The release of Cabin Fever announced the arrival of Eli Roth to the horror world. While he’d go even further, directing the likes of Hostel and Thanksgiving, and starring in Inglourious Basterds, his debut displays the macabre humor that elevates his gory ideas.
Five friends go to a cabin for a weekend. An infection in the water reveals not only their conflicts but also the bones and tissue under their peeling skin. The film also betrays stereotypes of backwoods folk to whom the kids condescend.
Now on 4K, the nature scenes are beautiful, with sunrise and sunset on the lake. But the film really comes alive at night now in 4K darkness. Four silhouettes discuss what to do about Karen (Jordan Ladd), the first of them to get sick. In the barn, Ladd emerges from deep shadow.
The film climaxes in a cave and Rider Strong driving the backroads at night. In a new bonus feature, Roth walks through the 4K restoration, not only revealing more of the gore in the dark, but also retouching some of the daylight nature scenes. That feature also addresses the sound mix, and you can totally hear the ambient nature sounds surrounding you.
Another new hour long retrospective includes all of the cast except for Joey Kern, Roth and producers. It addresses David Lynch’s support, multiple SAG issues and how Roth ended up acting in the film. It also really gets into the Toronto International Film Festival Midnight Madness and selling the movie. Bonus features from two previous editions are still included so you could spend days exploring Cabin Fever.