Joey Magidson
As I’ve said before, to me, Eli Roth is an underrated filmmaker. Sure, he works within genre, and he tends not to do high art, but there’s a style and talent on display that’s impossible to deny. With his latest movie, Ice Cream Man, hitting screens this weekend, it feels like a real good time to update my ranking of the films that he’s made to date so far. Now, take a gander below!
Earlier in the week, I said the following about Roth in my review here for Ice Cream Man:
Co-writer/director Eli Roth is having a great time having these kids slaughter adults in increasingly gruesome manners. Along with co-writer Noah Belson, it’s all mostly set up for the carnage that kicks off the second act. Now, the third act introduces some town lore and a new supernatural element that I don’t think is particularly well realized, but it does lead to a bit of a surprise ending, so there’s that. Belson and Roth don’t make things overly plot heavy, and Roth’s visuals are on par with his usual work. What’s setting this apart here is the gore, which is the most vivid of his career. Armed with ace work from prosthetics designers Steve Newburn and Adrien Morot, the blood and guts on the screen is practical, unsettling, and will please any gorehound.
Previously, in my review of Thanksgiving a few years back, I had this here to say about Roth:
Filmmaker Eli Roth is having a great time expanding the fake trailer to feature length. His direction leans into the genre with full weight, while the script by Jeff Rendell (he and Roth share Story By credits as well) is never intentionally dumb. There are tropes that the flick follows, but it’s knowingly doing so and with a wink. Is the film high art? No. Is it very entertaining for horror fans who love gore? Absolutely.
Below, you can see my new Roth list. For me, Thanksgiving remains his most complete and successful film, but it’s hardly his only good flick. I think the first Hostel is pretty good, the sequel Hostel: Part II is a bit underrated, and Knock Knock is quite fun. Where does his latest movie in Ice Cream Man land? Find out next…
Here is how I would rank the films of Eli Roth, so far:
10. Borderlands
9. Death Wish
8. The House with a Clock in Its Walls
7. Cabin Fever
6. The Green Inferno
4. Hostel: Part II
3. Knock Knock
2. Hostel
1. Thanksgiving
What is your favorite Eli Roth film? Let us know!
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