User reviews

Before Cabin Fever came out.. the word in the horror world was that Cabin Fever is one of the most gruesome, bloodiest, scariest, funniest, craziest horror movie ever. So when it opened in theaters, everyone's expectation was sky high ..even mine. Yes, I was kind of disappointed with Cabin Fever because it was hyped so much. I mean you had Peter Jackson the director of Lord of the Rings saying in the trailer this is one of best horror movie he's ever seen. Now if I did not go in with such huge expectations, I could had enjoyed it for what it was. I really started enjoying Cabin Fever once it started playing on cable. Every time it comes on I watch it and I begin to love this film a lot more.

Cabin Fever is directed by up and comer Eli Roth. He's a guy that loves horror films and mentioned in several articles this movie pay homage to his favorites like Evil Dead.

Cabin Fever is about 5 college kids who had just finish test finals and are enjoying some relaxation and fun in a cabin in the woods but the fun is cut short when they learn a flesh eating bacteria disease is around. The main character Paul is played by Boy Meets World actor Rider Strong. Rider was surprisingly good in this movie and Paul is the character you root for the most to not get the disease.

The movie is funny. The funniest movie ever? Hell no! This movie is scary. The scariest movie ever? Hell no! This movie is bloody. The bloodiest? Hell no! So I'm finally enjoying the movie for what it's worth and it is and has a potential to end up being a horror movie classic. There are tons of films that people hated when it first came out and then come to love it semi years later. Cabin Fever I believe is one of them.

The morons from big city arrive to the cabin near the town full of moronic rednecks, there they get flesh eating bacteria from some of the locals. American ultra dumb teenagers, sex, alcohol, gore, US suburbs, country music - it's all there.

I'd describe it as a typical Eli Roth movie. It's pretty dark on the surface and full of gore, but also has completely ridiculous moments which make it a parody of itself. And while the "pancakes" is probably something of a on-set joke which made it to the script, the ending is just...yeah. The vibe of 1000 Maniacs is becoming stronger towards the end and the level of ridiculousness getting higher.

A group of horrible teens arrive at a small town the residents of which are even more horrible, and there's also superaids in the water supply. The superaids is incidental, and I'd argue it's even a red herring of a threat. The real threat is obviously how a supernaturally horrible human being everybody is.

In the universe of Cabin Fever, no problem ever gets solved since it is always someone else's problem, until it becomes everyone's problem at which point no one has the power to solve it. It is a downward spiral, a representation of entropy that we are all very familiar with in real life and we know from our real life experience that any and every problem the characters in this film face will result in a major catastrophe due to people's unwillingness to deal with it at any of its stages.

Although there are a few intolerably disgusting frames that might get to you, it's more comedy than horror. Because you can't really feel too bad for anyone dying in agony when they kind of all deserve it. I'd argue we shouldn't feel bad, neither for the characters nor for their reflections in real life. Just keep selling the superaids lemonade like the good "BUSINESSMEN" we all are and get over it.

Cabin Fever was better than I expected but there were some things that weren't that good. For the most part the movie was a well made horror film that tells the story of five college friends on vacation at a remote mountain cabin when one of them contacts a flesh-eating virus. The movie is a somewhat realistic look at how people would react to such a situation. The movie stars Rider Strong (from Boy Meets World), Jordan Ladd (Broken Lizard Club Dread), Cierina Vincent (whose "spolier" featured in two steamy sex scenes one of which is good and another is okay at first then it gets weird. For those of you who have seen it. You know what I mean), James DeBello (from Detriot Rock City), Joey Kern, and the rest of the cast of unknowns are believable in their roles. I didn't really like the ending which could've been better and the dialogue wasn't the greatest at times but overall Cabin Fever is an effective horror thriller better than others that have come out recently from writer/director Eli Roth the man behind Hostel and Hostel Part 2 which at least to me weren't as good as this one. So if you're in the mood for a decent horror thriller you can go wrong with Cabin Fever. It (for the most part) delivers on whats expected from these kind of movies.

Set in the backwoods area of Bunyan County, five college students come to a rented cabin for a vacation of sex, drinking, drugs, and debauchery. However after an encounter with a diseased hermit, one by one the group falls victim to an aggressive flesh eating virus taking a physical and mental toll on the group that spirals out of control.

Eli Roth whether you like his work or hate it, one can't diminish his drive or tenacity. Working his way through the Hollywood scene in the 90s in fits and starts with people like Howard Stern, WCW, and even David Lynch, one can certainly say that Roth is a very passionate individual who doesn't slack when it comes to his passions. Made for a scant $1.5 million dollars, Cabin Fever put Eli Roth on the map as a filmmaker, becoming the fledgling studio Lionsgate's highest grossing movie of that year, and drawing praise from film critics such as Stephen Holden and Peter Travers, as well as filmmakers such as Peter Jackson and Quentin Tarantino (who would later become a friend and collaborator of Roth on several projects). Cabin Fever certainly has a lot working for it, but it challenges you to hate it with nearly unrelenting effort.

A big reason that Cabin Fever tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of the horror scene when it did was it was one of the first major horror releases to try to make from the post modern mold that Scream had shepherded the genre towards. While Scream was and still is well regarded for what was a refreshingly acerbic and intelligent take on the horror genre, it also has gotten a fair share of detractors for how many rip-offs and copycats it spawned in not just tone, but also marketing, style, and general approach that filled the genre with pretentious, know-it-all teenagers to 20-somethings who seemed almost glib about the horror they were in rather than being legitimately scared by it. Cabin Fever breaks from this mold by going back to the beginning. While Cabin Fever is very contemporary and does feature homages in both style and setting to classic drive-in horror be it Friday the 13th type slashers, hillbilly horror like Deliverance or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or even Cabin in the Woods type features like the first The Evil Dead, it doesn't wear these influences on its sleeve nor does it call attention to them through self aware dialogue. Cabin Fever is definitely a horror film with a sense of humor, but it doesn't call attention to it as was the case with many post Scream horror films which makes it refreshing by being something of a throwback.

The movie while technically solid and rich in atmosphere is definitely stamped with Roth's trademark style (which will determine whether you love or hate this movie). The five characters we follow are all varying degrees of abrasive, annoying, stupid, and/or unlikable. James DeBello as Bert, the group's one member who doesn't bring a female counter part, is definitely one of the most unlikable people ever created for a movie. When we're introduced to Bert he casually shoplifts a Snickers bar from the General Store for no other reason than "he can", and once he arrives at the cabin he goes around the woods causally shooting squirrels and chipmunks because "they're gay". The movie's dialogue is laced with causally usage of the word "gay" as a synonym for stupid or casual insinuations of homophobia and usage of the word "retarded" and while the movie is aware that its characters are all awful people, there's not all that much to them as we slowly wait for them to die off one by one.

Roth for as much as he clearly loves the atmosphere and iconography of the films of his youth, doesn't feel like he understands them beyond the surface level. In many ways you can probably see parallels between Bert and Margot Kidder's Barb from Black Christmas or Larry Zerner's Shelly from Friday the 13th part 3 in how they're foul mouthed "funny one" who build their identities around casual insults and or pranks, but both Barb and Shelley had humanity behind their abrasiveness that made them feel human enough to see them as characters beneath their cruel behavior. Bert really doesn't have that humanity to him, in fact it's never even all that clear why these people are friends in the first place other than they've been put here by Roth to endure physical and psychological punishment. Maybe Roth is basing this on a dynamic he had with his own friends (since the movie was inspired by his skin infection he contracted with his friends in Iceland) but there's not much that sets up how this dynamic formed nor what it's built upon. Something like this CAN work, but you've got to throw the audience a bone so they can understand it.

The actual horror in Cabin Fever is reasonably decent. The isolated backwoods areas that make up Bunyan County, the dilapidated shacks that populate the lakeside area, and the country General Store make for some nice atmospheric locations that give a good sense of dread and isolation. The humor is very hit and miss. Some humor such as some long form setups based around the General Store (particularly a joke involving the owner's causal use of the N-word that has a pitch perfect payoff at the end of the movie) are really good, while others such as a cop obsessed with partying with the wayward youth who come for sex, drinking, and drugs are more confusing than they are funny. I can't really say that Cabin Fever is all that "scary" since it doesn't really create much in the way of dread or panic and often feels more like an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon where we're waiting to see what insane levels of punishment await our characters.

Cabin Fever excels with some really excellent gore work and many of its scenes such as the Bowling Alley Massacre story, the leg shaving scene, and too many others to mention becoming iconic benchmarks for the genre in the 00's decade. Roth makes these moments incredibly tangible and the squelching, splatter, and oozing are just so lovingly well constructed that it's easy to see why Peter Jackson was so generous with the praise.

Cabin Fever is a divisive movie, and it's by design. Eli Roth as a filmmaker is a Provocateur who thumbs his nose at convention and makes his movies without restraint or consideration for good taste. While he doesn't balance the over the top gore and humor as well as his influences like Jackson and Raimi, he does have an understanding of his influences and exudes passion in his every frame with shots carrying a visceral and dynamic nature that brings beauty to the brutality. I'm not sure I can say I "liked" Cabin Fever, but it's an incredibly quotable movie with scenes that do stick with you because of how unrestrained they are. Eli Roth has made the movie he wanted to make, abrasive, violent, vulgar, silly, disgusting, juvenile, well shot, well crafted, atmospheric, with meticulous attention paid to little details. If that sounds like the type of movie you'd like, then look no further, you found it and it's a success.Love it or hate it, Eli Roth makes his debut going full force establishing his style unapologetically without remorse, shame, or restraint

The original Cabin Fever is a fun movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As for those panning it, I have this saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't review." It's easy to whine about any movie. If you folks are so brilliant go make a better movie.

A group of college students head up to a remote cabin for a weekend of alcohol and sex, but when one of them becomes sick; they begin to turn on each other.

Cabin Fever is funnier than it is scary, in fact it is questionable whether it is in fact scary at all, but it is certainly entertaining and it's packed with gruesome gore and corny lines. The humour is not present because it's a low budget production or the acting is wooden, the effects are actually pretty good and so are the cast. Cabin Fever was funny because it was meant to be, it never takes itself seriously for a moment and the script is deliberately loaded with cheesy lines.

As a pure comedy its not great, as a horror movie its not great, but as an entertaining comedy horror flick is hits the spot, and it may well become a cult movie in years to come.

6/10

I'll start off by saying it's one of my favorite things when horror has good editing! Cabin Fever is not for everyone that should be obvious just from photos and the trailer so to whom complained about puking or how bad it is that's on you for sitting through it all. It's great how twisted this is with a bit of comedy; the cop Winston is one of the best things! Maybe I am odd but this is one of the most enjoyable horrors in the last couple decades!

Because of the age I was when I watched this, It was much scarier then to me than it is now. But will have a special place in my movie library lol.

I wanted to like this movie. It has the recipe to be a campy classic, but to me its a painful mess. All of the characters suck. The dialogue is awkward and clunky. It almost feels like it was written by a teenager. The ending is especially frustrating. The movie tries to throw everything at the wall and nothing sticks. The deer flailing through the windshield was just cringe. The whole final chase was awkward and abrupt. To me, its more proof that Roth movies offer nothing more than gross out horror. The special effects makeup was pretty amazing. Especially considering the buget and when it was made. There are moments in this movie that were effective. The bathtub scene was tense. As was the first run in with patient zero. Unfortunately that doesnt do much to save this mess of a horror.

Director Eli Roth's CABIN FEVER starts out as if we're in for yet another story about killer hillbillies in the deep woods. Fortunately, Roth is just setting us up for a foray into hemorrhagic horror of the first order! The use of an Ebola-like, flesh-eating disease is both disgusting and innovative.

The main characters are college kids out to party in the titular structure. As such, they range from annoying, to highly unlikable, to utterly detestable. In spite of this, one actually feels a bit of empathy toward them, once the sickening stuff begins.

Love it or hate it, this movie is original...

I have to admit that I went into this not knowing what to expect, but still not expecting much. I came out chuckling and felt like I didn't waste time watching this. This is like a mix of early 2000s frat humor and genuinely disturbing moments... but it's all fun. The kid at the store was absolutely hilarious and I watched the highly choreographed "PANCAKES" scene way more than I should've. I don't have any real criticisms. It's pretty well paced, you won't really get bored... it's a b film on a Hollywood horror budget and it does what it sets out to do. If you wanna expose someone to horror, this is a good place to start.

This movie is O.K. by me, it's silly, it's got some dumb moments, but it definitely has it's moments. The shaving scenes (inspired by real life events in Roths life) were pretty gruesome and cool effects. The script could use a lot of work, mostly the fact that even though they wouldn't' be drunk, they would feel really awful after only drinking beer, the simply dehydration factor alone would make you somewhat ill. I thought it was kind of cool that water was the enemy because they didn't know it. I understand the ending which seems to be a major point of confusion, but the part i don't understand is the necessity of the evil little kid at the store, maybe i just missed the story of that. All an all it was a descent movie probably won't own it, but i'd definitely watch it again.

Director Eli Roth's first movie, "Cabin Fever", has been considered a breath of fresh air and a wake up call for the horror genre; while it is certainly different from most of this generation horror movies, the movie has a few big flaws that hurt the film and make the experience no as satisfying.

Let's start from the beginning, the plot is an quite clever take on the "alone in the woods" set up. A group of college students go to a cabin in the woods in order to spent a week of beer, fun and sex. Everything goes right until they meet a hermit that carries a strange but deadly disease. While they get rid of him, one of them get the disease, and soon they find each other fighting between them and turning against each other.

The plot is very original and is a great setting for a horror movie. Sadly, and while it really delivers some suspense, the concept of friends turning against each other is soon forgotten and we get strange scenes of comic relief that feel out of place. It is one of the major flaws because at the times when the suspense rises Roth suddenly includes an anti-climatic joke that not only breaks the suspense, it breaks the whole pace and rhythm of the movie.

Fortunately, when the movie remembers it is a horror, it really works. The disease is some kind of flesh-eating bacteria that slowly rots the body while the person is still alive. The SFX of the disease symptoms are top-notch and the camera work is outstanding in general.

The acting is quite good, and better than average; sadly,their performances are ruined by the uneven script that makes the characters unlikeable. A big mistake in my opinion, because horror movies make you feel sympathy for the character, not hate. However, I repeat, it is certainly not the actor's fault, because the script demands them to be that way. A shame indeed, because the cast ends up playing cartoons instead of real characters.

The direction is remarkably good, with a definite style of its own although it clearly shows its influences, particularly Sam Raimi and his cult classic "Evil Dead". It makes a good movie that is worth a watch.

Eli Roth has a bright future, with a better script he certainly will deliver a masterpiece soon. However, "Cabin Fever" is a good debut, a fine horror movie, but not the outstanding masterpiece the hype pretends it is. 6/10. Good movie? Yes. Future of horror? Not yet.

the horror scene in the U.S. has been disappointing for the last couple decades, but Eli Roth is trying to change that. Cabin Fever brings us back to how horror movies used to be and it plays as a sort of homage to old school horror. You have the blood, the sex, the naked hot chick, the dumb jock, the cool guy, the awkward dorky guy, his love interest who doesn't notice his obvious interest, and the always popular rednecks with shotguns out to get you in the woods. With all these classic elements present, the movie still manages to put a new spin on things by introducing a flesh-eating virus into the story as well. This is a good movie and hopefully a start to having horror movies made the way they should be.

Something i've noticed over the past decade or more (and these days most of all)is the horror film maker's attempt to include too many elements of the action and comedy genres in an attempt to appeal to a bigger audience. If I want a comedy, I'll go see a comedy. I don't mind a little comic relief and I love dark humor when it is done in a subtle and meaningful manner. I like a horror film that just beats the living hell outta me. I want to come out of the theater truly shaken and effected. Cabin Fever is played too much for laughs and the jokes just aren't that funny. Just kinda stupid and pointless. I found myself too often annoyed at characters like Party Cop, Grim and The Karate Kid who just had nothing to do with anything. I've not seen as pointless a character as Grim since a real turd of a movie called Scared Stiff. He's there to supply a crazy dog and a dead body to stumble over at the end of the movie. I keep hearing that horror audiences want the humor these days and it is fairly apparent that this is true but if this is what they want, then aren't they missing the point of a horror movie? I dunno. I give this thing good marks for it's excellent and effective gore make-up and the little bit of tension that it did have, but too many things about it made no sense and didn't need to be there. I've never walked out on a movie in my life. No matter how bad it was. But I came damn close with this one. The last 10 or 15 minutes were pretty hard to sit through. Just got more and more ridiculous. I find myself wondering about the rabbit suit guy in the hospital. Was this a clumsy attempt at a metaphor for the guy in the beginning of the movie who was apparently hunting rabbits? Was his dog supposed to have gotten the virus from eating an infected rabbit? Wasn't really made clear, so the rabbit suit guy seemed rather pointless. Just got another "huh?" outta me. Maybe the rabbit escaped from an animal research lab up-river from the cabin, huh? There. I'll just fill in all the holes with my own story. Then maybe this film won't hurt so much. Matter of fact, watching this thing actually gave me a head-ache that lasted 6 hours. Only 2 aleve got rid of this movies residue. So...to sum up...too many stupid jokes. Not scary enough. And just bad film making in general. There. I feel better.

And please, this is not a forum for opinions of opinions. Reviews are nothing but someones opinion. That's from you and me on up to Mr. Ebert. One man's trash is another man's treasure. It's all subjective, guys. No need to take it personally if someone doesn't like the movie you liked. I hated this movie, but why would I sit here and put someone else down for liking it? Let's try to grow up and be nice to fellow humans.

This has to be one of the funniest most original horror films that I have ever seen! I own this title and i've seen it about 4 times, and every time i'm like "i forgot how much i love this movie!". However if you like traditional slasher horror movies this might seem kind of lame. I kind of think most horror movies are lame so.....I'm not even a fan of Eli Roth's other movies. I rarely give movies 10 stars and i'm not doing it to boost the overall rating. This movie just has some kind of special quality to it. I would say more but i don't want to do any spoiling. I hope that people will give this movie a chance and not expect anything in particular from it