While it doesn’t break any new ground, push the genre forward, or change how we view horror movies, Cabin Fever is loads of fun. It may lack in multiples areas, especially explanation, but that doesn’t detract from the goofy, gory fun of this low budget, flesh-eating virus flick.
Starting off with a clichéd and predictable teen horror movie set-up, Cabin Fever is as campy as they come. In fact, the final ten minutes are so off the wall, you’ve simply never seen anything else go this far to end on a downer. Granted, it’s one so funny that you won’t forget it anytime soon, and that’s how much of the movie plays out.
As a disease begins picking off the college crew, panic sets in. Cabin Fever shifts between straight comedy, dark horror, dark comedy, and then straight horror. The panic can go either way depending how you see the film, and each character deals with it in their own way. They may be tired clichés, but they’re well thought out and enough time is spent to build them up to make their actions later have a purpose.
The plotline is stuffed between some truly bizarre and incomprehensible scenes. “Pancakes” will end up as a high-ranking sequence in terms of baffling inclusions in a film. Somehow, it all makes sense in terms of Cabin Fever. Director Eli Roth knows the genre, and takes great care to make his own style stick out.
Sadly, there are many questions left over. There’s never an explanation for why the disease/virus/infection/sickness begins to affect people. The kids become trapped, and the movie leaves this important plot point behind. A killing spree late in the film is also somewhat odd, though there is enough character development to possibly figure out a reason for it.
Many will take a pass on this one, and that’s fine. Fever has a very specific audience in mind and goes to great lengths to satisfy those of us with a dark, sick sense of humor. If you’re part of that group, here’s one created just for you. 
Being low budget, there’s an especially solid video presentation at work. Colors are intentionally muted, so the transfer lacks any outstanding features. However, it’s clean, clear, and sharp. Black levels are strong, and the copious amounts of gore show through beautifully, or disgusting depending on where you fall.
When the film has a chance to showcase some action, there’s a solid 5.1 effort to carry it. Motion is conveyed nicely as shots are fired, and a few minor scenes use the rear speakers to create some false scares. Bass is solid and effective when called upon.
Beneath the Skin is a 30-minute 'making of' that begins the extras. It shows how making the film was loads of fun, including plenty of commentary from Roth. Pancakes is a brief VHS clip of a Kata by Danny, someone who Fever fans will know. Five commentaries (yes, five) load the audio portion of the disc with more information than you’ll ever need.
Family version runs about 30 seconds, and fits right in with the movie itself in terms of sense of humor. It’s the only G-rated edition of the movie you’ll ever see. “Chick Vision” blocks out the scary scenes, making it easier for couples with weak stomachs to take in this movie, and completely miss the point. Rockin’ Fruit is a series of three animated shorts produced by Eli Roth that are well worth watching for gore fans, or to see how sick some people in our society (in a good way) can be.
It would take three years after the box office success of Cabin Fever for Eli Roth to land his next hit. Hostel would prove enormously successful. The sequel didn’t fare as well when it released in June of 2007.
Matt Paprocki is the reviews editor for Digital Press, a classic video game website which he called home after his fanzine (Gaming Source) published its final issue. The deep game collection which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games line his walls for reasearch purposes. Really. He has also begun writing freelance for the Toledo Free Press.
