Eli Roth Quotes

Powerful Eli Roth for Daily Growth

About Eli Roth

Eli Roth, born on April 18, 1972, in Newton, Massachusetts, is an American filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter known for his significant contributions to the horror genre. His love for horror was cultivated at a young age, influenced by classic films such as "Friday the 13th," "Jaws," and the works of George A. Romero. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in film studies, Roth began his career working as a production assistant on Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." This experience marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship and collaborative relationship with Tarantino, who has been a significant influence on Roth's work. Roth made his directorial debut in 2002 with the cult hit "Cabin Fever," a horror-comedy that showcased his unique blend of gore and humor. The film was followed by "Hostel" (2005) and its sequel, "Hostel: Part II" (2007), which further established Roth as a master of the horror genre. In addition to directing, Roth has acted in several films, including Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" (2009) and "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" (2003). He also co-wrote, directed, and produced the TV series "Hemlock Grove" (2013-2015), demonstrating his versatility as a storyteller across various mediums. Roth continues to push boundaries in the horror genre with his distinctive style and unapologetic approach to violence and gore. His latest work, "The Green Inferno" (2013) and "Knock Knock" (2015), showcase his commitment to delivering visceral, thought-provoking horror experiences. Despite the controversies surrounding his films, Roth remains a prominent figure in contemporary horror cinema.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Torture is not entertainment. Terror is not fun."

This quote by Eli Roth emphasizes the distinction between entertainment and real-life suffering. He suggests that portraying torture or terror as a form of amusement is inappropriate and disrespectful, as these are serious matters associated with pain, fear, and trauma. His statement encourages creators to be mindful about the impact their work has on audiences and society at large.

"Violence should be used as a tool for shock and awe, not just for the sake of violence."

Eli Roth's quote suggests that violent imagery or actions should serve a purpose beyond mere brutality – they should provoke strong emotions such as shock and awe in the audience. In other words, violence in art, media, or real life should not be used carelessly or excessively but rather with intention to create an impactful and memorable experience.

"I'm interested in characters who are flawed, who make mistakes, who have to grow up and deal with their demons."

This quote indicates that Eli Roth is drawn to complex characters who possess imperfections, commit errors, and undergo personal growth to confront and overcome their internal struggles or 'demons'. This approach suggests a focus on realism and depth in his storytelling, as well as an empathetic understanding of human nature.

"Horror is a genre that allows us to explore our darkest fears and confront them in a safe environment."

This quote suggests that horror films serve as a safe outlet for people to delve into their deepest, often repressed anxieties and phobias. By watching horror movies, we can confront these fears in a controlled and non-threatening way, thereby gaining a sense of mastery over them or at least understanding them better. Horror films thus function as a cathartic experience that helps us manage and process our darker emotions.

"Every time I do a movie, it's always about the characters first and foremost. It's about the people who are going through this ordeal."

Eli Roth emphasizes that his films prioritize character development above all else. For him, every story is essentially about individuals experiencing a unique ordeal or struggle, with their personalities, emotions, and growth shaping the narrative. This focus on character-driven narratives allows audiences to empathize more deeply with the characters and become invested in their journeys.

'Cabin Fever' was very much inspired by 'The Thing.' It's really a perfect guy's horror movie: There's no love story, it's just straight-up horror. And it's so well-done. It moves at a slow pace, but it's really terrific.

- Eli Roth

Love, Perfect, Very, Cabin

As a kid, my idols were Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson, and I get into crazy races with myself. Raimi was 21 when he made movies, and when I didn't get 'Cabin Fever' made that fast I thought I'd failed.

- Eli Roth

Thought, Kid, Fever, Cabin

Much of my youth was spent in the parking lot or inside a Dunkin' Donuts.

- Eli Roth

Parking, Lot, Spent, Donuts

People want to be disturbed when they go see a horror movie.

- Eli Roth

See, Movie, Horror, Horror Movie

When I go see an R-rated horror movie, I want lots of violence.

- Eli Roth

See, Horror, Lots, Horror Movie

There's fear in everything, but we can't just succumb to that. We have to suppress it, so we get used to suppressing fear to make it through the our day. Otherwise, we'd become paralyzed by them.

- Eli Roth

Through, Them, Otherwise, Succumb

You know, the dirty secret in the Director's Guild is that the average life expectancy of Director's Guild members is 57 years old. The stress level is so high and directors are generally really out of shape, cause they sit in the chair and they eat craft service.

- Eli Roth

Craft, Average, Directors, Guild

One of the great joys of life, now that you can afford a nice suit, is getting one for free. That's why I like to do press tours - I always say making movies is just an excuse to get free clothing.

- Eli Roth

Why, Making Movies, Tours, Joys

I saw 'Alien' when I was 8 years old. To me, it was like a combination of Jaws and Star Wars, and that's the movie that made me want to be a director.

- Eli Roth

Star, Movie, Like, Jaws

Possession and exorcism is something that's in every religion and every culture. It's a real primal fear: Is the body a vessel for our spirits? What happens if something else takes over it? Where does the spirit go?

- Eli Roth

Over It, Primal, Possession, Vessel

I generally follow my own compass and make films about what's scaring me.

- Eli Roth

Own, My Own, Films, Scaring

I've always dreamed of having a year-round haunted house.

- Eli Roth

Always, Dreamed, Having, Haunted

Movie stars need to retain some of that mystique if you are a big movie star.

- Eli Roth

Big, Some, Movie, Big Movie

I love movies that are just straight-up exploitation, but the ones that endure and the ones that last are the ones where the filmmakers put in that extra level of thought; after 25 years you put them on in front of an audience, and they'll respond to it and enjoy it.

- Eli Roth

Love, Enjoy, Thought, Exploitation

As a kid, I was the neighbourhood baby-sitter - very responsible, always in charge.

- Eli Roth

Always, Charge, Very, Neighbourhood

Lucio Fulci is such a massively underrated director. Everyone knows him as the Godfather of Gore.

- Eli Roth

Director, Everyone, Gore, Massively

Once I got over the fear of writing female characters, it actually came quite easily and I was really happy with it. I just thought about girls I knew really, really well and I'd just have conversations with them and tried to relay how they talk about certain things.

- Eli Roth

Happy, Thought, About, Relay

When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular episode or director.

- Eli Roth

Television, Making, Rather, Arc

The scariest people are usually the sweetest.

- Eli Roth

People, Sweetest, Scariest

Twitter is wonderful. You can kill rumours instantly.

- Eli Roth

Twitter, Instantly, Rumours

My phobias worsen as I get older. I'm scared of flying, driving. I'm terrified of sharks. I'm a germaphobe. But I try to face my fears; I do. Well, most of them.

- Eli Roth

Sharks, Them, Terrified, Phobias

Horror movies are the best date movies. There's no wondering, 'When do I put my arm around her?'

- Eli Roth

Movies, Date, Horror, Arm

Look at comic books. It used to be something that only geeks were into. And now it's everywhere.

- Eli Roth

Look, Used, Comic Books, Geeks

I've realized that I can't multitask in the writing department; I can only kind of do one thing at a time.

- Eli Roth

Kind, Realized, One Thing, Department

Believe it or not, but I was a camp councilor for three years. I love kids.

- Eli Roth

Love, Believe, I Love, Camp

Creative writing and shooting are muscles that atrophy. But when you work them, you become a self-generator who can branch out.

- Eli Roth

Work, Shooting, Them, Atrophy

I want people to see my name on a movie, pay money and know they're going to be entertained for 90 minutes.

- Eli Roth

Movie, Going, 90 Minutes, Entertained

I think that many people are ashamed when they feel afraid. There's this thing in our society that you're not allowed to feel scared. You have to be a man and put on a brave face, but we all have fears.

- Eli Roth

Feel, I Think, Allowed, Scared

Horror is like comedy. Woody Allen's comedy is going to be very different from Ben Stiller's comedy which is going to be different from Adam Sandler's comedy which is going to be different from Judd Apatow's comedy. They're all comedy, but they're all very different types and you can enjoy all of them. Horror is the same way.

- Eli Roth

Enjoy, Very, Allen, Woody

I think that horror films have a very direct relationship to the time in which they're made. The films that really strike a film with the public are very often reflecting something that everyone, consciously or unconsciously feeling - atomic age, post 9-11, post Iraq war; it's hard to predict what people are going to be afraid of.

- Eli Roth

I Think, Very, Direct, Horror Films

There's something very scary about exposing yourself on camera, knowing that you're going to be put on thousands of screens around the world for everyone to judge, but there's also something very thrilling and exciting about it.

- Eli Roth

Going, Very, Thrilling, Screens

I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group a suicide bomber is the antichrist and to one he's a hero.

- Eli Roth

Always, Been, Bomber, Group

A comedy can actually get funnier and funnier. Even though you know the joke, you enjoy it so much, it's the facial expression, you laugh. The laugh doesn't wear off. It could be with you for thirty years.

- Eli Roth

Expression, Funnier, Though, Laugh

I'd love to see us get to a point where you can make a movie and not worry about the limits of the violence. Then I think they'd get so violent that people would get bored of it.

- Eli Roth

Love, Worry, Think, Bored

'Eraserhead' is a weird, horrible nightmare, and it doesn't narratively make sense. Stuff's happening, but you honestly feel like you're in a nightmare, and it has such disturbing imagery that it stays with you forever once you've seen it.

- Eli Roth

Feel, Like, Honestly, Imagery

I have the infinite galaxy from '2001' as my screensaver - so if I space out while I'm writing and it goes to screensaver, I can just stare off into the stars.

- Eli Roth

Stars, Goes, Infinite, Galaxy

I have no tattoos. There's nothing I've even been that into to get a tattoo of it.

- Eli Roth

Tattoo, Been, Even, Tattoos

Some disaster movies look like you're watching someone else play video games. They're fun but it's not real.

- Eli Roth

Play, Some, Like, Disaster

When you make a film for a million and a half dollars and it opens at 20 million, the next question out of everyone's mouth is, 'When's the next one, when's the next one, when's the next one?'

- Eli Roth

Question, Next, Half, Opens

When I was 22, I had this horrible psoriasis outbreak. It was all over my legs, I couldn't walk because my legs were cracked and bleeding. Weird things like that can happen to your body.

- Eli Roth

Bleeding, Had, Your, Cracked

I need to eliminate 'like' from my vocabulary. I begin sentences with, 'That's seriously like... ' I hear myself talking in this Los Angeles high-school student kind of way, and I hate it.

- Eli Roth

Need, Like, Angeles, Los Angeles

Chile could work as a double for L.A.; it's very production-friendly and there's terrific talent down there.

- Eli Roth

Could, Very, Terrific, Chile

I think characters are most terrifying when they're relatable. It's best when your most horrible characters make sense, and are believable. That's when a movie is most terrifying.

- Eli Roth

Think, I Think, Terrifying, Believable

Natural disasters are terrifying - that loss of control, this feeling that something is just going to randomly end your life for absolutely no reason is terrifying. But, what scares me is the human reaction to it and how people behave when the rules of civility and society are obliterated.

- Eli Roth

Civility, Reason, Terrifying, No Reason

I'm not interested in going after a part. I think if someone wants me for a part and approaches me then I'll take it on a case-by-case basis and see what that part is.

- Eli Roth

Think, Going, I Think, Not Interested

What I've always thought I would do is make a bunch of movies and then stop to teach for awhile. And then just teach at film schools - you know, teach children.

- Eli Roth

Thought, Teach, Always, Awhile

I never put out a vanilla edition of a DVD.

- Eli Roth

Never, DVD, Put, Edition

When someone throws up while watching one of your movies, it's like a standing ovation.

- Eli Roth

Like, Your, Throws, Ovation

I think you should make movies as long as the story dictates.

- Eli Roth

Movies, Think, I Think, Dictates

Life is a series of avoiding horrible situations until ultimately you're dead. That's how I feel about things.

- Eli Roth

Dead, Feel, About, Situations

I like to take risks and do weird things and stuff that's not normal compared to other Hollywood movies. Not stuff that's totally avant garde and daring, but doing stuff that's in other languages and not using stars and using real people - things that they generally don't do in mainstream films.

- Eli Roth

Doing, Other, Real People, Compared

Anytime you make a movie, the goal is a wide theatrical release, with the right distributor.

- Eli Roth

Goal, Movie, Theatrical, Anytime

Well, anytime I make a movie, I like to load it up with more things than you could ever catch on the first viewing.

- Eli Roth

More, Movie, Like, Anytime

Anytime you're the first to speak out against something, there's going to be a backlash.

- Eli Roth

Against, Going, Backlash, Anytime

I think filmmakers, in general... There are some awesome, really great filmmakers - but on the whole, filmmakers, actors, I think they are the biggest bunch of whiny, over-paid babies on the planet.

- Eli Roth

Think, Some, I Think, Filmmakers

The one negative to horror is that it's always law of diminishing returns. When you go in the funhouse, the ride is never scary the second time. You will never have that pure experience as when you first watch it.

- Eli Roth

Always, Horror, Diminishing, Returns

'Beatrice Cenci' was an amazing film. If it were released today it'd win Best Picture. It's so well done, it's so contemporary, and the filmmaking is so smart.

- Eli Roth

Best, Filmmaking, Film, Contemporary

I think in life we get very caught up in the minutia and, unfortunately, it generally takes some sort of tragedy in your life to put things in perspective.

- Eli Roth

Think, Caught, Very, Unfortunately

I love historical movies. I want to make a violent medieval epic.

- Eli Roth

Love, Movies, Violent, Medieval

'Troll 2' is one of the rare sequels where you don't have to waste time watching the first one, since the films have absolutely nothing to do with one another.

- Eli Roth

Waste, Films, Sequels, Absolutely Nothing

It's very flattering to feel like you actually helped create a sub-genre.

- Eli Roth

Like, Very, Actually, Helped

The best movies now are called 'thrillers.' Because if you use the word 'horror,' people's associations are straight-to-video crap.

- Eli Roth

Horror, Use, Associations, Thrillers

I can think of endless horrible things to do to people!

- Eli Roth

Think, Horrible, Things, Horrible Things

Horror audiences don't need to see some TV actor they're familiar with.

- Eli Roth

Actor, See, Some, Familiar

You know, I'm from Boston, and in Boston, you are born with a baseball bat in your hand.

- Eli Roth

Boston, Born, Know, Bat

I get a little too obsessive with work.

- Eli Roth

Work, Get, Too, Obsessive

There's a crazy, false notion that audiences are not patient or will not watch a story, that you have to put in a scare every ten minutes. But I always thought that was insane.

- Eli Roth

Thought, Will, Always, Ten

What is important to me is that people know I respect the business of making movies.

- Eli Roth

Movies, Important, Making, Making Movies

Everyone is so terrified of being labeled a racist.

- Eli Roth

Everyone, Being, Terrified, Labeled

I look at careers like Ben Stiller and think that's a great career to have where you're doing movies that you write and direct, and also act in films, although he's primarily an actor.

- Eli Roth

Career, Think, Films, Primarily

If someone gets up and walks out of the movie, it means it's really affected them.

- Eli Roth

Someone, Walks, Means, Affected

I have a strong art-history background.

- Eli Roth

Strong, Background

The film, 'Aftershock,' for me is really about how the minor problems in life that we think are so major ultimately mean nothing when a tragedy happens, when a real problem happens.

- Eli Roth

Think, Nothing, Minor, Major

It's just assumed that a horror sequel is going to be bad. It's never going to be as good as the first one.

- Eli Roth

Never, Bad, Horror, Sequel

For a long time, I had a crazy girl dating habit.

- Eli Roth

Crazy, Long Time, Had, Habit

Even post-WWII, nobody talked about the Holocaust. It wasn't until the '50s that people started talking about it.

- Eli Roth

Holocaust, About, Even, Talked

I feel like in the '90s, horror just lost its way and everything became so safe and watered-down.

- Eli Roth

Horror, Like, Became, Safe

I think horror should never be safe, whether it's violent or non violent.

- Eli Roth

Think, Never, Violent, Safe

I have control issues. For sure, no question.

- Eli Roth

Question, Sure, No Question, Issues

I have so many different projects, I hear voices in my head - the characters talking all at once - and I have to write to make them stop.

- Eli Roth

Talking, Projects, Them, Voices

I would love to do a musical!

- Eli Roth

Love, Would, Musical

Las Vegas is a 24-hour city. It never stops.

- Eli Roth

City, Vegas, Never, Las Vegas

When people direct insults at me, I can take it.

- Eli Roth

Me, Insults, Take, Direct

As a director, you have to know what actors are doing. You're the one telling them what to do. The actors' job is to come prepared to the set, but sometimes, if they're beginning actors or people who are non-actors, you have to teach them how to act.

- Eli Roth

Doing, Telling, Set, Director

You know, the best thing you can say about a horror film is, 'Don't see it.'

- Eli Roth

Know, See, About, Horror

If you are having fun on the set, you are not getting things done.

- Eli Roth

Getting, Set, Having, Having Fun

What's important for me is staying healthy.

- Eli Roth

Me, Healthy, Important, Staying

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