Eli Roth

The horror continues...

Aren’t you bored about talking about horror films yet?
No! I’ve loved them since I was 11. I love discovering new films and then becoming obsessed with the directors. Torso, Night Train Murders, Short Night of Glass Dolls, Strip Nude for Your Killer, Death Walks in High Heels, The Killer Must Kill Again, The House The Screamed, Kill A Child [Roth spends the next 18 minutes running off a long list of obscure horror films and largely Italian directors].

Have you ever had any real supernatural experiences?
I’d like to. I’m totally open to them. I want then to happen and I wish they would. Ghosts are always welcome in my house, but nothing yet.



Have you not tried a Ouija board?
I’ve tried EVERYTHING. But nothing works. You hear the wind blow and the door creak, and it’s just the same noise as you’ve heard before. So you go back to watching TV.

Did you research exorcisms for the movie?
The writers did. It was at the same time that the Pope announced he was opening an Exorcist Academy to train more exorcists. There’s more exorcism staff in the Vatican today than ever before. We also had an exorcist on set. He matter-of-factly said the scenes in the film are something he sees in Louisiana every day. He talks about performing exorcisms as if it were a trip to the bank!

Are exorcisms commonplace in America, then?
42% of America believes in the Devil to the degree that they’re creationists. They don’t believe in dinosaurs. When I was working on Harry Potter there were people on my crew whose brothers and kids aren’t allowed to read Potter books because there’s no magic in the Bible. The Last Exorcism is showing that clash between science and religion.

Can you remember when you first saw the original 1973 The Exorcist?
I saw it when I was six-years-old. My father is a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard medical school, so I always approached any kind of psychological problem as a mental illness. Then I saw The Exorcist and it really traumatised me. I couldn’t sleep for years. I thought: "Oh my God, I’m going to get possessed!"

How did you manage to see it when you were six?!?
It was on a cable system in a hotel in Florida! Thanks for that.

Does it annoy you when modern audiences find The Exorcist funny?
I think it’s a masterpiece, but people are so used to special effects and rip-offs today that it doesn’t have the power or terror as it did. That’s what was fun with The Last Exorcism was telling an exorcist story where there is no make-up or CGI at all. It’s a totally unique story, too. The writers were careful to watch all previous ‘exorcist’ films and all the ‘real’ exorcism recordings [check out YouTube] to ensure our film wouldn’t be a copy of what’s gone before.