Welcome to Fangirl Magazine!!!!

:: ELI ROTH INTERVIEW ::
BY Slick Matecheck
08/22/05

Our latest interview is with the always entertaining, funny and intelligent (as well as HOT) Eli Roth. In case you’ve been living under a cemetery as of late, he wrote and directed Cabin Fever. He also has a production company with Scott Spiegel and Boaz Yakin called Raw Nerve. His lastest project is Hostel, which we discuss here, along with his love for an Icelandic horse, what makes him vomit, his incredibly cool parents and how he feels about being a sex symbol. I want to send a special thank you to Greg Nicotero for helping make this interview happen.

FG: How is post-production on Hostel going and when can we hope to see it released?

ER: So far so good. No release date yet, the studio’s still figuring that out. I’m very happy with how the film’s turning out. There’s still a long way to go, though. Lots of sound work and scoring to do.

FG: Is it going to be as completely sick and twisted and gory and horrific as I'm hoping it will be?

ER: That’s all a matter of opinion and personal taste. To some people The Grudge is the sickest movie ever made, you know? People have different thresholds for violence. I am not making a film to be gory for gore’s sake. The story determines how much gore is needed. Cabin Fever was about things decomposing – the bodies, the friendships, everything – so you had to show that in order to get that across. Hostel is much darker in tone, and the story’s different, so there’s more horrific violence in it. I don’t want to oversell the violence, because then people may be expecting Cannibal Holocaust levels of gore and they won’t like the film, whereas if they just heard it was violent, they’re pleasantly surprised by the amount of blood.

FG: How do you plan to deal with the MPAA when it comes time for them to rate Hostel? Will you maybe compromise a bit on the theatrical release and then put your true vision on DVD? Or are you prepared to deal with it having an NC-17 rating?

ER: Hostel will have an R rating. I think there may be a director’s cut unrated DVD, but it all depends on how much gets chopped out. We’ll see what happens.

ON THE SET OF HOSTEL...YUMMY! AND THE PROPS LOOK GOOD TOO

FG: Sin City was the first movie in a long time to really feel like an adult R-rated flick. Do you think we may finally be heading back to the good old days of R-rated movies of our youth, movies with some meat to them that don't cater to low-brow mentalities?

ER: It all depends on how they do at the box office. People obviously want R rated comedies, which is why The Wedding Crashers is doing so well. But don’t expect another movie like The Devil’s Rejects, because as brilliant as I think that film is, it was too much for the mainstream. There’s a bias against R rated horror films that can’t make over $20 million dollars, despite the success of all those R rated films in 2003. The movie execs only look at the last month or so, and if R rated horror isn’t making a ton of money, they become scared of it. Right now we’re in a bit of a downswing, so it’s up to the public beyond the core horror fans to go see these films. But there have also been some lame ass horror films this year, so it’s not surprising they’re not doing so well.

FG: Have you seen Cursed and how do you feel about the man who made Last House On The Left being the director behind it? I know most of that was too many cooks in the kitchen, but it does make me more than a little sad to see Wes Craven's fine name on it.

ER: I have not seen Cursed. I was waiting for the director’s cut DVD, and I just have been too busy on Hostel to watch it. Plus, the man who made Last House On The Left is a different person than the man who made Cursed. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, because filmmakers should grow as artists, but once you’ve done a film that brutal, there’s no need to do it again. So when I go see Cursed I don’t expect Last House On The Left, in the same way when I went to see Pulp Fiction I didn’t expect Reservoir Dogs. I watch Lord of the Rings and I can see that it’s the same director who made Bad Taste, but it’s not the same person, if that makes sense. It’s got the same energy, but it’s far more developed, more mature. I know Cursed was a nightmare for Wes, but I hope it’s good anyway.

FG: What did you think of Scott Baio's appearance in Cursed?

ER: Baio is a welcome addition to any movie. He’s a genius.

FG: I don't scare or gross out easily (if at all). But I'm almost desperate to find a film to really scare the shit out of me, what do you suggest? I envy the fact that films still scare you.

ER: I went through a phase where films didn’t scare me, and it was really upsetting. I was like, “That’s it? Have I seen it all?” And then you get a videotape passed your way called The Blair Witch Project, and next thing I know I’m sleeping with the lights on. There are plenty of things that scare me. The scariest movie for me right now is the video version of Ju-On. The two 45-minute videos he (director Takashi Shimizu) did before he shot Ju-On on film. It’s the scariest 90 minutes I’ve seen in years. It fucking terrifies me. Have you seen the short “Dumplings” in Three Extremes? It’s not scary but it’s fucking sick. I loved it.

WONDER WHAT THIS IS FOR..

FG: After seeing you talk about Audition on Bravo's countdown of the 100 Scariest Moments Of All Time I've really wanted to see that movie. However, the people on the countdown gave a lot of the flick away, if you will. Should I still see it?

ER: Are you kidding???? Absolutely!!!!! Would you not see The Wicker Man because you know the ending? If you really love movies, why would you deny yourself the experience of seeing what many directors consider to be one of the best horror films of the last 5-10 years? Films like that I can watch over and over and over.

FG: There are a ridiculous amount of films being remade now. I find that how much it bothers you depends on how sacred the original film was to you. That being said, what remakes are really pissing you off? I think the one that upsets me the most is The Evil Dead.

ER: I don’t get mad at remakes. If I did, then I’d have to get mad at John Carpenter’s The Thing, Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Chuck Russell’s The Blob, etc. And I love those movies! Those were all sacred to someone, but do you think they shouldn’t have been made at all just because someone didn’t like the idea of doing it? If it’s a good movie, I’m all for it. I don’t have a problem with remakes. I’ve kind of gotten over that. Dawn of the Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remakes) really showed me that you can actually remake a classic and make it entertaining for a modern audience. They’re good movies, and their success helped a ton of other movies get into production. Life’s too short to get pissed off at other movies. I try to spend my energy being creative, not hating other projects. I read the script for the new Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. The draft I read was fucking awesome – so how is that a bad thing? I’m doing a remake of The Bad Seed, and I feel it’s a film that’s ripe for remaking. But out there someone’s cursing my name because that’s their favorite film of all time.

FG: Speaking of remakes, do you feel they may be part of the reason for the recent box office slump? Do you think the slump will continue?

ER: 2004 had two films that no one expected to be the smashes they were: The Passion Of The Christ, and Shrek 2. I don’t know how anyone can honestly expect to repeat that kind of success, so in comparison to last year, yeah, it’s a slump. The other reason movies are slumping, I believe, is because a lot of the film that are coming out are bad films. Also, remember a few years back, if a film left the theater you’d have to wait half a year for it to come out on DVD. Now they come out like 3 months later. So if people miss it, they’re like, “Fuck it, the film’ll be out on DVD soon anyway, I’ll see it then.” The reason so many films are bad is because everything is tested by this company, NRG. They show films to cold audiences and have them fill out questionnaires, and then the studios cut scenes and change the endings based on what 200 people in a screening room say. And they always want high scores (100 is the best), but horror films don’t score high, because at the end of a good horror movie you feel like you’ve had your ass kicked. It’s just the nature of horror. You’re upset you’re shaking, you’re terrified, and those are seen as negatives in the testing process. So films get re-shot, re-cut, and watered down to cut out all the stuff that they think gives you low scores. It’s a nightmare. It’s honestly the death of cinema. The studios will not put films in theaters unless they hit a certain test number. Cabin Fever scored a 19 – it’s the lowest testing movie in the history of Lion’s Gate, and it was their highest grossing theatrical film of 2003, and one of their highest selling DVDs of all time. It’s irrelevant. But the only way to stop it is if fans get into those test screenings and everyone just fucks with the score sheets. Just ruin the tests for everyone, then they won’t be as valid.

I LOVE A MAN WITH A BIG LENS

FG: Being friends with fellow directors Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright, have you ever thought of doing an anthology film with them (a la old school Tales From The Crypt or Vault Of Horror), with each of you directing a segment? I know Quentin and Robert Rodriguez have something similar in the works with Grind House.

ER: I’ve talked about doing anthologies with a number of directors. But the problem is you’ve got to line up everyone’s schedules. It’s tough. And then you have to find a theme or through line that everyone agrees on, which is even tougher. I’d love to do something like that. Studios often approach me about an anthology by saying, “Well, we got Edgar on board.” And they’ll approach Edgar and say, “Well Eli’s definitely doing one.” And then Edgar and I call each other and we laugh because we’re busy making our own films and have never had such conversations. They use us as bait for each other. Which is weird.

FG: I know you don't do drugs or smoke, but what the hell were you on when you came up with The Rotten Fruit?!

ER: Guess a part of me wishes you could act like that all the time, but it’s not really who I am. I like to drink wine, I just don’t really go out and get drunk. No drugs, either. I think I’m weird enough as is. Noah Belson (who I wrote, produced, and voiced the show with) and I would call each other up as the characters and have long, involved conversations as the Fruit. The series grew out of some sketches we did one day when we were bored. Then came the voices. Then a series of e-mails. Then phone calls. And then we went to the art supply store and bought $50 worth of clay, and made a shoebox diorama. We drove around with that diorama in the back of my ’84 Saab pitching it to studios. People thought we were fucking nuts. And then came the internet. It was the right place at the right time, and this website gave us $250,000 to spend making a series. It was ridiculous. We couldn’t believe it. And we were not at all surprised when they went bankrupt in under 3 months.

FG: And speaking of The Rotten Fruit, any chance of it having a DVD release? How about Chowdaheads?

ER: Still working on it. Things have been put on hold because of Hostel.

FG: Our intrepid Fangirl editor Jessica came up with this idea for a flick, seemingly tailor-made for you to direct: Scott Baio is a psychotic rapist and slasher stalking the Olsen Twins. He chews gum constantly and leaves the wrappers at the crime scenes and he has a thing for twins. He starts stalking them at their high school and it's getting near prom night, so hormones and emotions are running high. Their dad is played by Anthony Michael Hall, who's the cop after him. We'll call it Double Minced. What do you think? Jess said it's all yours if you want it!

ER: That sounds like an amazing project. Unfortunately I am developing my own Baio/Olsen film, so she’ll have to find another director. I’ll go see it opening day, though. (Mine involves a mystery-solving chimp, so she can’t use that in her script or I’ll sue her.)

HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU DIDN'T LIKE NEW YORK MINUTE??!

FG: What's going on with 2001 Maniacs? I heard that Lions Gate picked it up for US distribution. Any idea when we might get to see it in the theatre?

ER: We shall see. Lion’s Gate is deciding that right now.

FG: As a huge music fan, I was wondering what kind of music you love? (Besides David Hess stuff, of course!) Do you have much time to listen to and enjoy music?

ER: I listen to music constantly. The iPod has changed the way I listen to music, so now I can have my writing mix, my running mix, my scary music mix, my Hostel mix, and even mixes for other films I have not written yet. I am never without it. I listen to mostly rock – ‘70s/’80s classic rock, and a lot of old school punk. And a ton of soundtracks – especially The Wicker Man. But right now I am in a big southern rock phase.I saw The Devil’s Rejects three times opening week and then The Dukes of Hazzard, so that’s what got me into that stuff again. I’m listening to a lot of Molly Hatchett, Terry Reid, Skynyrd, that type of stuff. And Michal David, who’s a Czech pop star who had lots of hits in the ‘80s. I picked up a ton of Czech music when I was in Prague shooting Hostel, and I listen to it all the time.

FG: I know that you're hopelessly in love with a wonderful horse called Bara. Have you gotten a chance to visit her lately?

ER: No, and it’s killing me. My brother Gabe just saw her in Iceland and got to ride her. I can’t even tell you the weird levels of jealousy I have over that one.

FG: Your parents seem like the coolest parents in the world. I especially loved hearing them on one of the myriad of commentaries on Cabin Fever. I think today most parents would never allow their kids to see something like Alien or The Exorcist at the young age that you saw them. Yet you're clearly very well-adjusted and successful. What do you think your parents did right? And do you think parents are overly-cautious today?

ER: I love my parents. They’re awesome. I have a very solid family background. At dinner we were never allowed to watch television, which tortured me as a kid, but every night the whole family had dinner together and we talked. And talked. And talked. And as a result we were all very involved in each other’s lives, in a positive way, and we all became very close. We love having dinner together now, my parents are really funny. They always knew the difference between real life and art. They’re artists, and even though my father’s a psychoanalyst, he’s got an artist’s soul. I remember being 10 years old and there was a Buster Keaton film festival for a month at a local cinema. This was when his films were so rare you couldn’t find them anywhere. We went every night, blowing off homework to go see the films. My father took me to a double bill of Blade Runner and Road Warrior in the theater. This stuff blew my mind. What they did right was that they took the arts seriously as a career, in an age when you had to be a doctor or lawyer to be “successful.” They said, “There’s no backup plan, you have to go for it 100%.” You can’t do it half-assed. My mother would have an easel and art supplies for my brothers and I to paint on any time we wanted. And that support they gave me has somehow been misinterpreted as my father writing me a check to make Cabin Fever, which is total bullshit. I spent years raising that money, and once we were shooting the union shut us down and my father dipped into his retirement money so I could pay off the union and finish the shoot. It was very scary, but he did it, and he made his money back and a nice profit. That’s how supportive they are. I would say that if you really want to do this, you have to show your parents that you’re serious about it, and committed to doing it. But my parents took me to see everything. Not a lot of kids watched Caligula and Basket Case with their parents.

FG: One of our resident Fangirls, Kristi, is a native of North Carolina. Did you enjoy your time there while making Cabin Fever? Would you film there again?

ER: I greatly enjoyed NC and would happily shoot there again.

FG: Alien was maybe the first movie to make you throw up. What other flicks have had that effect on you?

ER: I barfed in: The Exorcist, Dracula (1979), Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978), Outland, and Love, Actually. (The last 30 seconds made me throw up. I was on an airplane.)

FG: Have you ever thought of making a zombie flick? I know how much you love George Romero's movies and I'd love to see your take on zombies.

ER: If I have a good take on it, sure. None in the works though.

FG: You've got a production company with Scott Spiegel and Boaz Yakin called Raw Nerve. How is it working and being friends with Scott Spiegel? He seems like an incredibly fun guy to be around.

ER: Boaz and Scott are a lot of fun to be around. Going to Scott’s house is the always fun, because he literally has a candy store in his house. Plus he’s got the most incredible video collection, and we inevitably wind up putting on the worst movie we can find and watching it over and over, quoting it incessantly. I can’t watch a serious film with those guys, it’s too silly. They’re both really, really funny guys.

FG: As a huge fan of Spaced, I was thrilled to see you on the documentary Skip To The End. How did that come about?

ER: I met Edgar at the Empire Magazine Awards in 2004. We really got along, and I even took him as my date to the Saturn Awards when I was presented with the Filmmakers Showcase Award. I talked about Shaun Of The Dead a lot in the press, and got a print to Peter Jackson and Quentin Tarantino, who of course loved it. I had seen all the episodes of Spaced and the more I got to know Edgar, the more I realized he’s my British twin. We have the exact same taste in everything. He asked me to be in the documentary, to show the effect of Spaced across the pond, and I was more than happy to oblige.

FG: Okay, I'm gonna have some fun with this one. You are incredibly easy on the eyes. I see you as a horror sex symbol, if you will. Does that make you feel like a piece of meat, or do you dig it?

ER: Truthfully, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. You have to realize no girls would ever date me in high school because they thought I was a freak for liking horror movies. So to be thought of in that way now is very flattering, because I couldn’t get a date until college. I want girls to like me for my creativity and intelligence, but if they just want to throw me down fuck the shit out of me, that’s cool, too. Just hit me up on MySpace.

FG: And finally, who would win in a fight: Professor Frink or The Comic Book Shop Guy?

ER: Frink. He would destroy him with his frog de-bigulator.

"Plastic is for such pussies. Real directors get sticky." Eli Roth