Eli Roth may be the mastermind behind some of the most terrifying horror films of the past two decades, but even the king of gore has a soft spot for heartwarming romcoms and high-stakes baking competitions. While promoting his latest slasher Thanksgiving, The Movie Dweeb decided to introduce him to a different world—the comforting embrace of romcoms. Turns out, he was already ahead of the game.
“I mean, there are guilty pleasures, but I don’t feel guilty about it,” Roth said with a laugh. “I’ll definitely watch romcoms. Like, I wouldn’t even call this a guilty pleasure because I don’t feel guilty, but over the holidays, I watched Bend It Like Beckham. I was watching all the Oscar movies, and my wife was like, ‘You need to see Bend It Like Beckham,’ and I missed it! I completely missed it because we’ve been watching Harry Potter. You know, I can’t watch horror all the time, or you get kind of immune to it and miss other stuff. So I do love a good romcom. And I love a terrible romcom. I like a terrible romcom that you’d watch on an airplane, and then you secretly find yourself crying and have to pretend you’re having an allergy attack.”
Horror Icon, Bake Off Superfan
Despite making a career out of blood-soaked slashers, Roth revealed that he isn’t completely immune to fear—just not in the way you’d expect. When asked if any films still startle him, he admitted that his true horror comes in the form of Paul Hollywood’s icy stare on The Great British Bake Off.
“You know, I squirm at weird things,” Roth said. “Like, I’m watching Bake Off—I guess they call it Bake Off in England, but we call it The Great British Baking Show here—and when they’re under pressure and Paul Hollywood’s coming to judge them, I’m under my seat. Like, I actually can’t take it. My heart’s racing, I start to sweat. I can be watching heads getting chopped off in horror movies, and I’m like, ‘Oh, how did they do that? I wish I had thought of that.’ But when I’m watching Bake Off, I’m like, ‘I can’t, I can’t believe it.’”
Thanksgiving: A Holiday Horror Feast
Roth’s latest film, Thanksgiving, brings the carnage to the dinner table in a blood-soaked holiday slasher. Inspired by the fake trailer he created for Grindhouse in 2007, the film follows a mysterious killer known as John Carver, who terrorizes a small Massachusetts town after a Black Friday riot turns deadly. Featuring a cast that includes Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, and Milo Manheim, Thanksgiving delivers Roth’s signature mix of gory kills, dark humor, and genre nostalgia.
The film has been widely praised for its inventive deaths, practical effects, and its ability to turn an all-American holiday into a nightmarish bloodbath. Roth, who has long wanted to bring Thanksgiving to life, finally got his wish, and fans of classic slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th won’t be disappointed.
Eli Roth’s Legacy of Horror
Roth first made waves in Hollywood with Cabin Fever (2002), a gruesome tale of a flesh-eating virus that quickly cemented his reputation as a fearless filmmaker. He followed up with the Hostel films, which helped define the torture-porn subgenre and solidified his status as a master of shock. Over the years, he’s branched out into producing, directing, and even acting, taking on roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and directing the family-friendly horror-fantasy The House with a Clock in Its Walls.
Despite his love for the macabre, Roth’s taste in films proves he’s more than just a horror buff. Whether he’s watching romcoms on a plane, discovering Bend It Like Beckham years later, or sweating through a tense Bake Off finale, it’s clear that Eli Roth enjoys a little variety in his cinematic diet.