Review of Cabin Fever (2003) by Tony V — 24 Aug 2009

If you throw gore, sex and horror movie cliches at a wall, what sticks is likely to look something like Cabin Fever. Though Eli Roth has yet to produce a movie which deserves him of his "greatest new horror director" status, his debut effort isn't bad. He's clearly got a long time love of the genre and this is more of a tribute to the likes of Evil Dead 2 than a mark out of anything too original, but for a first time director, he does show some skill for off the wall weirdness and how to deliver some good scares.

Rider Strong finds it's less Boy Meets World and more Boy Meets Flesh Eating Virus when he accompanies four friends on a post exam blow out at a remote cabin in the woods. There's beer, there's sex and the usual arrogance that comes with 18 year old's who think they know it all. Roth even finds time to segue in a touching romantic sub plot about Strong trying to woo Jordan Ladd. Well, before her face falls off at any rate.

An encounter with an infected local leads to a contaminated water supply which in turns leads to much gore and skin falling off, all of which looks startlingly real and effectively grotesque.

The staggering rate at which the small group turn on each other is alarming but probably very realistic. It's already well established that apart from Ladd and Strong, these aren't the nicest of folks. There is much uncomfortableness in Cabin Fever which shows that Roth has a way to freak you out without relying solely on jump tactics, with which he shows remarkable restraint.

Unfortunately Roth seems to be suffering from Tarantino-itis. He just can't help himself but pepper the film with meaningless side stories and unintelligent babble from unnecessary characters. It's times like this when he cuts all the tension and undoes a lot of good work. No doubt, all these wise cracks and asides seemed hilarious in the editing suite but Roth os over-estimating just how much his audience is going to care. There's also one or two questionable scenes which just smacks of Roth thinking he hasn't had enough boobs in the movie.

The young cast are all adequate enough, typical TV cast offs. String is a bit wooden and Ladd is the stand out for certain.

The gruesome finale delivers one or two cool surprises before the final scene feels a little bit tagged on in an unsubtle nod to Deliverance but for the most part Cabin Fever is a worthwhile watch for gore fans and horror aficionados.