Cabin Fever (2002)
A group of friends head to a secluded cabin for a little R & R. But upon arriving to the cabin and meeting a stranger with a flesh disease, the group begins to panic as the disease begins to spread. Will they be able to relax in peace? Or will it be in pieces?
Okay, class. Today’s topic is Cabin Fever (2002), a movie most people have heard is hot garbage. But I can look you square in the face (via this blog) and tell you those people ain’t worth a dickens.
Also, fuck them.
I was eleven years old when this movie came out, and a friend of mind said his older brother had watched it and gotten grossed out about some part with a girl and a razor and her skin coming off.
And that’s all I needed to hear. Ya boi was in.
Besides hearing about that scene, the only thing I had heard about the movie is it had one of the guys from Boy Meets World in it, Sean (Rider Strong). I wasn’t really a huge fan of the show (because, as a broke person, cable was out of the question until I was a bit older). But, I do recall watching the only scary episode that show had (somebody’s killing off the cast, and *23 year Spoiler alert*, it ends up being Sean). So I ended up watching it at a friends house a enjoying the hell out of it.
The movie is about a group of friends who decide to go spend their spring break in a cabin, drinking and smoking (as teens are known to do). One of the friends, while off shooting at squirrels, comes across a homeless man who seems to be infected with some sort of disease. Out of shock, the friend shoots the homeless man and flees the scene, deciding it best to not tell the others. The man returns later, worse for wear than he had been initially- terrifying the group with his cries for help. Somehow, they accidentally set him on fire- but only after he crashes their car and vomits blood everywhere. The group realizes that the infection or virus- whatever the man had- has begun spreading to them. As the group falls into chaos, unsure of what to do, things quickly fall apart- to the delight (or terror) of us as viewers.
What I enjoyed about the movie was the simplicity and humor of it. Maybe it’s just me, but so much of the movie happens so quickly, you can’t help but laugh at the misfortune of the group (for example, the boy who screams pancakes). This happens to be Eli Roth’s first movie as a director, and I appreciated his style in it. He wasn’t afraid to get gorey, something many viewers would later learn with his movie Hostel. The story was nothing new as far as the set up- kids have been going to cabins and lakes to indulge for many horror movies- but it was interesting to see the ‘villain’ be less of a malicious force and more of a vicious (but natural) pathogen. Maybe because it was one of the first instances of seeing such a thing for myself, but the movie is still a favorite of mine.
What did I not enjoy as much about the movie? I would have to say there isn’t much. But I guess maybe the trailer for the film? I rewatched the trailer, hoping to see something I remember not liking- and the trailer does the movie no justice. I wish the trailer had been made in the late 2000s’s rather than the early. The acting can be a bit cheesy at times, but that has never been an issue for me personally. Besides that, I can’t think of too many reasons for you not to watch this- unless you aren’t too keen on gore. Some of the scenes in the movie might be deemed gratuitous in that regard.
Rating: I give this movie 8 out of 10 flesh-eating viruses. Like I said, there is plenty of gore and humor to enjoy if you can look past some of the weird cheesy acting.
If you are looking for a similar movie to watch, I would suggest watching the 2016 remake of Cabin Fever. I watched the remake wondering why tf they would remake a movie that wasn’t that old. Travis Zariwny, directing based off of Roth’s original script, retells Roth’s story- with a bit more gore than the first time. Roth acted as executive producer for the film and gave it his blessing. You can also check out Hostel if you were a fan of Roth’s directorial debut. A couple of friends, backpacking through Europe, get recommendations for a hostel where women are desperate for company. After arriving, weird things start happening after a friend goes missing- and soon they realize, this hostel isn’t all as hacked up to be (watch the movie and that pun will make a little more sense. Or you can literally infer what I’m putting down, feel me?).
Bookwise, a good place to start is American Psycho by Bret Ellis Easton. A wall street investor spends his nights murdering, slowly losing his grasp on reality as he succumbs to his darker urges. It is told in the first person, stream-of-concsious narrative, something I have always appreciated in books. With a similar point of view telling, you can check out A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. A young man and his ‘droogs’ (homies) get into trouble in a dystopian setting, where the young man goes too far one day- only to have to suffer the consequences of his actions. The lingo is pretty nifty, though a bit strange to see at first. Both of these books have also had great movie adaptions made of them, so you can check those out as well.
Did you watch Cabin Fever yet? That razor scene, though, right? Grosssssssss.
Anyways, shoot me some suggestions on what to read or write- I’m trying to not sleep at night. Be a friend and help me out- leave some movie or book suggestions.
Until next time…
-M