It’s the Booze Talkin’: A Cabin Fever remake with the same script? Really?!?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Remakes are an interesting entity. It is easy to assume that every single remake is a bad and terrible injustice to cinema. However this is very incorrect. Sure we’ve had far too many that have failed to come remotely close to the greatness – or at least goodness – of the original. Yet occasionally you have a classic like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS from 1978, or John Carpenter’s THE THING in 1982. Even recently we’ve had a few better than average flicks including last year’s EVIL DEAD and PIRAHNA 3D from 2010. Then there is one of my personal favorites, Patrick Lussier’s ridiculously fun MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D from 2009. Yet one recent announcement has many a movie fan – myself included – wondering exactly why… a CABIN FEVER remake?!?

When I first saw Eli Roth’s satirical horror flick back in 2002, I found it to be one of the most entertaining genre flicks of the year. It was gruesome, offensive and way too much fun watching a flesh-eating virus infecting a ton of dumb young adults. In fact, I loved nearly every damn thing about this flick. The gore was fantastically icky and then some. And then there was the extremely luscious Cerina Vincent and the tantalizing cuteness of Jordan Ladd, both of whom are certainly a sight for sore eyes. Hell, even the dudes rocked it in this one with the goofy and obnoxious charm of James DeBello giving me a chuckle damn near every time he was on screen… and lest we not forget, “PANCAKES!” I still don’t know what the f*ck that was about, but it was funny as hell.

As far as the sequels are concerned, 2009’s CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER didn’t inspire near as much gory good times as the first. And while I’ve yet to get around to this year’s CABIN FEVER 3: PATIENT ZERO, I’d be curious to see whether or not it is worth the intake. So here they are, instead of making another sequel all-together, they are just remaking the whole damn thing. From a movie fan’s perspective, this is a truly puzzling idea. And not only is it a remake, it will be shot from the exact same script from the original film by Eli Roth. This time around however, Roth is an executive producer and not director, leaving this duty to Travis Zariwny (INTRUDER). So apparently the plan is the same script, but new actors and a new director to a remake of a film that was released in 2002?

While 2002 may not seem very long ago, at least not long enough for a remake, there are examples of this which have been at least critically successful. You need look no further than LET THE RIGHT ONE IN from 2008 which was given the American treatment with LET ME IN in 2010. Or stepping outside the genre slightly there is THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO from 2009, also getting Americanized in David Fincher’s 2011 version. Of course neither of these films used the exact same script because the originals were foreign – clearly that would have been problematic. And even though these two films were mostly well received, you can have something like Spike Lee’s OLDBOY which didn’t even come close to the original feature by Chan-wook Park.

When I first heard about this return to CABIN FEVER however, I kept wondering if there was a punchline. Was somebody just f*cking with us? Is this an internet hoax that somehow passed itself off as news? Yet seemingly this is the real deal. Suffice it to say nearly everybody and their horror loving mother will have an opinion on this. Personally, it is a baffling idea but maybe there is a method to the madness which we are not completely getting. Perhaps with the current media bonanza regarding the Ebola virus, the idea of returning to this flesh-eating horror feels relevant and a worthwhile investment for all those involved.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but a CABIN FEVER remake with the same script? Why? I’m willing to eat my words and give this new take on the same script a try, but I’m a bit flabbergasted by the announcement. As mentioned, Ebola is all over the news and people are terrified, so maybe that should be factored into the reasons behind the remake. Yet can they breathe new life into a script that Mr. Roth already poured a ton of energy and bloody heart and soul into? We’ll have to wait and see what lies in store, and hopefully we will all be pleasantly thrilled with a new movie. For me of course, the big question is… do you think they’ll bring back Giuseppe Andrews as Deputy Winston?