Eli Roth probably didn’t set out with the intention of becoming the filmmaker who defined an entire era of horror, but it didn’t take long for the writer and director to be dubbed as the godfather of torture porn, even if the moniker came after his breakout debut Cabin Fever.
It was his sophomore effort Hostel that first led to the term being coined, which would then be a blanket label being used to describe any gnarly R-rated gore-fest that cast aside atmosphere and tension in favor of blood, guts, and sky-high body counts. That being said, it was clear that the genre had a terrifying new voice based on the events that unfolded in Roth’s first feature.
There are still a couple of scenes that remain capable of making viewers squirm in their seats, and if you had the misfortune of needing to shave any part of your body in the aftermath of witnessing Cabin Fever for the first time, then we can definitely sympathize given the harrowing moment in question that’s nigh-on impossible to shake from the memory.
Hot off netting a stellar $30 million at the box office on a thrifty $1.5 million budget – as well as surprisingly enthusiastic reviews for a low budget nightmare packed to the brim with grisly asides – Cabin Fever would go on to spawn a pair of sequels, as well as a rapid-fire 2016 remake penned by Roth himself, while propelling the man behind the camera to bigger, better, and infinitely more unpalatable things.
More than 20 years on from its release, and the backwoods assault on decency and human flesh has conspired to make a comeback on streaming, with FlixPatrol outing Cabin Fever V1.0 as a Top 10 hit on Starz in both the United States and United Kingdom.
Published: Feb 22, 2023 02:57 am