31 Days of Horror: Cabin Fever (2002)

Continuing in the same vein of yesterday's post, director Eli Roth is capable of well-constructed horror as seen in Cabin Fever. The film terrifies on different planes. There are quirky moments like the random bunny-suited man in the woods and true horror in the shower, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Five recent grads leave the city behind to get away from test scores and life's pressures. Their plans include beer and sex in a remote mountain cabin until an unfortunate series of events after a run-in with local-yocal. All hell breaks loose when one friend contracts a flesh eating disease. Now they must survive it and each other.

Cabin Fever is a perfect storm of camp and gore. Out of the gate, Roth sets the tone with the emphasis on the characters. We quickly determine the hierarchy of the group, who's the stoner, the athlete, etc.--actually, it's more like Victim #1 and Victim #2. Roth doesn't bother with psycho-babble or twists, his aim is to scare and he delivers.

The cast is surprisingly strong. But it's the unusual and seemingly random scenes that really get me. Here's everyone around the table enjoying pancakes... 'oh, I'm off to the shower'... *screams* OH MY GOD!!! MY SKIN IS COMING OFF!!! It's random terror at its best!!

Cabin Fever also succeeds because of what you don't see. Surely, I'm not the only one who things a remote cabin in the woods is frightening in itself. Add a flesh eating virus--YOU CAN'T SEE!!, some freaky country bumpkins, a touch of infighting--oh yeah, it's all coming out now. Oh, the B-movie touches don't hurt either. Roth gets it right with Cabin Fever.