NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cabin Fever (film)

Cabin Fever (2003) is 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 co-wrote the film with Randy Pearlstein. The inspiration for the film's story came from a real life experience during a trip to Iceland when Roth's face broke out in bloody sores.^[1]^[2] Cabin fever may refer to: Cabin fever, restlessness derived from being in a confined area for a long period of time Cabin Fever (film), a horror film from 2003 Cabin Fever (TV series), a reality TV show from 2003 Cabin Fever (Garfield and Friends), an episode of Garfield and Friends... Download high resolution version (694x990, 133 KB)Movie poster for Cabin Fever, deemed fair use This work is copyrighted. ... Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Rider King Strong (born December 11, 1979) is an American actor. ... Jordan Ladd Jordan Elizabeth Ladd (born January 14, 1975 in Hollywood, California) is an actress. ... James DeBello was born on June 9, 1980 in Hartford Conneticut, USA. He attended Whitehall Middle School for one year in 1993, and also attended Shenandoah Valley Jr/Sr High School. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: not encyclopedic If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... Joseph Daniel Kern (born 5 September 1976 in Kentucky) is an American actor. ... Angelo Badalamenti (born March 22, 1937) is a composer, best known for his movie soundtrack work for movie director David Lynch, most notably Blue Velvet, the Twin Peaks saga (1991-1992) and Mulholland Dr.. // He was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Sicilian mother and an Italian father and... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Lions Gate Films. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Horror Movie redirects here. ... College (Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an educational institution. ... Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ...

Roth wanted the style of his film to make a departure from many modern horror films that had been released in recent years.^[2] 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.^[1] 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.^[1]^[2] The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 low budget independent horror film, financed and distributed by Artisan Entertainment. ... For other uses, see The Evil Dead (disambiguation). ... The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1973 American horror film, written, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, who had writing credits. ... The Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. ...

Plot

The film centers on five recent college graduates, Jeff, Karen, Paul, Marcy and Bert, who trek to a remote cabin deep in the woods to celebrate with some wanton sex and copious amounts of alcohol. When they arrive Bert finds a gun. Initially, they think it is a BB gun, but it is actually a rifle. One evening they encounter a vagrant stumbling near their cabin, who is clearly extremely ill. Bert had accidentally shot the man with his rifle while hunting earlier and left him to die. When the man asks for their help in seeking medical attention, they panic and turn him away without assistance. He attempts to steal their truck and in the scuffle Paul and Marcia accidentally light him on fire and he runs into the woods where he falls into the cabin's water supply. They are also visited by another camper, Justin (aka Grim), who has a large dog named Doctor Mambo. John Everett Millais The Blind Girl: vagrant musicians See also vagrancy (biology) for an alternative use of the term. ...

When Karen drinks from the contaminated water, she becomes infected and results in a rapid onset of symptoms. Paul discovers her condition the next morning when he attempts to arouse her and finds that she is feverish, delusional and bleeding. Unsure whether to take Karen for medical attention or wait out her fever, the friends cannot determine the best course of action. Fearful that the truck may be infectious, or that any one of them could be carrying the disease, they begin turning on one another. In order to "quarantine" Karen, they lock her in a tool shed.

As Karen lies in the shack getting sicker, her friends seek help from several sources, to no avail. Jeff and Bert seem driven mad by the situation, and their actions become more and more irrational. Doctor Mambo, now vicious and possibly infected, returns without his owner and terrorizes the campers. Jeff sets out on his own with his uncontaminated supply of beer because of his fear of infection. The other members of the group contract the disease by exposure to the tainted water and other ill people. Bert shows signs of infection after fixing the car and leaves the group to get help, during his trip he is hunted by the local townsfolk who fear the disease he is carrying, and attempt to kill him to quell it. Paul sets out to get help on foot and comes across the body of the drifter who carried the disease rotting away in the local reservoir, into which he falls, and lands atop of the diseased body. Marcy (who had drank some of the contaminated water) shows signs soon after having a sexual encounter with Paul, and soon breaks out in huge lesions along her back and legs which she tries to wash away in the bathtub. Panic grips her and she runs from the cabin, but is chased down by the dog, Dr. Mambo, and devoured.

Abandoned by everyone else, Paul returns to the shack in an attempt to finally take Karen for help. He runs right into Doctor Mambo and shoots the fierce dog. He then finds her alive but severely infected. He realizes that there is no hope for her and puts her out of her misery with a shovel. Around this time a wounded and thoroughly infected Bert makes his way back to the cabin, and pleads for Paul to help him with the local hunters, Paul agrees. When the hunters find the cabin, they enter and shoot Bert, killing him, but Paul quickly kills all three.

Paul, newly infected by his sexual encounter with Marcy, seeks a way into town and comes across a party that has a deputy of the town in attendance. The deputy had promised a tow truck to fix their broken car days earlier, as Paul stumbles into the party, bloody and infuriated, the sheriff radios the deputy and informs him that a cabin of college kids have a disease and that they've killed several people; their orders are to shoot on sight. Paul is attacked by the party goers, but manages to fight them off and escape the highway, where he is brought into town by a passing motorist.

Paul arrives in town and seeks medical treatment. The doctors realize they cannot treat him, and instruct the sheriff to take him to a larger hospital. The fear of further outbreak and Paul's earlier, violent run-in entices the sheriff to have Paul's body dumped in the woods and left to die.

Jeff emerges from his alcoholic stupor and finds his way back to the cabin to discover it littered with blood and evidence of the deaths of all his friends. He seems sad at first, but quickly becomes relieved of the fact that he didn't get sick. In a decidedly comedic twist, as Jeff exits the cabin, laughing with joy, he is gunned down by the sheriff and his deputies. The bodies at the cabin are subsequently burned to remove all evidence.

Ironically, Paul's diseased body was dumped partially in the water as well, further spreading the disease. The film ends with shots of the contaminated water being used to make lemonade, to which the sheriff and deputies drink, and also being pumped into bottles and loaded onto trucks to be sold as "natural spring water".

Cause of illness

The original infection seems to have come from a pig (the same one that was butchered). It infected Henry and other people. Henry comes to the group for help but by lighting him on fire, instinct drives him to the lake, he then dies in the water. The infected water is sucked through the pipes into the Cabins water-supply, where the gang drink from, as well as the bathrooms where they bathe.

The illness can pass by eating infected flesh, drinking infected water, or coughing up blood on other beings. The illness is flesh-eating in nature, and dousing infected sores with waters excacerbates the condition.

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.^[1] Early attempts to sell the film were unsuccessful because studios felt that the horror genre had become unprofitable.^[1] 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.^[1] 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.^[1] The script was not produced until 2002. New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... This article is a biography of Howard Stern as an individual; for information regarding his radio show see The Howard Stern Show. ... For other uses, see Private Parts (disambiguation). ... Scream is a 1996 horror film, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. ... // Nigger is a racial slur used to refer to dark-skinned people, especially those of African ancestry. ...

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.^[2] 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.^[2] Angelo Badalamenti (born March 22, 1937) is a composer, best known for his movie soundtrack work for movie director David Lynch, most notably Blue Velvet, the Twin Peaks saga (1991-1992) and Mulholland Dr.. // He was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Sicilian mother and an Italian father and...

Response

Grossing $30,553,394 at the box office internationally, the film was the highest grossing film released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment in 2003. Critical response to the film was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 63%.^[3] Roger Ebert, however, panned the film, stating "The movie adds up to a few good ideas and a lot of bad ones, wandering around in search of an organizing principle."^[4] The Hollywood Reporter stated "his [Roth's] flesh-eating virus movie never convincingly gets under the skin."^[5] The Los Angeles Times also heavily criticized the film as hackneyed and cliched, stating "...rather than steep his story in dread, ideas or something, anything, fresh and different, first-time director Eli Roth just pours on the blood, along with some recycled surrealism and plenty of giddy movie allusions."^[6] The film was also #28 on Bravo TV's "30 Even Scarier Movie Moments" Lions gate home entertainment is the home video and dvd distribution arm of lions gate entertainment corporation, it has a vast library of more than 8,ooo films(many the result of output deals with other studios), it is mainly responsible for the distribution of the lions gate film library... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Received "Two Thumbs Down" on Ebert & Roeper. Richard Roeper called it an "ugly gorefest" and said "Cabin Fever is a particularly disgusting and brainless version of this all-too-familiar horror film". Roger Ebert said "Director Eli Roth is trying do about four things at once, to make a horror film, a comedy, a satire, and a political parable about infectious diseases and none of them work" and he commented by saying "this movie is a mess". They ended the review with Richard Roeper suggesting to viewers "don't bring snacks, if you insist on going to this movie, don't bring any food into the theater because you'll be losing it on your way out". Ebert & Roeper at the Movies (more commonly known as Ebert & Roeper) is a movie review television program featuring film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. ... Richard Roeper (born October 17, 1959[1]) is a columnist/film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, since September of 2000, has co-hosted Ebert & Roeper with fellow film critic Roger Ebert. ... Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... Richard Roeper (born October 17, 1959[1]) is a columnist/film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, since September of 2000, has co-hosted Ebert & Roeper with fellow film critic Roger Ebert. ...

Cast

In the hospital scene Paul sees guy in a bunny costume, in the credits he is listed as "We will never tell." Jordan Ladd Jordan Elizabeth Ladd (born January 14, 1975 in Hollywood, California) is an actress. ... Rider King Strong (born December 11, 1979) is an American actor. ... James DeBello was born on June 9, 1980 in Hartford Conneticut, USA. He attended Whitehall Middle School for one year in 1993, and also attended Shenandoah Valley Jr/Sr High School. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: not encyclopedic If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... Joseph Daniel Kern (born 5 September 1976 in Kentucky) is an American actor. ... Robert Harris may refer to the following people: Rob Harris (curler), a Canadian curler. ... Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Giuseppe Andrews (born Joey Andrews on April 25, 1979, in Key Largo, Florida) is an American actor-writer-director best known for his roles in Detroit Rock City and as a bizarre sheriff in Cabin Fever, as well as appearances in the Smashing Pumpkins videos 1979 and Perfect. His cin...

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.^[7]^[8]

Trivia

Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... 2001 Maniacs is a 2005 horror film directed by Tim Sullivan, written by Chris Kobin and Tim Sullivan, starring Robert Englund, Lin Shaye and Giuseppe Andrews. ...

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Roth, Eli. Cabin Fever DVD, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2004, audio commentary. ASIN: B0000ZG054
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Beneath the Skin. Cabin Fever DVD, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2004, documentary. ASIN: B0000ZG054
^ Tomatometer for Cabin Fever. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
^ Ebert, Roger: "Rogerebert.com", Sept 12, 2003.
^ Rechtshaffen, Michael: "The Hollywood Reporter", Sept 8, 2003.
^ Dargis, Manohla: "The Los Angeles Times", Sept 12, 2003.
^ Two Names Return to Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
^ Strong and Andrews head back to the Cabin (March 4, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.

Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ... Lions gate home entertainment is the home video and dvd distribution arm of lions gate entertainment corporation, it has a vast library of more than 8,ooo films(many the result of output deals with other studios), it is mainly responsible for the distribution of the lions gate film library... On a DVD (or laserdisc), an audio commentary is a bonus track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, who talk about the movie as it progresses. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ... Lions gate home entertainment is the home video and dvd distribution arm of lions gate entertainment corporation, it has a vast library of more than 8,ooo films(many the result of output deals with other studios), it is mainly responsible for the distribution of the lions gate film library... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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