To date, the closest filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has come to making a straightforward horror movie is Death Proof, despite being a huge horror fan. So much so that it’s influenced his non-horror films and isn’t ruling out the genre for his next production. Now we can add another gory horror movie to the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s favorites, one that he’d wished he’d directed himself.
In an interview last night with Dana Carvey, who’s filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the comedian asked Tarantino about the last film he’d seen that made him wish he’d been the one to helm it. Tarantino’s answer? Battle Royale.
“I’m a big fan of the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which is what Hunger Games was based on, well Hunger Games just ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed Battle Royale,” he told Carvey.
The ultraviolent Japanese film, released in 2000, set 42 high school students loose on an island and pit against each other until only one remained. If they didn’t comply, their explosive collar would detonate. It’s kill or be killed. Battle Royale was based on a controversial novel by Kōshun Takami and directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
Of course, fans of Tarantino won’t be surprised by his selection; he’s consistently named Battle Royale among his top twenty films of all time. He even cast Battle Royale star Chiaki Kuriyama as Gogo Yubari just a few years later in Kill Bill:Volume 1. But it is interesting to note that his love for the film still hasn’t wavered at all.
If you’ve still not seen the Tarantino fave, Battle Royale is available to stream now on Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi, and Vudu.
You can check out the full interview below, where the filmmaker also discusses his son’s love of zombies, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Scooby-Doo, and more.