Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)

OCTOBER 24, 2009

GENRE: COMEDIC, SPLATTER
SOURCE: THEATRICAL (SCREAMFEST)

Shelved for years, disowned by its director, and lacking the involvement of original creator Eli Roth, there wasn’t very much to expect out of Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. But damned if it didn’t actually turn out to be a worthy followup, with even more disgusting body part-related deaths, a game cast, and a tone that never veers off into a slightly more serious direction (something that hurt the original a bit).

It’s also the first Ti West film (he can disown it all he wants, but 95% of the film is comprised of his footage; the only re-shoot of significance was the end, which is also the worst part) where his tendency to let things go on forever was kept in check. It still takes a tad long to get crazy, but there are a couple of isolated gags in the first half hour or so to make up for it, and unlike the first film, we actually have a few likable characters this time around (lead hero Noah Segan has one of cinema's all time best "Why do girls like assholes?" rants), so it’s not the end of the world to have to spend time with them as they chat instead of getting virus-y.

And even in these scenes, there is a perverse sense of humor to enjoy. A blow job from a girl with braces and a disgusting growth on her lip; a principal (Michael Bowen!) who lives with a guy that seemingly stepped out Nightmare on Elm St 2, a janitor pissing blood into the punch, etc. Like Human Centipede, the goofy tone of it all allows for even the most disgusting moments to entertain rather than make you sick. And again, the cast gives it their all; there’s a full frontal nude scene (male and female) that would make John Waters proud, culminating in the moment where the vastly overweight female member of the pair loses her tooth during a makeout session.

The soundtrack is terrific (something even Roth reportedly claimed). I can’t help but love the idea of a prom playing Paul Zaza’s theme song from Prom Night, and the other tracks from the prom and surrounding scenes are quite enjoyable as well. Lionsgate should pack a copy with the DVD and charge an extra couple bucks; I guarantee no one would mind the extra cost as soon as they pop in the disc.

I also like that it continues the spread of the virus without feeling like a remake, as many sequels do. No one goes back to the woods; instead the bulk of the film takes place at the school, with only the (surprisingly few) Deputy Winston scenes occurring elsewhere, as he tries to figure out what is happening, and once he does, tries to escape with his cousin Herman. I would have liked for his storyline to mesh with the main one a bit sooner (i.e. at any point before what should be the final goddamn shot of the film) but it’s still nice to have him around again, and Giuseppe Andrews steps back in the role easily.

As I said, the ending is the only real problem. Winston and the lone survivor of the A story just drive off, and while it is abrupt it still would have been better than having another 5-10 minutes, where we see what happened to a minor character from the beginning of the film. This sequence (which features jarringly pointless cameos from the film’s executive producers) goes on too long, serves no real purpose, and generally sucks, and I wasn’t surprised to learn later that this was the stuff that was shot without Ti West. My only theory that it’s in there at all is for the producers to stroke their egos, otherwise I would guess anyone with half a brain would end it with Winston driving off, trading an abrupt ending for a draggy, terrible one.

I hear the DVD is coming out in February, which is fine. I’d hate to see the film become even more compromised than it already is in order to get an R rating (though, given the goofy tone, it might not be an issue with the MPAA - sometimes they ‘get it’ when it comes to such things), and despite its relative quality, I think it would be a major dud in theaters (especially since the release of the first film was now over six years ago). It’s a shame that various shenanigans have kept the film buried for so long, but at least it’s finally seeing the light, and the DTV release, I think, will be beneficial in the long run thanks to its inherent lowered expectations and far less worrisome competition.

What say you?

HorrorBlips: vote it up!

9 comments:

  1. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this shit to come out.

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  2. You have got to be F'ing kidding me, I expected nothing but the worst out of this one. Too bad Wrong Turn 3 couldnt have done the same..

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  3. Ha!!! I knew this sequel would fare better than Roth's movie!!

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  4. Wrong Turn 3 is indeed a big improvement from the last one, that was only rubbish and pathetic. I'm dying to see this Cabin sequel!!!

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  5. I enjoyed it as well & felt the ending was pretty pointless. I thought that the reaction of the deputy when that chick is covered in blood is pretty lame. Cuz anyone in their right mind wouldn't question her a bit more before the just let her jump in their van?! Seriously.

    Either way, the Direct to DVD release will make for quick profits via all the people who are familiar with the original film. I'm sure it will fly off the Wal-Mart & Best Buy shelves.

    http://bloodyunique.blogspot.com/2009/10/screamfest-la-screening-cabin-fever-2.html

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  6. hey bc finally got to see this one and i honestly thought it was great...i saw a little bit of ROBOCOP homage it looked like in the beginning. He even looked like the acid soaked guy from robocop. All in all I thought it was a great sequel and can hold its own with Roth's original. The gore was amazing along with the jokes and your right, the ending was just lame. Officer Winston was funny as usual and the fact he let her in the van knowing what was going on was just hilarious because he truly is that dumb. I still prefer the first one but this one is a great addition and cant wait to get the CABIN FEVER BLU RAY in the mail so i can see the good stuff Eli added to the film and to the extras!

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  7. it really was better as a movie than Roths..

    i mean..Roths is more Cult Classic, but this one was awesome

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  8. Winston was funny as hell in this movie (even though his story line went absolutely nowhere). At 41:00 he says, "You gotta help me. Man, Turn down the Sepultura and listen to me, Motherfucker!" As a metal lover, I thought that was hilarious. The subtitles made it even funnier because they got it wrong. It says "Sepulter". I can just imagine the guy trying to transcribe the dialogue wondering "What the fuck is a sepulter?! Fuck it! They're not paying me enough to figure this shit out!"

    Winston's other great line was when he promises Judah Freidlander Sashimi pussy when he becomes a hero. I don't know why but his delivery on those two lines just had me giggling like an idiot.

    It's too bad they couldn't have done more with this movie. Most've what was on screen was gold. Unfortunately, it lacked any real point or resolution at the end. I could just feel the producers throwing their hands up and saying, "fuck it!"

    One question: Were the animated bookends included in the theatrical screening? No one has mentioned them so I was just wondering when they were created and tacked on. The opening did a better job of advancing the narrative, but the end (although entertaining) did little to wrap things up. Nice try though.

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  9. Yeah, they were there. And I agree, the opening one was great, closing... not so much.

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