Cabin Fever (2002)

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern, Arie Verveen, Robert Harris

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Terror... In the flesh.

Plot: An offbeat horror tale about a group of five college friends on vacation at a remote mountain cabin when one contracts a flesh-eating virus. As it spreads among the friends, their true feelings and personalities emerge as they struggle to survive the virus and each other.

My rating: Pancakes! (7/10)

Will I watch it again? Sure.

I don't know why I waited so long to see this. It's a good flick and a very good flick for a first time director. The actors/characters aren't annoying which is a huge shocker for me for this kind of picture. I didn't necessarily love all of them but they didn't bug the bejesus out of me either. It's about ten minutes into the film that we're at the cabin which is welcome. I like it when movies get to where they're going and don't lollygag around.


I REALLY like that there's no fast editing or shaky cam. That was a surprise especially when it's from a young first-timer. My favorite performance came from the old man who owned the general store, Old Man Cadwell (Robert Harris). That guy is a hoot and his performance felt like he was the real deal.

Old Man Cadwell

Then there's Dennis (Matthew Helms)...

Classic. That scene came out of nowhere and it's chock full of awesome! There are lots of unusual characters in this flick which is part of the fun. Roth throws in lots of old cliches but he plays with them so that they're either treated with respect or they are there just to boost the fun factor. I liked that we don't know the cause of the virus. The focus isn't where it came from but what happens to people when it's introduced. Lots of people die, there's lots of gore and a little nudity. CABIN FEVER is a promising first film that doesn't want to join the trite conventions of modern horror film making. CABIN FEVER is a film grounded in an era long before the siezure-cam became the norm.