8. Eli Roth - Torture Porn
Eli Roth is not a terrible filmmaker, he just has an unhealthy obsession with blood and torture. He is a pioneer, though, and maybe there's something to be said for that. That he pioneered the most tasteless sub-genre in cinema history is beside the point (I'm talking about torture porn if you'd care to know). While the Hostel films are explicit exploitation that parallel sexual ecstasy with unbearable physical torture and eventual brutal murder, his first outing, Cabin Fever, is an adept addition to the horror genre. It's over the top, but not in the way Rob Zombie films are over the top. It recognizes its incredulous subject matter and uses that self-awareness to great effect. Until this year, he hadn't directed a film since 2007's Hostel: Part II. Indeed, it seems he spent much of that time working with Quentin Tarantino as an actor. And while I haven't seen The Green Inferno, the images available to view suggest it's a bloodletting affair. Roth's best bet is to return to his Cabin Fever style, cut back on the torture for torture's sake and up the self-aware joviality. Most importantly, he needs to do away with the physical horror and bring back mental horror, emotional horror, the kind of horror that complements his in-your-face style.