In Eli Roth’s movies, when it’s time for a character (or, more likely, characters) to die, one thing is for sure: nobody goes peacefully. Or without a lot of blood. Anyone who’s seen 2005’s Hostel has likely never looked at a power drill—or a blowtorch—or a toilet—or even the classic horror mainstay, the chainsaw—the same way ever again. Even way back in Roth’s directorial debut, 2002’s cult favorite Cabin Fever, it wasn’t enough that a host of youngens got infected with some mysterious virus that ate away at their flesh, but a number of characters were dispatched in very Roth-ian (read: violent) fashion.
Suffice it to say, when it comes to offing fools, nobody does it quite like Eli. So, how exactly does he do it? Let’s break it down into five easy pieces:
1. There Will Be Blood
And we’re not talking about a burst capillary or two here. We’re talking lots of blood. Lots and lots of blood. Maybe all the blood.
2. Tool Time!
Roth leaves no killer empty handed, but rather comes up with some interesting (and stomach churning) ways for familiar tools to be used in ways they definitely weren’t intended.
3. Cringe Fest
Why kill some dude by strangulation or a simple gunshot to the chest when you can slice his Achilles or ram a screwdriver through his ear? That’s the Rothian way!
4. Do You Have to Let it Linger?
In a word: yes. Eli’s characters don’t die instantaneously, but rather in a protracted, harrowing fashion. Dying is nothing, but suffering is everything.
5. Service with a Smile
One thing you can’t accuse Eli of is not having a sense of humor. No matter how sick and twisted each character’s fate is, you can almost feel the wry smile of the man behind the camera, doling it all out with a wink and a slash.
Intrigued? Well, guess what, gentle viewers? The Rothmeister is back! In his latest master-splatter-piece, The Green Inferno, which drops September 25, a group of students travel to the Amazon in an attempt to help save both the rain forest and the natives that inhabit. it But after their plane crash lands, they find that they are now the prey of the very people they’re trying to help. That should end well for them. (Nope.)
For more on the latest, most terrifying installment in the Eli Roth canon, be sure to check out The Green Inferno’s Facebook page. Just maybe don’t do it alone. Or right after you eat lunch. You’ve been warned!
