'Hostel' Director Commiserates With Dead Kennedys

Ask any horror movie buff and they'll tell you that next to a good plot, the music makes the movie. Eli Roth, director of the 'Hostel' series, tells Spinner he found a lot of inspiration in punk. "I listen to punk rock all the time," he says. "Growing up, I was really into Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Sex Pistols and the Misfits 'cause that stuff broke all the rules."

In fact, Roth finds a lot of similarities between the two genres. "I always felt like horror movies were the equivalent of punk rock," he says. "I saw a real correlation between films like 'Dawn of the Dead' and 'Last House on the Left,' and the punk rock music. They had the same energy and attitude, and that's what I try to do in my films."

Which begs the question: Which bands would be the musical equivalent to his films? "It's weird," Roth says. "When I'm writing, I listen to soundtracks and scores. But I look at the way parents reacted to music like the Dead Kennedys, and that's the way I see people and parents reacting to my films. If you went to a Misfits concert in 1982 and these Spike TV awards, everybody looks the same."

Given his love for old-school punk, his choice for what musician/actor he'd like to work with is not surprising. "Henry Rollins," Roth says. "I would love to do a film with him."

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