Eli Roth

One of the most profitable directors working in the horror genre, Eli Roth earned both industry respect and fanboy acclaim following his first thriller, "Cabin Fever" (2002), a low-budget film that took years to make but propelled him into the spotlight. Roth followed up with "Hostel" (2006), an excessively graphic film that was a surprise box office hit and earned him the dubious honor of inventing the so-called horror subgenre, torture porn. Having become fast friends with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Roth earned Hollywood cred for his association while directing the fake trailer that was shown in the Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double feature "Grindhouse" (2007). After helming the less-successful sequel, "Hostel II" (2007), Roth stepped away from the director's chair and in front of the cameras for a major supporting role in Tarantino's award-winning "Inglorious Basterds" (2009) and a cameo in "Piranha 3-D" (2010). Though Roth enjoyed working behind the scenes as a producer on "The Last Exorcism" (2010) and co-writer on "The Man with the Iron Fists" (2012), which underscored the depth of his creative diversity, he returned to directing with 2013's ambitious "The Green Inferno" (2013), followed by erotic thriller "Knock Knock" (2015), a remake of the drive-in classic "Death Wish" (2018), and family fantasy "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" (2018).