If Cabin Fever had been an obscure flick that played briefly and disappeared on video where it developed a cult following years later, I could be persuaded in time. Let Me In, 2010), though I would rather simply see the first version with subtitles.

Let the Right One In, 2008) that wowed audiences overseas, I could understand the desire for a domestic retread (i.e. If this had been a foreign language film (i.e. So now, for reasons I cannot comprehend, we get a remake of Cabin Fever just thirteen years after the original’s release. Roth has returned to the director’s chair a few times with mixed results, but has actually proven to be quite the producer, helping other young filmmakers catch a break. The film is not without its flaws and detractors, but I had a blast when I saw it and still count it as my favorite of his efforts. Roth’s script is quirky, fun and relentless as he continues to ratchet up the tension and push his characters into increasingly horrible situations. Facing a highly infectious disease without a cure, everyone’s friendship, loyalty and fortitude are tested as they must work together even at the risk of their own health and safety if any are to survive. A group of friends celebrating the end of college at a remote cabin are soon faced with the terror of an unknown bacterial contaminant that eats away their flesh from the inside. His debut film Cabin Fever avoided the clichés of the popular and safe material filling cinemas, instead offering an over-the-top entry in the body horror subgenre. This trend was pushed into high gear with the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), and soon the slasher subgenre became the next fertile ground strip-mined for a quick buck by the studio system as over two dozen titles were given a glossy new facelift over the next decade.Ģ003 also marked the arrival of Eli Roth, an independent filmmaker with a keen eye for dark comedy and an unquestionable love for horror. Self-cannibalization also proved appealing: in 2003, contemporary audiences were subjected to a barrage of new spins on recent genre “classics”, some of which were up to thirty years old (gasp!). The practice of Americanizing international hits for domestic crowds is certainly nothing new one example being the frequent re-vamps of popular Asian hits, affectionately dubbed J-Horror. Interchangeable disaster pictures, buddy-cop movies, high-octane action flicks and other routine formulas have successfully clogged cinemas for decades, but the horror genre is especially susceptible to this temptation. The proverbial expression “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” has been a staple in the industry, as producers have long chased the current success story or the last big hit.

To say Hollywood occasionally lacks originality and loves a good knock-off is a bit of an understatement, as generations of filmgoers have endured countless remakes, retreads or whatever counts as re-imaginings.

Cabin fever 2016