6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Jeff, Karen, Paul, Marcy and Bert embark on a vacation deep into the mountains. With the top down and the music up, they drive to a remote cabin to enjoy their last days of decadence after college. Then somebody gets sick. Karen's skin starts to bubble and burn as something grows inside her, tunneling beneath her flesh. As the others try to save her, they look at one another and realize that any one of them could be next. One by one they turn on each other and the rest of the town... realizing that the disease is the least of their problems.
Starring: Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey KernHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 43% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Following the 2002 release of Cabin Fever I officially ended my practice of guzzling water from the makeshift taps installed within most campsites. In all my prior wilderness outings, I shrugged off the thought of disease or infestation in the water supply, and placed far too much faith in the filtering capabilities of government run facilities. I’m not usually the paranoid type, but despite the sensational (fictitious) accounts in the film, I can’t help but picture a dead body floating in the reservoir that directly feeds the spigot. Naturally, we have no idea what manner of pollution might be trickling downstream in any waterway (a crazy mountain-man urinating into the water, or a dead animal carcass), but at least I find comfort in the water treatment of my comfortable suburban neighborhood. That’s not to say a future installment of the series won’t ruin that as well, but at least I felt safe in revisiting the original entry in the franchise, knowing my fear would remain contained.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 17Mbps), Cabin Fever sports an inconsistent transfer, but looks far better than I anticipated. Fine object detail never dips into sub-par territory during well-lit daytime scenes, but the second nightfall descends, we're treated to a noticeable drop in clarity. A veil of film grain still saturates the image during the less detailed shots, leaving the impression the haziness is merely a product of the low-budget source material, though it still affects the proficiency of the presentation. Moving along, the color spectrum demonstrates a push toward yellow and red that becomes more pronounced in the later stages of the film (coinciding with the progressive nature of the subject matter). As a result, the presentation demonstrates a tendency to appear a touch on the drab side, which enhances the dreary nature of the film. Black levels retain adequate depth through the majority of the film, but there are several sequences where contrast exhibits weak shade differentiation, resulting in a loss of shadow detail (such as the campfire scene in the early stages of the film).
If my assessment of the visual presentation sounds underwhelming, let me take this opportunity to make it abundantly clear this is a substantial improvement over the prior DVD release. There are still several issues that plague the high-definition upgrade, but given the budgetary limitations of the source material, they're easy to forgive.
Continuing their trend of delivering a lossless 7.1 audio track on the majority of their catalog titles, Lionsgate delivers an upgrade that certainly isn't worth dying for, but serves up a heaping portion of gore-drenched fun. The proficiency of the audio track never rivals the robust design of an action-oriented production, but if you listen closely to the more subtle effects in the surround mix, you'll develop a newfound appreciation for the film's attention to detail. Examples include the sound of a campfire crackling, dried leaves rustling across the ground, or the distinct high-pitched whine of a creaking door. Those are the elements that make their way into the rear sound stage, while the dialogue and more direct aspects of the mix remain focused on the front region. As a result, most of the film has a tendency to rely a bit too heavily on the front speakers, creating an impression that the sound design isn't fully utilizing every channel. Immersion may not be the track's strong suit, but it makes up for it in other areas. Clarity is exceptional throughout the majority of the film, including moments when you might not want it to remain so crisp (the sound of flesh peeling away is increasingly morbid with lossless compression). Likewise, the volume balance between the dialogue, music, and effects remains entirely appropriate, without too much weight placed on one single element. All in all, this is a value-added audio presentation.
Cabin Fever Family Version (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:13 min): introduced by director Eli Roth, this comedic inclusion pokes fun at what the film would be like if it were made accessible to all audiences.
Director's Shorts: Rotten Fruit (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 18:26): Created by Eli Roth and Noah Belson following the release of Cabin Fever, this collection of five crude episodes present fruit in a whole new light. I'd hate to see what lengths Roth might turn to if he ever lost his creative outlet of filmmaking (perhaps bank robbery, opening a butcher shop, or a spin as a serial killer).
Beneath the Skin: The Making of Cabin Fever (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 28:57 min): Director Eli Roth, the actors, and the film's producers discusses the basis for the story, the development of the script, and the entire creative "on-set" process. Some behind-the-scenes supplements remain fairly superficial, but this one is filled to the brim with interesting subject matter.
Pancakes (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:46 min): If you're interested in pure randomness, this is well worth your time. The crazy redneck kid from the film (who yells "pancakes") demonstrates martial arts moves while the song "Gay Bar" plays in the background.
Postcards from Bunyon County (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 2:32 min): the only high definition supplement on the disc, this is basically an image gallery of behind-the-scenes snapshots.
Rounding out the extras, we have a standard definition trailer for Cabin Fever, as well as a feature length audio commentary with Eli Roth, Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Cerina Vincent, and Joey Kern. This newly recorded commentary track provides a fresh look at the "unrated" version of the film, and presents a nostalgic perspective that wasn't included in the commentary tracks on the original DVD.
Cabin Fever is a polarizing film that takes great pleasure in making audiences squirm. My appreciation for the film has slightly diminished over the years, but if you're looking for a gore-drenched horror production that doesn't take itself too seriously, this disc is a worthy addition to your collection. From a technical standpoint, this Blu-ray release offers a reasonable upgrade in every category except the supplemental materials, and incorporates 4 minutes of edited footage to complete the unrated version (as Eli Roth originally intended). Keep a barf bag handy and pass the popcorn, because things are about to get ugly.
1981
2016
Director's Cut
2005
Unrated Edition
2008
2016
Unrated Theatrical and Rated Versions
2013
2012
Collector's Edition
2013
2006
2014
Død snø
2009
Director's Cut
2007
2009
Limited Edition
2009
2013
Unrated Director's Cut
2006
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1980
2012
2007
1982