Interviewee: Eli Roth
Interviewer: Neil Cavuto
Date: February 08, 2007

Part of Hollywood’s newfangled “Splat Pack,” Eli Roth ranks among the world’s most celebrated horror film directors of late. His movies, e.g. The Box, The Bad Seed and Cell, are notable for pushing the limits on cinematic gore and violence.

With his sophomore directorial effort, Hostel, Eli Roth effectively crafted the horror genre known as “torture porn.” The film, which premiered in 2006 and sired a sequel in 2007, revolves around a Slovakian sell-and-torture syndicate that preys on backpackers.

Three years before Hostel, Eli Roth debuted with Cabin Fever, a surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival. Cabin Fever drew glowing reviews from the likes of The New York Times and Rolling Stone, as well as peer acclaim for Roth from Peter Jackson and Tobe Hooper, among others.

For a fraction of the cost, Cabin Fever hit humongous box office gold. It was the most profitable horror movie of 2003, making $35 million from a budget of only $1.5 million. It was also the top grossing movie for Lion’s Gate that year.

Cabin Fever threatened to stay in the backburner for years without funding. The screenplay for the film was written by Eli Roth as early as 1993, when he was still studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

At NYU, Eli Roth won a student Academy Award for his “gratuitously violent” thesis film titled Restaurant Dogs. He financed his college films by working on the side as a sex operator for Penthouse magazine.

Graduating summa cum laude in 1994, Eli Roth bagged a variety of film jobs in NYC. During this time, he landed work with producer Fred Zollo and director David Lynch. He also gained production credits from the films Private Parts, A Price Above Rubies and Illuminata.

In 1999, Eli Roth relocated to Los Angeles, where he got financing for his animated TV show called Chowdaheads. The series was never aired but Eli Roth used the episodes for a stop-motion show called The Rotten Fruit.

Filmmaking aside, Eli Roth has made a “killing” as an actor. He appeared on Inglourious Basterds and Death Proof, both films by his idol Quentin Tarantino. Eli Roth also had bit parts in Piranha 3-D.