Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972 in Newton, Massachusetts) is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. A proud member of a group of horror directors known as the Splat Pack, Roth is known for his financially successful Splatter Horror films, sparking the latest trend of R-rated horror films during a time when PG-13 films were considered more lucrative.
Quentin Tarantino loves him like a brother - they clearly have a lot in common. Best not to ask what that involves. But it sounds like a lot of fun. (Coincidentally, he starred as Donnie "The Bear Jew" Donnawitz in Inglourious Basterds.)
He, along with Jack Davis, is co-founder of Crypt TV.
Associated Movies:
- Cabin Fever
- 2001 Maniacs!
- Hostel and Hostel Part II
- Death Proof: The faux Thanksgiving trailer, also from Grindhouse.
- Inglourious Basterds: Plays Sgt. Donny Donowitz aka "The Bear Jew". Also directed the Film Within a Film Stolz der Nation.
- Piranha 3D, the 2010 remake by fellow Splat Pack director Alexandre Aja
- The Man with the Iron Fists: Screenplay with The RZA, and a cameo role.
- Aftershock: Screenplay with Nicolas Lopez, and the lead role (at least for half).
- The Green Inferno
- Knock Knock
- Clown: Producer and played Frowny the Clown
- Death Wish (2018)
- The House With a Clock in Its Walls
- Borderlands: (upcoming)
Associated Tropes:
- Afraid of Blood: Like a lot of gore-tastic directors.
- Developing Doomed Characters: A good 99% of Roth's protagonists.
- Motor Mouth: He never shuts up, ever. He admits this on one of the Hostel DVD Commentaries.
- Older Than They Look: Would you believe he's 49?
- Pigeonholed Director: He clearly admits that all he wants to make are horror movies.
- Playing Against Type: This director of gory, edgy horror movies did this thrice thus far.
- Death Wish (2018): A still gory and violent action revenge thriller that stars Bruce Willis and serves as a remake of the 1974 crime drama of the same name.
- The House With a Clock in Its Walls: A kid-friendly PG-rated fantasy film starring Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, and Kyle MacLachlan based on a children's novel of the same name. Although, it's also very noticably more
scarier and creepier than most kids' films at the time, much like the 80's classics that its production company had a hand in with bringing to life. - Borderlands (2022): A Science Fiction Action Comedy based on the video game franchise of the same name also starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, this time joined by Édgar Ramírez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, and Kevin Hart in supporting roles.
- Tomato in the Mirror: While filming a documentary about sociopaths for the Science Channel, he allowed himself to be profiled by a specialist in Antisocial Personality Disorder. The profile revealed that Roth himself possesses many of the traits normally labeled sociopathic.
- Trope Breaker: Roth has long voiced his disapproval of the longstanding horror film trope that says that promiscuous characters always die (and die horribly) while the virgin character ends up the last (wo)man standing. As such, it's common to see in his films that the virgin girl/guy always dying and dying horribly while the manslut/slutty female character survives or at the very least, is the last one killed).
