Eli Roth is a filmmaker whose name has become synonymous with visceral horror. He was a key figure in the loose collection of filmmakers known as the Splat Pack, which also included names like Alexandre Aja and Rob Zombie. These directors made low-budget independent horrors with tons of blood, gore, and general carnage. Roth's central contributions to the movement were his first two movies, Cabin Fever and Hostel.
Although gross-out horror remains Roth's specialty, he has branched out since his early days. In addition to several acting roles, most notably as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Inglourious Basterds, he's tried his hand at erotic thriller (Knock Knock), action (Death Wish), and even children's fantasy (The House with a Clock in its Walls). His next film is set to be an adaptation of the videogame Borderlands, which seems right up his alley. Not all of his movies succeed, but the best of them are bold and fun, displaying Roth's obvious affection for genre cinema. These are his strongest projects, ranked.
10 'Grindhouse: Thanksgiving'
Released: 2007
Grindhouse: Thanksgiving is a short rather than a feature, but it's still a notable entry in Roth's body of work. It's one of five fake trailers included at the beginning of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse, alongside Machete, Don't, Hobo with a Shotgun, and Werewolf Women of the S.S. It's a holiday-themed slasher that pays tribute to movies like Black Christmas and Halloween, although it takes their tropes to tongue-in-cheek extremes.
Roth's trailer is the bloodiest of the bunch, featuring multiple decapitations and a cheerleader being stabbed to death while bouncing on a trampoline. Essentially, a whole movie's worth of kill scenes are crammed into two minutes. The short was so graphic that it almost earned Grindhouse an NC-17 rating, before the filmmakers explained that it would be over-the-top and shoddily edited on purpose, thus reducing the realism and shock value. In 2023, Roth released a feature based on the concept. Thanksgiving thus became a third of the fake trailers to become a real movie.
Grindhouse (2007)
RAction HorrorThrillerRelease Date April 6, 2007 Director Robert Rodriguez , Eli Roth , Quentin Tarantino , Edgar Wright , Rob Zombie Cast Danny Trejo , Cheech Marin , Rose McGowan , Freddy Rodriguez , Josh Brolin , Marley Shelton Runtime 1859 'Knock Knock'
Released: 2015
"Daddy had a party." Knock Knock is a psychological thriller starring Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas, and Roth's ex-wife Lorenza Izzo. The story centers on Evan Webber (Reeves), a devoted husband and father left alone for the weekend while his family is away. His calm existence is shattered when two young women, Genesis (Izzo) and Bel (De Armas), knock on his door during a stormy night, seeking shelter.
What starts as a seemingly harmless encounter quickly escalates into a nightmarish game of manipulation. The women deceive, assault, and restrain Evan, filming him in a compromising position and threatening to share the video with all his friends and family. He's left to try to figure out a way to save himself. While far from a masterpiece, the film does feature some interesting commentary on home invasions and the toxic side of social media. Reeves's performance was also widely praised. He does a lot to keep the whole outrageous grounded and a little more believable.
Knock Knock
RThrillerHorrorRelease Date June 26, 2015 Director Eli Roth Cast Keanu Reeves , Lorenza Izzo , Ana De Armas , Aaron Burns , Ignacia Allamand , Dan Baily Runtime 968 'The Green Inferno'
Released: 2013
The Green Inferno is Roth's homage to the cannibal subgenre of Italian exploitation cinema that had a bit of a moment in the 1970s and 1980s. Specifically, he draws on the notorious film Cannibal Holocaust. Here, the plot revolves around a group of idealistic college students who embark on a journey to the Amazon rainforest. They plan to protest against deforestation and the destruction of indigenous tribes. However, their noble intentions are shattered when their plane crashes deep in the jungle, leaving them at the mercy of a clan of cannibals.
What follows is a suitably depraved and gruesome thrill ride, which will appeal to horror aficionados but is certainly not a great entry point for newcomers to Roth's filmography. It performed decently at the box office but received mostly negative reviews from critics. However, horror master Stephen King gave it his stamp of approval, saying, it was "like a glorious throwback to the drive-in movies of my youth: bloody, gripping, hard to watch, but you can't look away."
The Green Inferno
R HorrorActionAdventureThriller Release Date September 4, 2014 Director Eli Roth Cast Lorenza Izzo , Ariel Levy , Aaron Burns , Kirby Bliss Blanton , Magda Apanowicz , Ignacia Allamand Runtime 1037 'Hostel: Part II'
Released: 2007
Hostel: Part II continues the morbid saga of the Elite Hunting Club, an underground organization where wealthy clients pay to torture and murder unsuspecting victims. The plot follows three young American women who, while studying abroad in Rome, are lured into the Club's clutches under the guise of an exclusive spa retreat. It's mostly just a retread of the movie, without quite the same punch or originality factor.
Nevertheless, Part II boasts higher production values and some intriguing ideas. For example, the leads are more interesting than your average final girl, and at times the movie upends horror gender conventions in uproarious fashion. Plus, the torture scenes are as wince-inducing as ever. Some of them are physically hard to watch. Even actress Bijou Philipssaid of these scenes, "I don't think I could do something like this again [...] We went into places that I didn't know existed." In short, the film won't win over any new converts, but those who appreciate gore galore and cinematic sadism won't be disappointed.
6 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls'
Released: 2018
A PG-rated Eli Roth movie may sound like a contradiction in terms, but he actually did a solid job with this dark children's fantasy flick. Adapted from a classic novel, it follows young Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in a mysterious old house after the death of his parents. Lewis soon discovers that both his uncle and their neighbor, the equally quirky Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), are practitioners of magic.
As Lewis becomes more involved in the world of sorcery, he learns about a hidden clock within the walls of the house, ticking down to an unknown event. Together with his uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman, Lewis must unravel the mystery of the clock before it falls into the wrong hands and brings about catastrophic consequences. A madcap sense of fun animates the whole affair. The result is an enjoyable film for kids that walks the fine line between being scary and being too scary.
5 'Death Wish'
Released: 2018
Bruce Willis stars in this remake of the Charles Bronson classic as Dr. Paul Kersey, a mild-mannered surgeon who transforms into a vigilante after his wife (Elisabeth Shue) is murdered and his daughter (Camila Morrone) is left in a coma during a violent home invasion. Frustrated by the slow progress of the police investigation and fueled by a desire for justice, Kersey takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a mission to rid the streets of Chicago of criminals.
Adopting the moniker "Grim Reaper," Kersey becomes a symbol of hope for the city's beleaguered residents but also attracts the attention of both the authorities and the criminal underworld. Obviously, this is all rather rote stuff. Narratively, Death Wish certainly doesn't break any new ground. But it's at least better than the Death Wish sequels, and Roth does try to imbue the action with some thought and characterization. "I wanted to really make it about family, and stick to the central issue of what would you do if this happened to your family," he explains.
Death Wish
RCrimeActionDocumentaryDramaThriller Release Date March 2, 2018 Director Eli Roth Cast Bruce Willis , Vincent D'Onofrio , Elisabeth Shue , Dean Norris , Jack Kesy , Kimberly Elise Runtime 1084 'Fin'
Released: 2021
Fin represents the starkest departure yet from Roth's usual style. It's a documentary, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Nina Dobrev, that attempts to shine light on the devastating effects of shark fishing. Vast numbers are killed every year, generally to be eaten in certain delicacies. This overfishing poses a major threat to their populations. The movie follows Roth and a team of scientists and activists as they travel around the world, researching the sharks and the circumstances in which they are harvested.
This is an urgent issue and Roth is correct to draw attention to it. It's not the most subtle of documentaries on this topic, but it's accessible and offers up a wealth of great footage. Specifically, it deserves praise for challenging the viewer's preconceived notions about sharks, making it essential viewing for anyone who fears the animals or sees them purely as a danger. Moreover, the sharks' plight appears to be something that Roth genuinely cares about. Not for nothing, he calledFin "the scariest movie I've ever made".
3 'Hostel'
Released: 2005
The simple, brutal Hostel follows two American backpackers, Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson), as they travel across Europe in search of adventure and excitement. Their journey takes a sinister turn when they encounter a fellow traveler who tells them about a hostel in Slovakia where beautiful women are said to be eager to meet American men. Intrigued, the pair make their way to the remote location only to become trapped in a torturous nightmare orchestrated by the Elite Hunting Club.
This is Roth's 'gorno' filmmaking at its purest. There are many unnerving scenes here, especially those involving a drill and a blow torch. In this regard, Roth has described Hostel as an "ultraviolent, get-under-your-skin movie", indebted to '80s slashers. Its unrestrained sadism connected with audiences: the movie grossed $82m against a $4.8m budget. Roth initially planned to work on a remake rather than another original horror but committed to making the film after explaining the premise to Tarantino while floating in the latter's pool. “That’s the sickest f---ing idea. Make that movie," QT replied. The rest is history.
Hostel
R HorrorRelease Date January 6, 2006 Director Eli Roth Cast Jay Hernandez , Derek Richardson , Eythor Gudjonsson , Barbara Nedeljakova , Jan Vlasák , Jana Kaderabkova Runtime 952 'Thanksgiving'
Released: 2023
Roth's latest feature expands upon his Grindhouse trailer, building into a fun and endearing meta-slasher. After a stampede at a superstore on Black Friday leads to several deaths, a mysterious killer begins picking off those deemed responsible. The murderer wears a John Carver mask, taunts the victims on social media, and offs his targets in twisted fashion. The main characters desperately try to deduce the killer's identity, but many people have motives for revenge.
Thanksgiving is almost like a live-action cartoon, never taking itself too seriously and thus being far more enjoyable. In this way, it's both a tribute to and a slight send-up of slasher movies, with extensive references to the genre's classics. The film could easily have crashed and burned, but Roth's obvious affection for slasher storytelling and a cast who are up for anything hold it all together. There are some narrative missteps, but overall it's a zany good time. As a result, it looks set to become a cult movie and Thanksgiving tradition among many horror fans.
1 'Cabin Fever'
Released: 2002
Cabin Fever was Roth's feature debut, and it remains the most energetic of his movies, and the one with the most personality. The plot follows a group of five college graduates who rent a remote cabin in the woods for a week of partying and relaxation. However, their idyllic getaway quickly descends into chaos when they encounter a local hermit infected with a flesh-eating virus. Soon, they are dealing with vengeful locals and their own paranoia, as they begin turning on one another out of fear that they may be infected.
This is a horror movie with a ton of heart, as well as lead characters who are surprisingly fleshed-out (haha). The storyline is unpredictable, defying expectations repeatedly and serving up one phenomenal sequence after another, whether it's the party-animal cop Winston, the characters locking their infected friend in a barn overnight, or the movie's ending punchline involving the eccentric owner of a local store. As with many of Roth's movies, the references to other horrors are also deployed effectively and can be fun to try and spot. Fundamentally, Cabin Fever succeeds because it radiates an unadulterated enthusiasm for genre filmmaking, bringing the audience along with it.
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