the deal and changes this from a basic
exploitation film into a classic alongside of some of the
films I’ve previously mentioned.  Suffice to say that Rape
Is A Circle centers around a cycle of violence that won’t
go away until everyone involved is wiped away; a clean
slate.  It’s a grim, gritty, raw world that could easily
be right next door to you.  This is the kind of film that we
should be discussing in college film classes, and possibly
even showing to high school students.
This is a real deal piece of sleaze cinema that hasn’t
been made since the 1970’s.  Sure the effects are low
budget, but the dialog, story and overall atmosphere make
you forget about little things like that.  This is what real
filmmaking is all about; grabbing your audience and making
them take notice.  I wonder how many underage kids are going
to do the same thing I did, and watch this film, unaware of
how it’s going to affect them, how it’s going to change
their perception of the world in which they live.  We need
more people out there pushing the boundaries of cinema like
Bill Zebub, a maverick in a land of so-called independents.
Not for the squeamish!  If you love exploitation films,
you’ll enjoy this.  If you are expecting to hook-up with
your lover after watching this though, you’re in for a
rude awakening!