Cabin Fever (2002 film)

This article is about the American horror film. For Cabin fever (disambiguation), see Cabin Fever (2002 film) (disambiguation).

Cabin Fever
Promotional poster for the film.
Directed by	Eli Roth
Written by	Eli Roth Randy Pearlstein
Produced by	Evan Astrowsky Sam Froelich Lauren Moews Eli Roth
Starring	Rider Strong Jordan Ladd James DeBello Cerina Vincent Joey Kern
Cinematography	Scott Kevan
Edited by	Ryan Folsey
Music by	Angelo Badalamenti Nathan Barr
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films
Release dates	September 12, 2003
Running time	93 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$1,500,000

Cabin Fever (2003) is an American horror film about a group of college graduates who rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus. The film was the directing debut of filmmaker Eli Roth, who cowrote the film with Randy Pearlstein. The inspiration for the film's story came from a real life experience during a trip to Iceland when his face broke out in bloody sores.

Roth wanted the style of his film to make a departure from many modern horror films that had been released in recent years. One modern horror film, The Blair Witch Project, did inspire Roth to use the internet to help promote the film during its production and help gain interest towards its distribution. The film itself, however, draws from many of Roth's favorite horror films, such as The Evil Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Last House on the Left.

Plot

File:JordanLadd.jpg

Jordan Ladd in Cabin Fever

When five recent college graduates trek to a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate, they encounter a vagrant stumbling near their cabin who appears to be extremely ill. When the man attempts to steal their truck after they panic and turn him away without assistance, one of the campers accidentally lights him on fire and he runs into the woods where he eventually falls into the cabin's water supply.

When one of the friends drinks from the water (that has now been contaminated by the ill man) the virus (which, contrary to popular belief, does not display similar traits to Necrotizing fasciitis, an infection commonly known as "flesh eating bacteria") infects the friend and results in quickly apparent symptoms. The friends then turn on one another in a desperate attempt to keep from contracting the disease themselves. As they attempt to seek outside help from the townspeople, they are thwarted by fearful bumpkins, generally incompetent authorities, and even a ferocious dog named "Dr. Mambo".

History

Eli Roth cowrote Cabin Fever with friend and former NYU roommate Randy Pearlstein in 1995 while Roth was working as a production assistant for Howard Stern's Private Parts. Early attempts to sell the film were unsuccessful because studios felt that the horror genre had become unprofitable. In 1996, the film Scream was released to great success, leading studios to once again become interested in horror properties. However, Roth still could not sell his film, as studios told him that should be more like Scream. Many potential financiers also found the film's content to be unsettling, including not only the gore, but the use of the word "nigger" early in the film. The script was not produced until 2002.

Production

The film was shot on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million. Composer Angelo Badalamenti agreed to compose some musical themes for the film out of enthusiasm for the material. The film's score was composed by Nathan Barr, who expanded upon Badalamenti's themes. The original killer dog was so old and tired that all of its scenes had to be re-shot with a new dog. With no time or money to find a replacement, the producers cast a real police attack dog that was so vicious and unpredictable that no actors could appear with it on camera.

Response

Grossing $30,553,394 at the box office, the film was the highest grossing film released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment in 2003. Critical response to the film was also positive. Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 63%.

Cast

• Jordan Ladd - Karen
• Rider Strong - Paul
• James DeBello - Bert
• Cerina Vincent - Marcy
• Joey Kern - Jeff
• Robert Harris - Old Man Cadwell
• Hal Courtney - Tommy
• Matthew Helms - Dennis
• Richard Boone - Fenster
• Tim Parati - Andy
• Eli Roth - Justin aka Grim
• Giuseppe Andrews - Deputy Winston

Sequel

Both Rider Strong and Giuseppe Andrews will be returning in Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, which is being directed by Ti West (The Roost) from his own script. Larry Fessenden and Alexi Wasser also star.

External links

• Cabin Fever at IMDb