Review of Cabin Fever (2003) by Adam R — 21 Oct 2016

Certainly Eli Roth's best movie, and I know that's not saying a lot considering his track record, Cabin Fever is one of those movies that feels like it was written by a teenager trying to be edgy and "adult" by throwing in tons of gore and nudity but without the slightest hint of self-awareness.

In most most movies, this would be extremely annoying. In this case however, it actually works in its favor - sort of. Eli Roth certainly has a passion for horror movies; that much is true. Unfortunately that passion tends to overshadow writing a consistent tone, likable characters, and genuine scares.

And yet for all of its faults, that misguided passion makes the final product bizarrely charming. The decisions made by some of the characters and their dialogue will actually make you go from cringing in embarrassment to slapping your head in total bemusement.

You just can't turn away from it. Touching on inconsistent tone again, one minute you're watching a kid shouting "pancakes" and randomly karate kicking one of the main characters and then the next you see a young woman get viciously torn a part by a dog (and no I'm not making any of that up).

Cabin Fever is not a good movie but it's so unapologetically nonsensical and over the top, and seemingly so unaware of that fact, that you won't be able to look away. If you're a gore hound or just like weird movies, then definitely give this a watch.