Oy vey.

Doing a review for Cabin Fever this late in the game is a bit daunting. What can one say about this movie that hasn't been thrown out on the table multiple times in the past year? The media frenzy surrounding it has been big, to say the least. Even this site has had its own spurts of Cabin Fever fever. Many people have proclaimed it as the movie that will "save horror," after saying it about countless other movies (i.e. 28 Days Later, House of 1000 Corpses) mere months prior. Hell, it's gotten to the point that if I hear ONE MORE reference to pancakes, I'm going to go on a mass arson spree, destroying IHOPs nationwide. Sadly, these constant references to the many memorable scenes in the movie also, ironically, point out the flaws in Cabin Fever: despite its sky-high entertainment value, it's more a series of set pieces than a cohesive whole.

The real difficulty in critiquing a movie like Cabin Fever is that it's a tribute film: a series of horror in-jokes and sly winks at the genre that seem less like a full movie and more like a drinking game: spot a reference, take a shot (not that that's saying much: I could make a drinking game out of The Bridges of Madison County). The plot concerns the usual quintet of horror kids: the nice guy (Rider Strong), the sweetly innocent girl (Jordan Ladd...whew!), the drunken dickhead (James DeBello), and the sex-crazed couple (Joey Kern and Cerina Vincent. Fun fact: Ms. Vincent used to be a Power Ranger, so be sure to show this movie to the youngsters to titillate, then disturb them). The group heads out to a cabin in the woods for a getaway, despite protests from the local hicks (including the grumpy old bastard, the big dopey oaf, and the slightly touched androgynous boy...notice a trend?). Wouldn'tcha know it, they soon meet a man who is riddled with a flesh-eating virus, whom they shoot, beat up, and set ablaze (Don't drop in unexpected on THESE guys). Unfortunately, the virus has spread amongst them and begins to chisel down their numbers, but not before they turn on each other, Romero-style.

I'm glossing over the plot for two reasons: one, I'm sure you've gotten the gist of it from everyone else in the universe, and two, the plot is truly secondary to the style and idea of the film. While the tribute movie seems to be pretty popular today (i.e. 28 Days Later, House of 1000 Corpses...deja vu), Cabin Fever takes the idea and runs with it. From the characters, to the music, to scenes of violence ripped right from other movies, you'll spend more time spotting all the in-jokes Eli Roth peppered his script with than following the plot. Therein lies the problem: can one truly review a film with a goal like Cabin Fever's? You can't bitch about it being unoriginal, because that's the whole damn point! Damn you Eli Roth, you made my job difficult! There are some original scenes, and some genuinely harrowing moments (the notorious "Fingerbang Misfire" for example...eww), and the whole thing moves at a brisk pace. You'll never be bored, that's for sure. My only real beef is that all these gross-out scenes and bits gleaned from other movies never seem to coagulate into a whole film. Certain scenes you could completely shuffle around with almost no effect to the film's continuity, and others could be removed without consequence as well. Not that it's a bad film, per se, as Eli Roth definitely stuck to his vision, and made a movie he would have wanted to watch, but it's definitely an odd pill to swallow.

Picture quality is, as is the norm these days, nearly perfect. Colors are bright and solid, blacks rich and deep, and the image is very crisp. Audio is similarly well done, with great use of surround channels, and clear dialogue. Even better, the DVD content for Cabin Fever is probably one of the best executed out there. The menu design is unapologetically slick: a girl shaving her leg, exposing bloody menu options, which you select with a band-aid cursor! I applaud Lions Gate and Eli Roth for making the menus fun to navigate by loading them with incidental animation and easter eggs. Not only that, but the extras section is positively STUFFED with goodies. Besides the audio commentaries, we're given the obligatory featurette, as well as a silly video for "Gay Bar" by Electric Six featuring camcorder footage of the kung-fu fightin' Matt Helms (he played the crazy young Dennis and I refuse to repeat what he said, dammit!), the "Chick-Vision" version of the movie (which blocks the screen during all of the gross bits), and the "Family Version," which is the first five minutes of the movie. Best of all are the "Rotten Fruit" shorts, featuring some of the raunchiest claymation I've seen in ages. Featuring a drugged-out British rock band who are comprised entirely of produce (including a banana who is either ejaculating or urinating on ANYTHING he can), they're loaded with dirty gags, gruesome violence, and some pretty funny bits (a dying boy-band member crooning "I just got shot in the head" had me spitting my beer clear across the room). It's always welcome when a movie is released that genuinely takes full advantage of the DVD format, and this one ranks up there as one of the best.

So while it might not be the uber-classic many are making it out to be, Cabin Fever is still a fun little romp through yesteryear. It brings back memories of when horror movies were original and genuinely good which, ironically enough, makes me sadder than before. While this tribute film format may be a great way for filmmakers to pay homage to their inspirations, it fills me with a longing for things to be as good as they used to years ago.

Nostalgia sucks sometimes.