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Eli Roth knows what Hollywood expects of him. That’s why he’s endeavored to change his stripes. He describes “Knock Knock,” his first film at Sundance to date, as a “sexually-charged thriller,” which is a deviation from the straight slasher genre pieces that were “Hostel” and “Cabin Fever.” But Roth’s studio-friendly reputation is misaligned with his own philosophy; below, he reveals that making films independently is a priority, and explains why making “Knock Knock” was more difficult than shooting a film in the far reaches of the Amazon.
A married man left alone for the weekend is visited by two beautiful girls. What starts as a dark fantasy escalates into a horrific nightmare.
For me the film’s about how fragile the world we work so hard to create truly is, and how it can all be undone with one single thoughtless action. Another underlying theme is the destruction of creativity. What appears as art to one person is worthless garbage to another. To a creative person, that thought is terrifying.
I grew up in Boston dreaming of moving to Hollywood to make movies. I lived in New York City and worked on probably 100 different film productions before I made my first film at age 29. Every film I’ve done I have made independently. I write it, raise the money, shoot it, and sell it later to a distributor. I’m very fortunate they have found an audience. “Knock Knock” is no different.
Time. It was a tough shoot. My last film was shot in the Amazon in a village farther than anyone had ever brought cameras. That was a cakewalk compared to “Knock Knock.” It was just a hard shoot, everything was night, rain, and it’s my first truly performance-based film. I wanted to make an Adrian Lyne / Verhoeven / Polanski sexually-charged thriller.
I want them to be surprised on every level. I know what people expect from me and in some ways I will deliver that but this is a different type of film for me. I also want people to fall in love with the cast. Lorenza Izzo and Ana De Armas are incredible new faces, and Keanu Reeves has never been better. He gives a superb performance. I think people are going to love him in this.
Of course. This film was very inspired by the work of Peter Traynor, who is on as an executive producer. Also early Paul Verhoeven, Roman Polanski, Adrian Lyne, and David Fincher.
I have not yet chosen my next project to direct. I’m writing and reading. Working on other TV projects as well. Season 3 of “Hemlock Grove” on Netflix is shooting, “South of Hell” on WeTV, which I produced with Jason Blum, and I have a new project coming out on Fox that will soon be announced….
Canon 1DC. Amazing 4K camera, looks stunning. Very cinematic.
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