I don't need to remind anyone that I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. I grew up on horror movies, and I've always been quite fond of them, particularly the ones from the 70's and 80's. Hell, just take a look at the Canyon of Terror 2 line-up.

Horror has taken quite a beating in the last fifteen years or so, and it seems that each year, some new terror flick with multitudes of pre-release buzz, is unleashed upon us proclaiming to be a return to form. Well, Eli Roth is the latest horror golden boy, and his Cabin Fever has developed incredible word of mouth through a healthy run at numerous film festivals around the globe. Between this and the internet and fanboy support, the low budget horror indie has somehow found itself released on an obscene number of movie screens nationwide.

The set up in Cabin Fever is a very familiar one as a group of rambunctious twenty-somethings decide to party the weekend away at a remote cabin in the woods. The premise is very reminiscent of the first two Evil Dead movies, but intentionally so. The plot really begins to thicken when a local yokel (infected with a flesh eating virus) comes into contact with one of our fearless partiers. Before long, this group of friends begin to back away from one another in fear that they may catch the quickly spreading disease.

If you haven't heard, Mr. Roth is a big fan of the genre also, and this will be completely evident as you watch this movie. And while Cabin Fever doesn't feel like a blatant knock off of other horror pictures, it is essentially a compilation of other horror film elements. For instance, we have the paranoia thriller scenario that finds this group of young characters afraid to get anywhere near each other, instantly bringing to mind John Carpenter's beautifully conceived remake of The Thing. The problem with this whole gimmick in Cabin Fever is that it feels underdeveloped. These characters turn on each other far too quickly. They seem to be engaging in big screaming matches before they even really know what they're dealing with.

Then, of course, we have the virus itself, a kind of leprosy that takes the body over almost instantly. And while the idea of that is pretty scary, it doesn't really come across as scary in the movie. Similar such viruses in movies like George Romero's Night of the Living Dead series and Danny Boyle's excellent 28 Days Later, don't only infect their victims, but turn them into terrifying monsters. Even the virus in Peter Jackson's Dead Alive seemed to have a monstrous impact on it's victims. (Coincidentally, Mr. Jackson is a big supporter of Cabin Fever). But then, I don't think Roth is interested in the virus itself but rather the effect it has on the people that aren't infected.

Then we have this weird business with an attacking dog that makes it's appearances in the movie via blood red p.o.v. shots that were inspired by the movie Wolfen. I must have missed something. Is the dog supposed to be infected (ala Cujo)? Or is he just pissed off and hungry.

There are a plethora of other winks to the audience, and if you've paid close attention to the world of horror, you'll notice homages to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Prince of Darkness, and The Blair Witch Project just to name a few.

Mr. Roth doesn't stop there. Cabin Fever is just as much an ode to the typical sex comedy (think Porky's, American Pie and Road Trip) as it is to the horror film. There are plenty of T & A shots (actress Cerina Vincent plays the token slut role to the absolute hilt) to speak of. And in even taking things farther, the first time director has attempted to bring an audacious spirit to the movie, meaning that many bizarre seemingly nonsensical things occur in this picture. Much of the goings on in Cabin Fever don't really further the story. They just happen just for the sake of weirdness. Like Quentin Tarantino, Roth likes to include odd little moments that most other film makers would have left out entirely. Of course the similarity ends there. Tarantino writes infinitely more intelligent dialogue, and most of the odd little ends in his films are far more interesting. But then, most of the laughable contingent in Cabin Fever is completely intentional, most notably the over the top acting. That, as much as anything, really sets it apart from some of the grand, crappy horror flicks of the 80's. Many of those movies aspired to greatness. Roth treats Cabin Fever as a big, mean spirited joke, and this is certainly one of it's strongest attributes. I was particularly fond of a punch-line at the very end of the movie that the audience in absolute stitches.

Here lies the problem. Cabin Fever has been touted as a return to horror when in fact, the movie really isn't scary at all. There is very little tension and most of the payoffs in the picture are telegraphed (I saw Joey Kern's fate coming a mile away). As I stated earlier, it does offer up familiar horror film elements, but this flick never scared me. Cabin Fever does have sufficient amounts of gore (although not quite as much as I was hoping for), and I liked the way parts of it were shot, but it never had me on the edge of my seat, and the whole virus thing never really creeped me out the way it should have. I'm not saying I didn't have a fun time watching it. In fact, I actually took this film in with The Boneman and a few friends of ours at a midnight screening, and we laughed aloud several times. Yes, Cabin Fever is extremely funny, but unfortunately, it ainÕt scary. That all important balance between horror and humor was nowhere to be found. Movies like Creepshow, An American Werewolf in London, Evil Dead 2, Return of the Living Dead, Dead Alive, Re-Animator and The Howling all had it. Cabin Fever just never gets there.

Eli Roth deserves props for high energy directing and for his enthusiastic approach at the marketing of Cabin Fever. This film's unprecedented high profile release will no doubt, open the door for other horror projects that have been rotting in development hell. This, of course, is a great thing for fans of the genre, and I for one appreciate Roth's pure love for films of this nature. I only wish his freshman effort delivered the goods. Still, I have hopes for this newcomer. His Cabin Fever does lack scares but it certainly doesn't lack passion. I'm curious to see what Roth does next.