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Eli Roth, master of gore, goes beyond the acceptable … and then just keeps on going

Eli Roth has made a name as a master of gore - but even he says his tastes are changing

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Lorenza Izzo, Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas in Knock Knock

Eli Roth is strolling past gore-covered zombie soldiers on a recent evening, the sound of terrified shrieking in his ears, a look of pure joy on his face.

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"Dead soldiers - wow, they sure crossed the boundaries of taste with that one," he says appreciatively as he walks through one of the "scare zones" at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights. "That's awesome."

The director of such low-budget horror hits as and , Roth, 43, is a connoisseur of haunted houses and other Halloween attractions, and for him Halloween Horror Nights is a place of pilgrimage.

A still from Hostel
A still from Hostel

Other people come to scare themselves silly in the park's mazes as performers dressed as serial killers, ghouls and monsters burst out of dark corners wielding bloody knives and chainsaws. Roth comes to experience a special kind of bliss and quiet contemplation. "This is like my Christmas," Roth says. "I'm completely and utterly happy. As people are screaming, I'm reflecting on my year: What have I achieved? What goals do I have?"

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