I recently caught up with director, actor, writer and producer Eli Roth just in time for the release of the gut-twistingly creepy ‘The Last Exorcism’ in UK cinemas. Roth is probably best know to people for directing his hugely successful low-budget horror films Cabin Fever, Hostel and Hostel: Part 2, and acting in the role of Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. He can also be seen in cinemas right now ‘hosing down tits’ in Piranha 3D. Check out what he had to say for himself below.

After a career spent helping the devout through prayer and trickery, Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) invites a film crew to document his final fraudulent days as an exorcist. Soon his faith is truly tested when a desperate plea from the father of a possessed girl (Ashley Bell) brings him face to face with evil itself.

I was watching another interview you done the other day and you said the reason you produced as well as directed your first couple films was because you wanted total creative control. What is your creative input as a producer?

Eli Roth: Well first and foremost I’d definitely say it’s Daniel Stamm’s film and it’s has his identity. Part of the fun with producing is that you embrace that, and you back it 100%. In Hostel I had three directors as my co-producers – Scott Spiegel , Boaz Yakin and Quentin Tarantino, all of them gave great great creative input, as did my other producer partners. Your producers should be your sounding board, not just saying you’ve got five minutes, get the shot. When you have a director that’s a producer, the director understands you’ve been there before. I certainly had some creative input in the script and the story. I’m brought on board because people want to hear my ideas, I’m brought in because people want to make it as scary as possible, my opinion is wanted when I come on as a producer. But I also wanted Daniel to know, this is his film, I’m here to support him and during the Cannes Film Festival I was pre-selling the film, while I was doing my Inglorious Basterds stuff, so I didn’t want to interrupt the intimacy and vibe on set because he was doing such a great job filming. So I really stayed out of his way. But then there were certain points in the editing room where certain scene’s he shot weren’t a 100% there, so I would go in and help and try to be affective in editing, the same way Quentin was with me, helping build tension, maximise the humour and scares.

What are your biggest influences Horror wise?

Eli Roth: As a director there’s so many, as a kid Sam Raimi and The Exorcist were a huge influence, it traumatized me as a kid, I thought how can you make a movie scarier than The Exorcist and I always wanted to get involved in a possession film, and then I read this script and thought this is brilliant! You don’t try and make something scarier than The Exorcist, you do something great in it’s own right. I started thinking about Vampires, what started with Dracula has turned into Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries and just how rich the subject matter is. Possession is such a modern subject, it really really fascinates me. I thought the whole approach in doing it in the Documentary style was so smart for the subject. I was a big fan of Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity, but really going back before Blair Witch and even more so with Cannibal Holocaust , the best one out of them all for me was Punishment Park, which was just gripping, it was a drama, it’s not even a horror film but it’s terrifying. I thought the script was so good and Daniel is so great and the subject matter is so rich, it was due for a little update.

Were you ever fearful of a backlash from the Religious community? I thought the film was fair with both sides.

Eli Roth: We showed the film to deeply religious groups in Texas and they loved it. They were very surprised by how fairly there point of view was represented. The film does not take a position, it shows both sides fairly. The Exorcist was embraced by the Catholic Church, the Pope came out very publicly supporting The Exorcist. people had never seen anything like it so they were traumatized when they watching it, but that was great for the church because people came out of that film believing in the devil and therefore being more religious. What I found smart about the script was that it comes at a point where Cotton is confessing, he feels terrible after seeing what happened to the other boy during an exorcism. He feels terrible for what he’s doing and he’s gonna atone for his sins by making this confessional. Very much a part of Christianity is confession for your sins, the film itself is a confessional session. I think because he’s so human and funny he wins you over at the start. I think ultimately the film has a very deep underlying message of faith – don’t mess with forces bigger than you. That whole ending – without giving away too much is all to do with Cotton. Cotton was taking cliché’s and using them to take people’s money. Without saying too much (laughs) the same way those people used cliché’s to draw him in. At no point does Cotton believe she’s possessed because he can’t, he doesn’t believe in God so therefore he doesn’t believe in the devil. The whole film is his faith being continually tested and him failing.

What do you think scares people so much about Exorcism’s?

Eli Roth: I think people are terrified thinking about whether the Devil real? Is God real? Everyone has their own personal relationship with religion – even if it’s atheism, nearly everyone has grown up with religion, so you do think about this stuff, the fact is that it’s done in every religion and it’s very real. We had an Exorcist on set, he was a brother of one of the drivers, he was technically an adviser. It was such a normal thing to him, it was so everyday. He would talk of it like he was going to the bank. Exorcism is a very real thing. Seventy five years ago evil had a very clear face, you could say these three things are evil. But today there’s no obvious face that is evil, it’s terrorism, it’s wall street, so many different things, there’s a feeling of evil and that’s why the devil becomes a vocal point.

My father’s a psychiatrist, a psycho analyst professor at Harvard, the medical school. So as a kid I always looked at things from a psychiatric point of view, but then I watched The Exorcist and it traumatised me. I was six years old and I asked my Dad could this really happen? And my Dad said no don’t worry about it we’re Jewish (laughs), we can’t get possessed, I said I believe it’s real and I’ll probably end up being the first test case! I was convinced I would have been the first Jewish kid to be possessed by the Devil, and there are many that would say I was the first to be possessed by the Devil (laughs). It always fascinates me. It wasn’t taught to me as a kid so I thought this is real, they don’t want me to know about this.

What was it like working on a film that is a PG-13 but still will scare the crap out of people?

Eli Roth: It’s very satisfying, it’s cool to have done it before by pushing the envelope with violence and then having a film that scares people of all ages, it was fun to take that challenge. We didn’t intentionally make it to be PG-13, we set out with no rating. Lionsgate were real supportive, they said we’ll go R rating with this if we have to, but thankfully we didn’t have to, we didn’t have to cut anything out. There was no swearing because it was basically set around a religious family, there’s no sex and there’s no real need for gore in the film, it’s really truly a physiological thriller, it’s sold as a Horror film, but it’s more a drama about this girl who might be crazy or might be possessed.

What was it like filming around New Orleans? Where some of the people may feel like they were abandoned by God with Hurricane Katrina?

Eli Roth: Yeah it’s eerie, you feel like you’ve stopped in time in some parts down there. The plantation house we filmed the movie in you can still see the water line from Katrina. It’s really weird just even driving through there, you feel a different air down there. The voodoo is a big part of the culture down there, you sometimes feel there’s something strange and spiritual going on, it’s a feeling that’s really specific to that place. I loved going into that world, I thought it was such a great smart world for this story to be set in. I’ve been in these rural towns when I was filming Cabin Fever, some of them would look at me and say oh there’s the Jew (laughs), but they’re very nice people and they’re good God fearing Church going folk, but they would not let their kids read Harry Potter because that is not the Bible, and then they’d also have guns, which was a real weird thing. They have guns and they have the Bible, it’s really weird some of the rules they set for themselves to be a good person or to be a good Christian. I love the setting of rural America.

Will we be seeing you undertaking more acting after your role in Piranha 3D?

Eli Roth: I didn’t think I could top my SAG award winning role in Inglorious Basterds (big smile), but Aja invited me to come on set and hose down some tits on Piranha 3D, so I said what time do you need me (laughs). Having seen my performance in that film, I think there’s certain things you do that are really just sacrifices for art. Unless it’s a film that is really such a charitable contribution to the world, where you just feel like your contributing to the betterment of mankind I probably wouldn’t do it (Laughs). Unless it’s hosing down tits!

How’s your upcoming projects coming along, can you talk about Thanksgiving at all?

Eli Roth: My friend Jeff Rendell has been working on the script – at least he f*cking better be (laughs). As soon as I finish the press run for this I’m just gonna sit down and write. I really need to sit down and work on my scripts. I’ve been so busy with The Last Exorcism – which believe me is a great place to be but I’m just gonna get back on the writing as soon as I finish the press run. Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland are writing the remake of Funhouse was well, they’re great, they’re funny guys.

There’s been some cracking posters released lately, out of all of them this one’s the mutts nuts! It’s got a real eerie feel about it. I’m pretty psyched for this – a thought provoking film that will grab me by my eye balls, it looks stunning! Monsters received a glowing response at both Cannes and SXSW, and for those that don’t know the film was shot with just a five person crew and a cast of two. Director Gareth Edwards definitely seems one for the future. Monsters is hitting cinemas October 29th 2010 in the US and November 12th 2010 in the UK.

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life form began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain “the creatures”…… Our story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Following on from some glowing reviews at the Venice Film Festival, Fox Searchlight have released four new photos from Darren Aronofsky’s latest film Black Swan. Alongside Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life this is easily my most anticipated film for the remainder of 2010. The trailer made the film look hauntingly enchanting, it looks even more chilling than I was expecting – a pleasant surprise! I’m a huge fan of Darren Aronofsky, the cast he‘s assembled in Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershey is first rate. This looks like it could be one of this years finest .

BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

A new international movie trailer for The Hangover director Todd Phillips‘ upcoming comedy Due Date has been released online. The combination of Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis seems to have worked a treat, the trailer has some great moments. It’s almost exactly the same as the domestic trailer that was released a few months back though. This is definitely on my eagerly anticipated list, it looks like it will produce some side splitting laughs. Downey Jnr and Galifianakis aside this has a great supporting cast as well in Juliette Lewis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Alan Arkin and RZA.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan–on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.

In the dominant age of the floating head style poster it‘s become so rare to see something with just an ounce of creativity, this poster for The Next Three Days is a breathe of fresh air. The Next Three Days is a remake of the French thriller ”Anything for Her” from writer/director Paul Haggis. After winning the Best Picture Oscar for Crash five years ago, Haggis directed In the Valley of Elah, and also co-wrote both Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, as well as the last two Bond pictures. Crash was pure gold for me, this has all the right ingredients to be top notch as well. From the trailer this looks emotionally charged and about as tense as a porcupine in a balloon factory! The Next Three Days features an outstanding cast in Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Jonathan Tucker, Brian Dennehy, RZA and Sean Huze.

Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a gruesome murder she says she didn’t commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he loves.

Source: Msn

Popsugar have got their stalker paparazzi game on by snapping a couple images of Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – the fourth instalment in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise. To be honest I’m not that excited for this movie, do we really need a fourth film?!?!? At least they’ve swapped Kiera Knightly for Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane is involved . At it’s best the last film in the series was soulless, yet visually enticing. At it’s worst it was a steaming turd of a movie! Hopefully this film brings some magic back to the franchise. Check out the Popsugar website for more set images.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ will be directed by Rob Marshall, and star Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Óscar Jaenada, Kevin McNally, Stephen Graham, Sam Claflin, Gemma Ward, Greg Ellis and Astrid Berges-Frisbey. The film will be released on May 20, 2011.

The official website for director Zack Snyder’s Cruel and Unusual Films production company has let loose on a brand new image from Snyder’s latest movie Sucker Punch. I’m psyched for this film, the trailer passed pretty much every requirement on the awesome test – Dragons, ninjas, insane asylums, robots, orcs, Nazis, and last but not least hot girls with machine guns – where do I sign up? This movie looks like the perfect popcorn movie!

“Sucker Punch” is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, but her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary…with potentially tragic consequences. Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn and Oscar Isaac. Sucker Punch hits theaters on March 25th 2011.

The Sun have released a brand new trailer for the Ryan Reynolds Buried. I’m super stoked for this film – an excitementgasm has been fully achieved! This movie looks about as tense and claustrophobic as they come. I’ve always liked Ryan Reynolds, he’s one of my favourite young actors. Buried is set for UK release October 1st 2010, while the US get’s it September 24th 2010. You can check out the trailer at The Sun’s website – sorry no embed at the moment . Check out the trailer below

Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up 6 feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time – fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only 90 minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

Optimum have released this international poster for Joaquin Phoenix Documentary I’m Still here. This poster is pretty much exactly the same as the domestic one, the only different is a little border and change in release dates. Joaquin Phoenix is still doing his best  Zach Galifianakis impression – he looks about as sh*tfaced as a man can get.  Mockumentary or not this looks fascinating, thoroughly entertaining and frankly pretty insane. Filmed by his brother in law Casey Affleck (The Killer Inside Me, Gone Baby Gone) and Tom Blomquist, the film follows Oscar winning actor Joaquin Phoenix on the journey of his life as he decides to retire from acting to embark on a career as a hip hop artist. I’m Still Here is in cinemas 17th September in the UK

The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck, I’M STILL HERE is a striking portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of internationally acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, I’M STILL HERE follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, and always riveting, the film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads. Defying expectations, it deftly explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.