Cabin Fever (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dan S

  
  An entertaining, consistently funny gory mess of a film concerning five brainless college students who head off into the woods in hopes of a relaxing few days after completing college. However, when a diseased man invades their premises and spreads an infection that appears to be… More
  An entertaining, consistently funny gory mess of a film concerning five brainless college students who head off into the woods in hopes of a relaxing few days after completing college. However, when a diseased man invades their premises and spreads an infection that appears to be flesh-eating and fast-moving, their vacation takes a back seat to survival. Say what you will about Eli Roth (his acting is less than stellar, let's just leave it at that), but the man knows what he wants to do and does it well. Might sound like a bland generalization, but it's the truth. He knows what kinds of movies he wants to make and he has a fun time doing it. This film is a great throwback to cheesy 70's horror films, only this one is much funnier and has a strong lead character we can pull for throughout (in this case, Rider Strong's). It has its ridiculous scenes that have no place being in the film, but Roth's ability to keep this thing trucking along (at a tight 100 minute run-time) and us laughing about the ridiculousness of it makes this thing a winner. It's basically a slice of "Deliverance", only with much worse acting and it does not get ultra-serious, it stays light throughout, and it just flat-out works.

• Lewis C

  
  I've wanted to see this for a while, and upon finally viewing it, I have a very mixed opinion. Part of it is a pretty decent, bloody, creepily effective horror movie, the other part is a wonky, left-field spiral into absurdity. This could have been a worthy horror flick if it… More
  I've wanted to see this for a while, and upon finally viewing it, I have a very mixed opinion. Part of it is a pretty decent, bloody, creepily effective horror movie, the other part is a wonky, left-field spiral into absurdity. This could have been a worthy horror flick if it would have stayed on it's initial path, but the silliness sucked the atmosphere out of it like a vacuum hose from hell. Overall, meh.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Terror... In the flesh."</i> A group of five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals. <center><font size=+2… More
  <i>"Terror... In the flesh."</i> A group of five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> The whole idea of this film is pretty basic: it's the usual five kids taking a trip to a cabin in the woods, and so on. However, the approach is a bit different. While the movie is extremely bloody, and some parts are pretty shocking, the fact is that it's just all really funny. The characters were believable enough, but they were also presented in an unfavorable light that made them easy to laugh at. It was as if Eli Roth did not take any of his characters all that seriously, so he had no trouble making fun of them. The humorous twist made watching this movie a highly enjoyable experience. Also, I found it intriguing how after the initial encounter with the diseased man, the only threat was the possibility of being infected. I think this helped the film to seem more realistic and more terrifying than if it had gone in the more typical direction of having the kids fight off the same already-dead people for the duration of the movie. The film contains a number of tributes to classic horror films that are sure to please any fan, yet is still original and brilliant in its own right. It has everything: blood, suspense, humor, a great score, and an ending that is ironic and amusing.

• Jason C

  
  I've always liked this movie. It's actually a pretty effective horror movie. It interjects a very disturbing use of gore into very tense situation. I always liked that the there was no supernatural antagonist hunting the victims, but an unlikely source of terror.… More
  I've always liked this movie. It's actually a pretty effective horror movie. It interjects a very disturbing use of gore into very tense situation. I always liked that the there was no supernatural antagonist hunting the victims, but an unlikely source of terror. Sometimes the inappropriate sense of humor works for me, and sometimes it doesn't. I wonder how intense the film would have been without any humor? In any event, this is a demented and enjoyable way to spend an hour-and-a half.

• Bethany M

  
  Scary yet some of the scenes were definite 'What the fuck' moments.

• Dead A

  
  This is a horror movie? Seriously? That police (Deputy Winston) made it look like a spoof movie. And it didn't explained the main thing (like where did that disease came from and blah blah). I thought I'd have a nightmare after watching this but this movie, itself, is a… More
  This is a horror movie? Seriously? That police (Deputy Winston) made it look like a spoof movie. And it didn't explained the main thing (like where did that disease came from and blah blah). I thought I'd have a nightmare after watching this but this movie, itself, is a nightmare. Waste of time. Don't recommend it to watch.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  three stars

• Jeff "

  
  Eli Roth's debut feature echoes hints of old school Peter Jackson gross out horror. The only difference is, Jackson's films are classics and Cabin Fever will never attain that status. Though a good effort, and unlike Roth's following films Hostel, 1,2 (the first was… More
  Eli Roth's debut feature echoes hints of old school Peter Jackson gross out horror. The only difference is, Jackson's films are classics and Cabin Fever will never attain that status. Though a good effort, and unlike Roth's following films Hostel, 1,2 (the first was better, the second was garbage), this film does have decent enough scares throughout. The tactics used by Eli Roth in Cabin Fever are nothing really new, and have already been done before in many films. Cabin Fever mostly plays out like an homage to the gross out flicks of the 80's. The film will definitely appeal to gore fans as Roth crafts a film that focuses more on the gore than on the plot. In many cases, especially with Peter Jackson earlier efforts and the bulk of Lucio Fulci's finest films, it does work very well, and the finished product is very good despite the lack of a credible plot. In Cabin Fever, the film does have high points, but the scripts limitations are apparent. Eli Roth said that one of his inspirations for Cabin Fever was The Evil Dead. Combining elements from that film with an infection / rash type of disease is an interesting idea. But it doesn't have anything truly entertaining to offer. In a way the stuff we've seen here are nothing new. But for what it's worth, Cabin Fever is a decent enough horror film, but it's lack of good acting and paper thin plot won't make it a classic any time soon.

• Christopher A

  
  A gruesome horror by Eli Roth that pays homage to the classic Evil Dead (particularly Evil Dead II). Five college kids rent a cabin in the woods for a getaway vacation only to discover that theres something not quite right out there in the woods. All the classic horror ingredients… More
  A gruesome horror by Eli Roth that pays homage to the classic Evil Dead (particularly Evil Dead II). Five college kids rent a cabin in the woods for a getaway vacation only to discover that theres something not quite right out there in the woods. All the classic horror ingredients are there, stupid kids, gratuitous nudity, gun toting hicks and enough gore to fill a bath. This film combines horror with comedy and does a good job in doing so. The horror is particularly disturbing by adding elements of the with large injections of the bizarre (PANCAKES, PANCAKES!) that will leave you feel adequately violated. "Yeah, he's a professor... OF BEING A DOG! OOOH, FACED!... Scratch moded! "

• Spencer S

  
  There's something to be said about the innovative horror genre that Eli Roth has seemingly invented out of thin air. We all are scared of torture and violence, which is exemplified in Roth's later film Hostel. This is more like a dumbed down version along with the… More
  There's something to be said about the innovative horror genre that Eli Roth has seemingly invented out of thin air. We all are scared of torture and violence, which is exemplified in Roth's later film Hostel. This is more like a dumbed down version along with the precondition of a biological disease, and mass panic. It's Dawn of the Dead with chainsaws. Basically just annoying, it's still something new to a medium that'll never die out.

• Chris G

  
  I'm still trying to figure out Cabin Fever. Was it a horror film or a comedy? Someone explain this to me. The film has some great horror visuals, yet doesn't take itself seriously at all to the point that it seems like a parody film within itself leading to a dreadful… More
  I'm still trying to figure out Cabin Fever. Was it a horror film or a comedy? Someone explain this to me. The film has some great horror visuals, yet doesn't take itself seriously at all to the point that it seems like a parody film within itself leading to a dreadful experience that is more camp than horror. Going through the movie you get a ton of homages to previous horror films. By a ton I mean a shitload. These winks into the past are OK occasionally, but when you stockpile them one like sale toilet paper it also gives the feel of a parody film. The plot is that five friends go into the woods to a cabin (Evil Dead). They stop by a rustic convenience store with odd owners (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). They encounter an odd child sitting in a swing (Deliverance) and eventually wind up fighting off a flesh easting something that slowly eats their skin away (insert any Romero film title here). Of course this is done very tongue in cheek. Or is it. It's hard to tell because some scenes are very good from a horror genre standpoint, but others are so campy it's like something from an Ed Wood film. If Ed Wood was alive today he would have made Cabin Fever. The characters are all stereotypical horror film stock, even the local yokels who are low rent Deliverance rejects. There are a few interesting plot twists that you don't see coming, but those are drowned out by scenes like the "Pancakes!" scene that is probably the stupidest scene I have seen in a film in a very long time. It's so out of place it looks like an out take. The main problem with the film is that it's full of these scenes. Just when you're getting into the movie for what it should be you get hit from some insanely idiotic scene that ruins it. Pancakes is the epitome of those scenes. There are parts of Cabin Fever that I really enjoyed. I really did. The thing is that the stupid portions of the film overshadow what was actually good about it. I don't know if the filmmakers were afraid they would be called an Evil Dead rip off if they didn't do something different. I hate to sound like a fuddy duddy but different isn't always better. I was contemplating give this zero stars, but it still had those glimmers during the film and I feel generous. If you enjoy a nice C-grade horror film that will give you the WTF face then enjoy Cabin Fever. It may still have a bit of a pulse because of it.

• J P

  
  This movie was very disturbing and gross. The gore parts were great and it was really nasty, however I didn't feel it was the best movie, despite it's gruesome scenes. This movie is incredibly unrealistic and it seemed really stupid. The child that bites people, just… More
  This movie was very disturbing and gross. The gore parts were great and it was really nasty, however I didn't feel it was the best movie, despite it's gruesome scenes. This movie is incredibly unrealistic and it seemed really stupid. The child that bites people, just seemed really unnecessary and out of place. It was a stupid part that didn't make any sense. There wasn't a need for it in the movie. Then of course the group of rednecks running around trying to kill the teens. Like that would ever happen- people are asking for help and they pull out a rifle and start shooting? If they knew about the disease, why wouldn't they tell people? Why are they just trying to control the disease themselves? It was really stupid and I didn't find it interesting. The stupidity of the teenagers camping just astonished me. Who goes camping in the middle of nowhere anyway? Don't they watch horror movies??? Also the part with the bunny costume at the end (I think it's a rabbit), had absolutely NO place in that scene. It was incredibly random and it made me confused. The entire movie was not very scary. It was more Saw gross than scary. I wouldn't watch this movie again. It really wasn't that great.

• danny d

  
  you know they are running out of ideas when the villian in a movie is killer tap water.

• Conner R

  
  So much fun and a classically laid out horror movie. Eli Roth is a huge horror buff and knew exactly what to do here. He used all those classic shots as well as the feel of an 70's-early 80's horror. It has the cliches like: the campfire story, nudity, gross out gore, weird… More
  So much fun and a classically laid out horror movie. Eli Roth is a huge horror buff and knew exactly what to do here. He used all those classic shots as well as the feel of an 70's-early 80's horror. It has the cliches like: the campfire story, nudity, gross out gore, weird side characters, etc. It's just such a fun movie, especially if you're a big fan of the genre. If you can't enjoy this movie, you either don't get it or you have no idea what a good movie is. There need to be more horrors out there like this which pay respect and also create something new. I honestly couldn't ask for a better piece of modern horror.

• Anthony L

  
  This is a good modern day horror without a man in a mask!

• Jens S

  
  This low budget horror thriller opened a lot of doors for director Eli Roth, who later worked with Quentin Tarantino and very clearly is a big fan of "Deliverance" (think violent rednecks and odd kids on porches). The characters in this gory blood feast actually start out… More
  This low budget horror thriller opened a lot of doors for director Eli Roth, who later worked with Quentin Tarantino and very clearly is a big fan of "Deliverance" (think violent rednecks and odd kids on porches). The characters in this gory blood feast actually start out somewhat believable but, like so often in such movies, lose credibility once things go down the drain. The film is rather nicely shot, its low budget is not visible at all, and definitely has its exciting moments, as well as a few pretty Ewww! scenes. Later on it gets a tad too predictable, fans of the genre probably figure out easily where all that is leading. They should still be the ones who might have the most fun with this, people who can't see blood should most definitely stay away. So, personal preferences are most likely gonna decide how you like this film, there isn't anything bad to say about the cinematography, direction or acting. The final joke is beyond awesome, though.

• Jani H

  
  "Yeah, he's a professor... of being a dog! Ooh, faced! Scratch moded!" A bunch of college graduates turn against each other after one of them gets a terrible flesh eating virus... You could think that this synopsis could prove that "Cabin Fever" could be a… More
  "Yeah, he's a professor... of being a dog! Ooh, faced! Scratch moded!" A bunch of college graduates turn against each other after one of them gets a terrible flesh eating virus... You could think that this synopsis could prove that "Cabin Fever" could be a cool gore fest. Well, it ain't. The film is just another cliché filled teen horror film. The acting is stupid at best. You really can't give a damn about these irritating vacationers. Deputy Winston is the only remotely funny character. You'd expect from a film like this gore beyond your greatest expectations, but everytime something cool happens, the camera goes "blind". The film just gets more stupid during its last half hour. And of course, the film leaves a door open for a sequel...

• Alexander W

  
  This was an okay film, its supposed to be a horror? More like a comedy, not to be taken seriously perhaps, I wouldn't watch this again.

• E.J. B

  
  Scares are virtually non-existent, every attempt to make an homage to another horror film has nothing to do with the story, the political undertones fail to reach any incite, and what the hell was the point of that pancakes scene. This movie is so bad it would be insulting Ed Wood… More
  Scares are virtually non-existent, every attempt to make an homage to another horror film has nothing to do with the story, the political undertones fail to reach any incite, and what the hell was the point of that pancakes scene. This movie is so bad it would be insulting Ed Wood to compare this with his works.

• Curtis L

  
  Eh. I have nothing good to say about it.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings