Cabin Fever (2002)

 CABIN FEVER (2002) – 10/11/2021

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

               I really didn’t like this movie when it came out.  Some of the actors were recognizable, and it’s filmed in North Carolina, which is cool.  But, I thought it was boring and the characters mostly did the dumbest things imaginable in the face of a deadly virus.  Rewatching it in 2021 feels a little more prophetic.

               A group of friends rent a cabin in the woods (trope) for a vacation.  They quickly get infected with a skin-eating virus and the nearby town is totally unhelpful.  The kids turn on the townspeople and the townspeople retaliate, then the kids turn on each other, and then everybody Hamlets. 
               Eli Roth may have been the genius that gave us Hostel (which I also didn’t like) and The Last Exorcism, but Cabin Fever was his first attempt at writing, producing, and directing a major release.  In the first 12 minutes, the kids get super upset about an old white guy saying the N word, but then throw around “gay” and the R word like they just learned them.  Bert (James DeBello) seems to just want to drink and kill things.  Paul (Rider Strong) just wants to hook up with his childhood friend Karen (Jordan Ladd), who gets sick first and they lock her in a barn.  Marcy (Cerina Vincent) spends most of the movie naked (but also her skin starts peeling off).  And Jeff (Joey Kern) is the only one to not get sick because he covers his face (like with a mask) and stays away from everyone (although he still dies at the end anyway).  Even the townspeople, who are presented as backwoods hicks with no formal education (and possible inbreeding), seem to understand that being near someone who has a deadly virus is a bad idea.  Maybe there was something we all could’ve learned from this crap-fest.

 

Scores:

Suspense:  3/10 – everyone gets sick; everyone dies.

Gore:  10/10 – the virus rots your skin, but it might also make you homicidal.

Scares:  2/10 – rotting flesh makes for good visuals, but it’s a rather slow death.

Humor:  2/10 – the end scene over the credits is good for a chuckle.

Bonus Points: 1 – filmed in North Carolina.  That’s about it.

 

Total:  18/40 – Don’t worry, I’m healthy.

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