Jonathan A., here…

The Film

Director Travis Z’s remake of Eli Roth’s cult classic horror flick “Cabin Fever” is a movie that I wanted to like, but could find no redeeming qualities in.  This movie bills itself as a gory, horror-comedy, and fails to provide either scares or laughs.  The acting is wooden, the characters are idiotic and un-relatable and even the gore fails to deliver.   Sigh… I do love me some over-the-top gore, but sadly, the gross-factor was completely lackluster in this film and did nothing to redeem the rest of the movie.

Here’s a quick overview of the paper-thin story; a group of college kids go to a cabin in the woods and they’re afflicted by a flesh eating virus that picks them off, one by one.  Yep.  That’s about it.

There are a number of scenes that are clearly meant to make your skin crawl, but due to the abysmal acting, writing and unconvincing gore, I found myself completely unaffected by it.  Lacking the originality or cheese-factor to even be a “so-bad-it’s-good” kind of horror flick, I found myself wondering why they even bothered to put out this remake.

The Video/Audio

Presented in 1080p High def, but never really looking crisp or particularly sharp, I wasn’t sure I was even watching a Blu- ray.  Lacking vividness and any noticeable color pop, the picture quality was no better than that of a decent streaming service.  The use of 5.1 Dolby surround was inconsequential to the film, as the mixing seemed to be off.  Though the dialogue was clearly understood, the voices sounded frustratingly muddy. 

I was disappointed by the lack of dynamics in the sound effects.  Gun shots sounded weak and there was a surprising lack of noticeable “squishy” sound effects that one might expect in a gore film.  The only times the dynamics of the audio really shift are for the jumpy moments, when they blast you with score to attempt a cheap scare.

The Extras

The Making of Cabin Fever – This is actually a fairly decent featurette, illustrating some of the behind-the scenes action in the movie.  Consisting of interviews with cast and crew, it’s not a bad ‘Making of,’ despite some rough editing.

Theatrical Trailer – This part doesn’t need explaining, nor does it add any value to the Blu Ray.

The Ultimate Word

If you’re drunk and barely paying attention to the television, this movie might seem half-decent, but anyone looking for an entertaining movie to focus on and enjoy, will be disappointed.  Sadly, the only truly horrifying thing in this horror movie is the abominable acting and writing.  Not only does the film itself disappoint, but the poor technical aspects of this Blu-ray release almost guarantee that it will quickly find its way to the bargain bin of your local electronics stores.

Skip It!

Cabin Fever (2016) is available now on Blu-ray and DVD