The Irish film censor has banned the release of the DVD of the gory 1978 horror ‘I Spit On Your Grave’ because of “acts of gross violence and cruelty … towards humans.”

The movie stars Irish American Camille Keaton, the daughter of the famous silent actor Buster Keaton, as a young writer who is repeatedly raped by a gang of young men, who she then brutally murders. The film contains scenes of rape, torture, sodomy, genital mutilation, and a scene of disemboweling by motorboat.

The movie’s director, Meir Zarchi, who was born in Palestine said that the ban did not surprise him. “[The movie] has relentlessly continued to shock and offend audiences since 1978 when it was first released, and it still does to this date. However, with the level of graphic violence and horror available these days, it’s surprising that IFCO sees this 1978 film more offensive than some of the most daring and empty of content torture porn available today.”

He did, however, point out that the ban was likely to make the film more popular than if it had been just released.

“Are we going through the "Lady Chatterley's Lover" syndrome all over again? The bottom line - thank you IFCO for promoting the film in Ireland.”

The movie was cut and released in cinemas in the U.S. in 1980, but the Irish censor refused to give it a general release.