Eli Roth probably isn't a good film director. I have yet to see a film of his I've regarded as high quality. Also, anyone that's read his musings should be aware that his love for horror films often goes deep into the arena of the little bit too far. His obsession with Cannibal Holocaust, To Be Twenty (with its original ending) and others of their ilk is what I'm talking about. I myself don't like to tread those waters. Call me a lightweight. Whatever. I have my reasons; mostly that I don't find actually filmed animal murders, or sexual assault to be entertaining on any level.
However, as a student of film, and the horror genre in general, there are few that could be considered his peer. He knows his shits. His little AMC series, History of Horror is now into its third season, and there has to be a reason for that. I love how his talking heads range in diversity from Joe Dante to Joe Hill. Films I don't expect mentioning are often featured. Its a good series, and I often find myself wanting the episode to go on longer.
The most recent installment is about infections. From diseases, to parasites, to hysteria. In the era of Covid, this is a pretty topical episode. The films discussed at length are Steven Soderbergh's terrifying Contagion, (which is fucking prophetic on more than one level) David Cronenberg's seminal Shivers, Richard Stanley's masterful Color out of Space, among others. How in the hell Barry Levinson's The Bay got left out is a serious question that needs addressing, however. All in all though, Roth and his brothers in the macabre do a nice job explaining why movies dealing with viruses or infections work more often than not, and do more than just gross people out.
It's because in actuality, the subject matter could literally potentially happen. And you're not just watching the film in this case, you're required to deal with it.
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