Horror auteur Eli Roth is taking a stab at something new-his own film studio, dubbed "The Horror Section."
Manifesto
Throughout my career, people have told me, “Eli, you can’t do that… that’s too sick.” I always took that as a good sign that I was onto something.
While I’ve made my films both independently and with studios, whether it’s Hostel, Cabin Fever, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, or Thanksgiving, I'm now branching out to finance and release my movies on my own.
And I want you, the horror fans, to join me in building it as investors.
Join me, and you’ll own shares in the studio with full rights and a full stake in the financial upside.
Distribution
That’s where we’ll have an edge. I’ve set up a partnership with Iconic Events, the company that released Terrifier 3, the most profitable movie of 2024.
Iconic is committed to releasing hardcore horror movies theatrically, the way they’re meant to be watched. Their marketing expertise and engagement strategies turn films into unique events and experiences fans love. The Horror Section plans to take full advantage of the model Iconic utilizes with our new films.
This way, we keep full creative freedom and full financial upside without the control of traditional studios.
Intellectual Property
What’s the most valuable thing in horror movies? It’s the iconic characters that spawn franchises and drive fans to theatres again and again. Just look at the box office of these legendary characters.
As an investor in The Horror Section, you will own the characters, the movies, the rights – all intellectual property — along with me and your fellow investors. Together, we’ll work to create the next generation of great horror franchises.
Box Office and Production
The chart below says it all. Horror films, on average, make nearly 8x in box office what it costs to produce them. That’s by far the highest level and nearly double any other movie category.
I made Hostel for less than $5M and that movie pulled in over $80M at the box office. I know how to keep production costs down, and give fans the experience they want. That combination puts our films in the best position for box office and business success.
We plan to have two projects in production before the end of 2025, and aim to produce two to four projects each year going forward. That number will grow as we find the right projects.
My Brands
That’s right. I’m not holding anything back.
Our business plan includes bringing my existing library of IP to The Horror Section.
In fact, we already have a pipeline full of ideas and projects in development from some of my top franchises like Cabin Fever, Hostel, The Green Inferno, Clown, Haunt, and Knock Knock.
Plus we have a ton of other new ideas we want to create. There won’t be any long production cycles or development hell here. I plan to have our first film produced and released within the next 18 months.
Revenue Streams
Horror fans know it’s about more than just the movies. It’s about the entire culture that goes with it. The Horror Section will be taking part in all of it.
When there’s a great opportunity to develop a TV show, we’ll take it.
A podcast to help spread the word about our films. It’s already in the works.
Conventions. We’ll be there
Video Games. We'll make them.
Merchandise. We plan on a full lineup from t-shirts to figures to toys.
Whenever there’s a business opportunity that looks advantageous, we’ll pursue it. That’s going to create more revenue streams for you-the investors.
Investor Bonus Perks
As fans and owners of The Horror Section, we want you to have the best experiences. That's why we've created a set of special bonus perks for investors.
You’ll have the chance to be featured in on-screen credits. Receive a blood-spattered stock certificate.
Take part in Town Hall Zooms with me.
I’ll host investor-only special meetups when I’m at horror conventions.
Invite you to exclusive screenings.
And offer script reviews, producer credits, and cameo roles…
And don’t forget. For anyone willing to invest $1 million dollars, I will literally kill you… on-screen. A bespoke death that I guarantee will be in the final cut.
Check out all the Bonus Perks below.
Early bird perk: Special Thanks credit on the first Horror Section film. Expires on Friday March 21 at Midnight. |
MCT Partnership
My co-founder Jon Schnaars brings deep experience across strategy, finance and operations. He will drive the day to day operations of The Horror Section, and work to deliver business results and build value for you, our investors.
We are also fortunate to have built a strong partnership with Media Capital Technologies (MCT), an entertainment finance company that specializes in investing in film and structuring deals with major studios. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have partners who know how to navigate the movie business.
MCT secured our Iconic Events distribution partnership, will arrange for additional project-specific financing, and is already working to set up more deals with distributors and producers to ensure our slate is a creative and commercial success.
MCT is currently a co-financing partner to Lionsgate for their film slate. Over the course of their careers, the principals of the company have previously invested in over 100 films that have grossed more than $10 billion at the box office collectively. Some of their most notable past investments include, The Matrix, Mad Max: Fury Road, I Am Legend, Birdman, Happy Feet, Oceans 12, American Sniper, Sherlock Holmes, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Green Inferno, and dozens of others. With their industry expertise and key relationships, MCT will help make The Horror Section a household name in Hollywood.
Closing pitch
About Eli Roth
Writer / Director / Producer and Actor Eli Roth burst onto the film scene at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, with his directorial debut Cabin Fever. Made independently for $1.5 million dollars, the film sparked a bidding war, and went on to be Lionsgate’s highest grossing film of 2003. Roth’s follow-up film, Hostel which he wrote, produced and directed, presented and executive produced by Quentin Tarantino, earned him critical praise and was a massive worldwide hit, spawning a successful sequel, Hostel Part II, also written and directed by Roth.
In 2015, Lionsgate released Roth’s Sundance thriller Knock Knock, which stars Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas in her English language screen debut. Additionally, Roth co-wrote, produced and directed The Green Inferno, and directed the critically acclaimed family film The House with a Clock in its Walls starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black for Amblin Entertainment, as well as the gritty hit action film Death Wish starring Bruce Willis for MGM, and the video game film Borderlands starring Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Ariana Greenblatt.
As an actor, Roth starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds as the bat-wielding Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, for which he and his cast members received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble. He also acted in Sam Levinson’s HBO series “The Idol”, and will soon appear alongside Vanessa Kirby in “The Night Always Comes” for Netflix.
As a producer, Roth has produced the hit films, The Last Exorcism, The Man with the Iron Fists, Jon Watts’ directing debut Clown and the hit Emmy ® Nominated Netflix series, “Hemlock Grove”. Roth hired an unknown Damien Chazelle to write the sequel to The Last Exorcism, starring Julia Garner and Ashley Bell. Roth’s critically acclaimed docuseries “Eli Roth’s History of Horror” ran for three seasons on AMC, as well as the #1 podcast that accompanied the series. Roth’s fan favorite horror series “A Ghost Ruined My Life,” “The Haunted Museum”, “Urban Legend”, and “My Possessed Pet” are all streaming on Max.
Roth’s critically acclaimed documentary about the harrowing shark fin trade Fin, produced with Leonardo DiCaprio, premiered to rave reviews in July 2021 as part of Discovery’s Shark Week, and went on to Best Documentary at the Ischia Global Film Festival.
Roth co-created the DreamWorks Animation kids series “Fright Krewe” for Peacock and Hulu and co-wrote, produced, and directed the hit horror film Thanksgiving for TriStar pictures, starring Patrick Dempsey. He is currently writing a sequel, as well as a TV series of “Hostel” starring Paul Giamatti.