Today’s guest needs no introduction, Eli Roth is one of the heads on the Mount Rushmore of horror and for good reason.

This is actually my second interview with Eli and if you haven’t already, I recommend listening to my first conversation with him prior to this one.

This time around, Eli and I dug deep into the making of Thanksgiving, the status of Thanksgiving 2, how he comes up with new gore gags, and they keys to running a fun and productive set. Thanksgiving, by the way, is now streaming on demand and available on blu ray.

Here are some key takeaways from this conversation with Eli Roth.

Be prepared and pick people up. Eli mentions that the secret to achieving the balance of a fun and professional set is to channel excitement into the work itself, rather than simply goofing off. Though there is a time and place for things like pranks and horsing around, the focus should be on cultivating a set culture that collectively revels in the filmmaking process whether it’s over an amazing shot, a performance, or practical effect. The key to creating this as a director is to be prepared and to do everything you can to ensure everyone else is prepared. Eli also points out that on any project people are going to have bad days and it's important for the set to rally around people and pick them up when it happens. This approach ensures a smooth and cohesive set experience and an environment of trust where everyone feels supported which is the foundation for getting great work done.

Face & study your fears. Eli is vocal about channeling his own fears and anxieties into his movies. For instance, 'Green Inferno' mirrors his concerns about slacktivism—the millennial trend of supporting causes superficially on social media without any genuine action. 'Hostel' is about xenophobia and the consequences of perceiving foreigners as “the other," while 'Cabin Fever' came from his personal encounter with a parasitic skin disease. Eli underscores the significance of confronting and understanding one's fears as a method to unearth the thematic core of a story, often hidden within these fears. In 'Thanksgiving,' he draws upon his existential unease with the over-commercialization of Christmas, observing how the frenzied consumerism of Black Friday directly contradicts the Thanksgiving holiday's ethos of gratitude and compassion, which became the movie’s theme.

Misdirect is the key to a good scare. Modern horror audiences are tough to shock; they're well-versed in the genre's tricks and can detect a jumpscare from a mile away. Eli points out that effective scares are all about the misdirect. Emphasizing that the scare works best when it’s off-rhythm after you lead viewers down one path you abruptly divert them elsewhere. He notes that the most successful scares are those that break the predictable rhythm that you set as a director. Eli also stresses the importance of variety in scares and how it's crucial to compare each scare to every other scare to avoid repetition. Audiences are quick to pick up on patterns, so each scare should be unique to prevent them from anticipating them.

SHOW NOTES

Movies

• Mute Witness

• The House that Screamed

• The Vanishing (Dutch Version)

• The Prowler

Filmmaking Tools 

• FrameForge software for previsualization of scenes