Cabin Fever review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Five friends celebrate finishing college by grabbing a load of beer and hiring a cabin in the deep, dark woods. The locals are kinda weird - (just listen to that strummin' banjo on the soundtrack) - but a far more terrifying evil awaits: a flesh-eating virus, caught off a dying stranger who wanders into their midst begging for help.

Starting off as yet another '70s-throwback horror flick then slowly sh(r)edding its skin to emerge in its own beastly image, Cabin Fever is a movie built around a handful of unforgettable moments. One involves a bit of masturbatory fumbling. Another finds a startling use for a harmonica. And a third will put you off shaving for life. All three have been banging around Roth's fevered brain - and each new draft of his script - for 10 years now. It's easy to see why.

The rest of the movie never quite screams as loudly as these vicious exclamation marks, but effectively mixes sniggers and shudders throughout. Highlights include the inspired decision to use David Hess' incongrously melodic ballads from Wes Craven's 1972 rape-and-revenger The Last House On The Left, and strong turns from actresses Jordan Ladd and Cerina Vincent, the latter not slow to get her kit off. Gratuitous? Probably, but 99 percent of horror flicks regard sex and violence like kids view Big Macs and fries - staple ingredients, best served together. Less successful is Roth's insistence on trying to reference all his favourite movies from the `70s and early `80s, and his slightly fumbled attempt to trace the group's disintegration when self-survivalism kicks in. We're not talking bad, just disappointing, given his fave movie is John Carpenter's The Thing.

Interestingly, Roth got the idea for Cabin Fever when he developed a skin infection of his own, waking in the night to find chunks of skin on his pillow. He's been obsessed with skincare products ever since. After watching this celluloid-dipped-in-claret nasty, you will be too.

Part template horror, part terrors new, Cabin Fever's sticky set-pieces crawl under your scalp to hatch nightmares in the brain. Will leave you feeling nauseous in all the right ways.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Action Movies
Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The classic Fox X-Men are returning in Avengers: Doomsday, and I've got a really bad feeling about this
Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Thunderbolts
The new Thunderbolts teaser namedrops the Avengers twice, less than a day after the cast was confirmed for Doomsday
Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
After 15 years in the making, Thor and Loki's reunion in Avengers: Doomsday could be the perfect MCU conclusion for the characters
Jason Statham in A Working Man
Jason Statham and The Beekeeper director's new movie co-written by Sylvester Stallone debuts to mixed reviews with a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score
Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight
17 years after The Dark Knight was released, Michael Caine recalls being "floored" and "terrified" by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker
WandaVision episode 8
Robert Downey Jr's WandaVision Easter egg in the Avengers: Doomsday announcement has me thinking Scarlet Witch will be in the movie after all
Latest in Reviews
Razer Monitor Stand Chroma on desk with blue lighting reflecting off surface and Alienware gaming monitor on top.
Razer Monitor Stand Chroma review: “a pretty but flawed premium RGB riser for your gaming desk”
Image of the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless headset sitting on top of a gaming PC case taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.
Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless review - a PC headset tour de force
Zombicide box featuring stylized art of survivors fighting zombies
Zombicide 2nd Edition review: "Like a zombie flick brought to tabletop"
Razer Handheld Dock with Steam Deck sitting on cradle, pink and yellow RGB lighting on, and Alienware monitor in background with Tomb Raider Trilogy gameplay on screen.
Razer Handheld Dock review: “Your Steam Deck will ride shiny and Chroma"
Photographs of the Agricola board game in play
Agricola review: "Accurate representation of the highly competitive and often unstable world of agriculture"
Photos taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Shure MV7i microphone, within a pink and white themed room.
Shure MV7i review - convenience and excellence rolled into one superb sounding package