The work of Eli Roth provides something of an interesting litmus test. His horror films are regularly out-grossed by his Saw competitors, a fact which is reflected by the general popular appraisal of his films (the first Hostel has a 5.7 rating on IMDB.com, whereas the first Saw has a 7.7). On the other hand, the man has garnered an auspicious group of industry fans (which includes Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, and Robert Rodriguez), whom are all too happy to continue to fund and support his work. Roth’s career began with Cabin Fever, and he has not deviated from the trajectory that it set him on since. While the film showcases everything that makes him a technically proficient and consistently surprising director, it also shows with gale force everything that makes him unpalatable to a larger audience.
The set up is familiar, but back in 2002, it had been a while: five kids who have just graduated college rent a cabin in the wilderness to take a small time out before they start their lives. Though Jeff (Joey Kern) and Marcy (Cerina Vincent) are the ostensible leaders of the group, the film spends most of its time with Paul (Rider Strong, but we all know him as that guy from Boy Meets World), the kind of wimpy guy who’s been carrying a torch for trip-mate Karen (Jordan Ladd) “since like the eighth grade”. Along for the ride is annoying jock Bert (James DeBello), whom you could probably guess was in American Pie without even having to check his resume (he was). The requisite sex and drugs are all there, but they are quickly brushed aside as soon as the kids come into contact with a deadly, flesh-eating virus (which is apparently a real thing). Once they do, they begin to turn on one another, even as they are forced to defend themselves from the increasingly hostile locals.
That sounds like the plot of Cabin Fever, but it’s not. A plot is something that introduces characters, establishes guidelines, and then brings proceedings to an organized conclusion. Fever, instead, uses this barest of pretexts as something more resembling an excuse to put on film everything that Roth just sort of felt should be in a movie made by somebody, and that somebody might as well be him. What such things? Well, this skin-eating virus is a nasty business, and it finds all sorts of ways to slowly chew away at the exterior of a person’s body in the way that a school of sharks would. And, naturally, there’s everything only peripherally related to the illnesses, including a horrific story about a bowling alley (supposedly, the inspiration for the conclusion of There Will Be Blood), plenty of seemingly intentionally awkward dialogue, and a small boy who randomly shouts “pancakes!” while karate chopping and kicking various characters.
Critics don’t really like to talk about it, but there’s a certain grey area in filmmaking where intellectual thought dares not tread. Much like with Pink Flamingos, one cannot really debate whether the director accomplished what he set out to do, but debate will go on forever as to whether it was something worth doing in the first place. For my part, I really enjoyed Cabin Fever, placing it before Hostel but after Hostel Part Two in the Roth canon, but there are plenty of people in my life that I wouldn't recommend it to. If nothing else, Cabin Fever is a surprise if you’ve never seen it before and have no idea what’s coming. Indeed, that may be the film’s greatest strength: it operates within the confines of such a loose structure that it’s virtually impossible to predict or pin down at any point, even after having seen it for the second time.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Audio Commentary with Eli Roth, Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Cerina Vincent, and Joey Kern - A new commentary in which Roth mostly talks about the production of the film.
"Director’s Shorts: The Rotten Fruit" - Some of Roth’s early work featuring anthropomorphic fruit.
"Beneath the Skin: The Making of Cabin Fever" - Producers talk about what set the script apart, some decent production footage. You know the drill.
"Pancakes" - More footage of that kid doing karate.
Theatrical Trailer
"Cabin Fever" is on sale February 16, 2010 and is rated R. Horror. Directed by Eli Roth. Written by Eli Roth and Randy Pearlstein. Starring Cerina Vincent, James DeBello, Joey Kern, Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong.
