Editor's Note: On July 19, 2007, MSN Movies received an e-mail from Eli Roth, writer/director of "Hostel," "Hostel 2" and "Cabin Fever." It was addressed to Don Kaye and his assessment of the current "torture porn" trend. Roth agreed to let us publish his letter, both to defend himself and offer a counterpoint to Kaye's opinion.

After reading it, head to our message board to comment ...

From: Eli Roth
To: heymsn@microsoft.com

Subject: Failure?  Please explain.

Don,

I saw your article on "Torture Porn," and while I disagree with you about your criticism of my film, I would like you to back up how "Hostel II" is a failure, a claim you repeatedly make. While the film did not do what the first film did at the box office, (which was a total shock to everyone - myself included) "Hostel II" cost only $10 million dollars to make, and is currently at $30 million dollars worldwide box office, with many territories left to open. How many other films this summer have earned triple their production budget in their theatrical run? Are those films failures as well?

Critically, your comments were that I had MTV style editing and a lack of character development. What, exactly, are you talking about? "Hostel II" has barely any flashy cuts or MTV-style editing, and the first 45 minutes of the movie is all character development with almost zero on screen violence. Heather Matarazzo's torture scene doesn't happen until nearly 50 minutes into the movie. It sounds to me like you are jumping onto some kind of 'anti-violence' crusade without actually watching the film, when if you looked closely, you'd see that my film actually has a very strong anti-violence moral core. Writers I respect such as Stephen King, Elvis Mitchell, and writer/Attorney Julie Hilden, a former clerk for supreme court Justice Breyer, praised the film specifically for its anti-violence message and skilled filmmaking and in Europe the major critics hailed the film for its political messages against corporations that profit from the death of Americans. My films are not for everyone, and many critics dismissed the film because of the violent scenes, which is the very thing horror fans are paying for when they see a film like "Hostel II." But to lump my film in with other films that may be ripping off a trend for "MTV editing" and "lack of character development" shows more of a reflection of your lack of understanding as a critic and a desire to be seen as a 'moral person' than an actual critique of my film.

With regards to piracy, it is a problem -- a real serious problem that affects everyone. There are services that track which films are downloaded the most, and Sony Pictures estimates we have lost close to 25% of our business internationally due to piracy. We are in the top 5 stolen films out of the hundreds of films people are downloading. These are not made up numbers. This is not 'blaming'. No matter what I say about this subject, people who want to smear me will say that I'm 'blaming,' but it's a serious issue that's really hurting the business and I'm not going to just sit back and let it happen. There is statistical data that millions of people are downloading my film and not paying for it. Even if the film had made $100 million dollars, it's still a problem and fans have to know that it's not okay to do this. The worst offender of the bunch is Ryan Rotten, your only source you quote, who watched a pirated unfinished version of the film - stolen from Lionsgate - and trashed it on his site before there were any public screenings where he could have possibly seen it. It also happens that he's yet another one of these internet 'critics' I've seen kicking around the horror scene for years who have told me numerous times how they really want to write and direct, and probably are not writing the most objective reviews. Did you bother to talk to anyone actually involved in the movie before you pronounced it a 'failure'? and saying it 'tanked.' Because failure in my book is someone who lives in the safety of their laptop taking shots at those who actually achieved what they have been unable to do.

Many people had their knives out for me long before my film opened, simply because of who I am and the nature of my films. They will tell you "Hostel II" is a failure no matter what, despite the fact we are into profits before we come out on DVD, which is a rare feat for almost any film released theatrically. I made the film I wanted the way I wanted, with risky subject matter and a superb cast who are not (yet) major box office stars, got it released in theaters all over the world, and turned a profit before our theatrical run was finished. If that's not success, then we should all be so lucky to have 'failures' like "Hostel Part II" in our careers.

Sincerely,
Eli Roth

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