Customer Reviews

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

I admittedly wasn't too fond of the original Cabin Fever, and with all the news of production problems that plagued this Eli Roth-less sequel, plus with all the time it spent on Lions Gate's shelf, it's a wonder how Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever didn't turn out to be a steaming train wreck. Instead, what we get here instead is a film that feels as if it's half-finished, and for all rights and purposes, it is. Ti West helms the film, which picks up shortly after the events of the first film, with that same flesh eating virus wrecking havoc upon high school kids at prom. Where the film shines is surprisingly with these high school/teen conventions, which West manages to handle with actual care, just as he did with his excellent recent film The House of the Devil. And oh yeah, there is a heaping amount of gore and sick gross out moments to be had as well. If you're a gorehound, you'll be happy with what all you find here. Where the film fails however is thanks to its ending, or rather lack there of. West had many disagreements with the producers, leading to an ending that truly has been assembled without the man's approval. Still though, there's enough here to recommend Cabin Fever 2 if you have the stomach for it: the animated segments are nicely done, there's a great soundtrack, Giuseppe Andrews returns as the party loving cop Winston (as does Rider Strong in an incredibly brief, but oh so memorable, turn of events in the film's opening), and as said before, there is a heaping amount of gore and just plain disgusting moments. If any of that sounds appealing to you, by all means check out Cabin Fever 2.

CABIN FEVER 2 first broke Horror news with a number of controversies prior to the film's release. Ti West, director of the cult favorite HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, disassociated himself with the project, citing numerous difficulties in the production process. Anyone that has seen the final product can understand why, but this straight-to-video sequel isn't the complete disaster it has been made out to be. Students at the local high school are in for a big surprise when the flesh-eating virus from the previous film finds its way into the prom care of a case of infected spring water. Though the teen-edgy script is wholly idiotic, it is equally entertaining with its low-brow humor and gooey gross-outs. Even the stock characters and empty plotting are outweighed by the exploding bodies, projectile vomit, bloody water sports, and countless other repulsive gags. Following Roth's lead, Ti West also includes a number of references to genre classics, most noticeably in the reprisal of the PROM NIGHT theme on the dance floor. Despite its harsh criticism, CABIN FEVER 2 is a surprisingly enjoyable if not utterly stupid shocker.

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

After the events of part 1, it seems that the disease is contaminated in the water near a backwoods river thus being delivered to a bottle water company. It's being sent to a high school prom where they will party down but when they drink the water, the school becomes a ground for contamination as a few surviving students who aren't infected must try to stay alive to get out of the quarantined building.

Terrible sequel to Eli Roth's underrated debut horror movie, directed by the guy who did "House of Devils" Ti west is a major turkey. The production values, some of the make-up, unlikable character, dismal performances and everything that lost the charm of the original movie is gone in this one.

The DVD has an unrated cut of this movie with only extras being commentary, featurette and trailers to other lionsgate releases.

If you don't like seeing people vomit into each other's mouths, you're not going to like Cabin Fever 2.

What this second installment lacks in special effects it makes up for with guts, plot-induced or otherwise. The last of the mutated survivors from the first movie gets hit by a car, exploding in a blood-bag spatter into the town's water supply. I'm a sucker for animated montages, and Cabin Fever 2's introductory cartoon, accompanied by a grim folk song, sets the right tone for a town about to get very, very sick.

The acting is surprisingly good for a movie about a blood-vomiting infection. It centers on the town's prom, and to the writers' credit he takes time to explore each character's hopes, dreams, and petty grievances before making them puke their brains out.

Nothing is sacred in Cabin Fever 2 and no orifice is off limits. Blood ends up everywhere in the most awful circumstances imaginable, and for those who enjoy that sort of thing Cabin Fever 2 delivers in buckets. It also borrows a plot device used in Quarantine - the men in biohazard suits that show up to contain the infection are worse than the infection itself.

Unfortunately, once the prom is over Cabin Fever 2 runs out of bloody steam. There's an extraneous clip of a stripper who missed the prom infecting other people, another unnecessary animated montage, and a feeling that the ruthless moviemaking apparatus that churns out grad z horror movie sequels will not be denied. Despite the tacked on ending, this is a treat for horror fans haven't had as much bloody fun at a prom since Carrie.

This movie was terrible, suffering from an exceedingly poor script, weak acting, zero tension or suspense, and mediocre gore effects. I'm not a person to say that a horror movie should spend alot of time developing characters, but characters should be at least nominally developed so when they get killed off, you feel something about it one way or the other. The only thing I felt about the characters in Cabin Fevor 2 was irritation. In addition, Cabin Fevor 2 lacked any kind of production value polish that might have made up a little for the sub-standard script. Basically, this movie just blatantly exists to part suckers who lived Cabin Fevor 1 from their cash, and that's the only horror to this film.

When I heard they were making a sequel to 'Cabin Fever', I immediately brushed it off. First off, Eli Roth would not be returning as the director...although, not necessarily a bad thing. But the fact that new director Ti West had completely disowned the film and it was going to be released straight to DVD, I knew this had to be a total suckfest. But boy was I wrong.

The film starts up basically where the first one left off. Paul (played by Rider Strong) makes his way through the woods, leaving behind a trail of loose flesh with every tree branch that he brushes up against. If you haven't seen the first film, it's basically about a group of teenagers who comes in contact with a deadly flesh eating virus. In this film we find out that the culprit is a local bottling plant in town called "Down Home Water"...and unfortunately they just so happen to supply bottled water to the local high school.

Rider Strong's character quickly meets his demise via the front end of a speeding school bus and this leads us into the next chapter of the 'Cabin Fever' saga...A new group of kids, same deadly virus. A majority of this film takes place around a high school prom where the teens not only try to survive the deadly outbreak, but they also have to contend with a contamination squad who shows up looking to use deadly force as a way to contain the virus.

Overall I enjoyed this film much more than I did the original and it surprises me, having now watched it, that Ti West had such an issue with the end result. The thing that I liked the most about the movie was the overall tone. Even though the movie is filled with gallons, upon gallons of the "red stuff", which is sure to gross out most movie goers, the dialog and acting is presented in a rather campy way which makes it so much fun to watch. You can tell that the actors really had a blast with the roles they are given because it certainly comes across that way on screen. There's also some really great cameo appearances with comedian Judah Friedlander and also Mark Borchardt of 'American Movie' fame who shows up playing Giuseppe Andrews' heavy metal listenin' cousin Herman.

The makeup effects by Quantum Creation's are surely the main selling point of this feature. Like I said before, there's tons of gore in this film...Before the movie is over we see blood splattered throughout the entire school practically. Some of the more memorable bits for me include Paul getting hit by the school bus in the beginning of the film and also a local townie who succumbs to the virus while eating pancakes at a local diner. There's so much stuff going on though that it's hard to pick out a favorite really. Gorehounds certainly won't be disappointed.

'Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever' was released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment on February 16th, 2010 and fans of the original will definitely want to give this one a watch. Even though most of the reviews I see regarding the film have been negative, I can't help but to call B.S. on all of them. Other than the less than stellar ending, I found this movie to be highly enjoyable and definitely worth checking out.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended

How can I possibly put into words just how ungodly awful this film is? I didn't think anyone except Eli Roth could make a film as bad as the original Cabin Fever: Unrated Director's Cut, but director Ti West makes Roth look like Orson Welles with this amateurish effort. Actually, it turns out that West tried to get his name removed from the credits of the film and basically refuses to claim any part of the film as his own. I certainly can't blame the guy for that because Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is the kind of film that could and probably should ruin the careers of everyone even remotely associated with it. This is just one humongous, steaming pile of cinematic cow patty here.

So just how to you take one of the horror genre's most disappointing and overrated movies and actually fall to new lows with the sequel? Isn't it obvious? You turn the whole production into the lamest high school horror comedy of all time and top it off with copious amounts of projectile vomiting. That doofus cop from the first film? Make sure he has plenty of scenes in this one. Feel free, of course, to rip off other movies such as Carrie (Special Edition)whenever you feel like it. Let's exploit every teenager cliché in the book while we're at it - and make sure there's an overweight young lady that we can openly ridicule. Hey, cameraman, let's do some weird angle shots, especially of that ridiculous-looking teacher with the beehive hairdo - the kids just go crazy for those weird camera angles. Oh, oh, oh! Heeheehee! Let's animate the opening credits and an ending sequence - that'll really mess with viewers' puny little minds. A decent story? What are you smoking? We've got kids projectile vomiting on each other all over the place - we don' need no stinkin' story, amigo!

OK, I have to admit there is actually a story - not much of one, but a story nonetheless. Cabin Fever 2 basically takes place immediately following the events of the first movie. By this point, the contamination has spread to the water supply, and the local bottling company's first shipment of contaminated water goes to the high school - on the day of the prom, no less. That does not bode well for the obligatory party punch, which all the kids will be drinking (actually, thanks to the 12-year-old mentality of the filmmakers, there's an even more disgusting ingredient than the flesh-eating virus that finds its way into the punch). I guess we're supposed to care about the three main characters, but I will leave that option entirely up to each individual viewer.

To sum up, I hated every single thing about this movie. It's an insult to the viewer's intelligence; it's offensive in the way it shamelessly ridicules the outcasts of high school society; its pitiful attempts at humor (mostly juvenile) fail completely; and it relies entirely too much on blood and gore for its appeal to viewers. I'm sorry, but you just can't cover up plot holes with repetitive scenes of teenagers projectile vomiting on each other. Let's just hope and pray that no one ever releases a third entry in this wretched Cabin Fever series.

I will beg to contradict many others here in that I loved the original Cabin Fever - it forms part of my collection of horror movies from all about the same era - Wrong Turn, Ghost Ship, Thirteen Ghosts.

When I saw this in the dvd shop I was SO excited as I had seen this on Amazon.com and was planning on buying it.............thank goodness I did not!!!

This was only what I could call a very very very bad parody of a horror movie - think 'Scary Movie' type of setup, but not nearly as funny or well done. Whoever made this movie obviously decided to make this completely farcical and unbelievable - and the gore...........I'm sorry but projectile blood like from a fire hose..........c'mon!!!!!!

If I can contribute anything to the horror loving community - save your money and your time and avoid this piece of drivel - the only thing it has in common with its predecessor is in the title, thats it. What a disappointment!

First, let's get one thing straight. CABIN FEVER 2 : SPRING FEVER is nowhere near the genius that is the first CABIN FEVER. Thats the bottom line, thats the truth. After all, Eli Roth pretty much has nothing to do with this movie (not even as a producer from what I can tell) which automatically took it down a few pegs before I even watched the film. When I found out there was actually going to be a sequel to CABIN FEVER, I researched the movie and didn't like what I saw. No Eli Roth, a some what unknown director trying to fill his shoes, and what I thought (at the time) seemed like a weak execution for the story line.

When I finally watched CABIN FEVER 2 I came to realize that my assumptions were wrong for the most part. And so are most of the harsh reviews on this website. CABIN FEVER 2 : SPRING FEVER is much better than one might expect. Yet, it is a movie with it's own fair share of faults. It's far from perfect (I wish Eli Roth was the director for one thing) but it is a little satisfying for those of us who are fans of the original movie.

One thing I liked about this sequel is that the director at least tried to keep within the same spirit of the first CABIN FEVER movie. The camera work, acting, music and over all style really stand out as some of the biggest strong points for this sequel. Some times the quirkiness works to it's disadvantage (I can only wonder what Eli Roth thinks about this sequel) but nothing that makes the over all film unforgivable.

Another stong point is the sparing use of CGI and the high dependence on the "old school" splatter effects of the 1980's. This is something that made the first CABIN FEVER so popular and I'm happy to say they do the same here. People vomit up blood in nasty geysers (I'm sure the special effects team had a hoot with this movie), skin peels off with slimey ease, faces rot off, and some how the director has time to add in a few limb hackings and skull crushings to boot! There were even a few parts that grossed me out and I've seen it all! In terms of gore and being nasty (in a gross out way), this movie gets two thumbs way up! Gore Hounds? Do I even need to say it? I didn't think so.

Another plus for CABIN FEVER 2 is the nice use of camera lenses. It pretty much saves this movie in terms of artistic integrity. If they filmed it in just a straight forward lens, this movie wouldn't be anywhere near as enjoyable. One of the best qualities a Horror movie can have is a sense of atmosphere. Thankfully that is the case with this sequel.

The plot itself is pretty simple. Things pick right up after the last moments of the first CABIN FEVER and quickly spiral out of control, as the skin eating virus spreads out of the woods and into a near by town. Some Highschool kids drink the infected water and before you can say "skin rash", people start falling apart left and right! It's a basic enough story that ends up working in it's favor.

Yet, for everything CABIN FEVER 2 has, it lacks in equal measure. The ending for one thing leaves something to be desired. After a whole bunch of action, violence and gross out stuff happens, the movie just kinda' spins off into it's own strange little ending. Main characters are killed off and we never see them again, while old characters are reintroduced for seemingly no reason at all.

I've read online that some parts of this movie were unfinished and it seriously feels like it. If only this movie was produced better, it could almost lift this up as a passable sequel on the same level as the first. Also, it would have been nice to see some of the recurring characters from the first CABIN FEVER used a bit more here. The police character ("party man") is always enjoyable in my opinion.

Over all this sequel was much better than I thought it was going to be. I'm sure that might not be good enough for some people but thats okay. Because it's good enough for me. I thought this movie was going to be really bad but it ended up being okay. I wasn't lying when I said this was the only review you need. Fans of the original CABIN FEVER expect the honest low down.

In short, CABIN FEVER 2 : SPRING FEVER isn't all that great of a film but it's not all that bad of one either. If you lower your expectations, you'll be surprised how much better this sequel is than you thought it was going to be. Honestly people, this movie isn't that bad! Trust me, I've seen far worse sequels than this.

On an end note, let's hope they just keep it as the two films. We don't need a third CABIN FEVER. The first one is amazing. You can't really top it. The second one is an enjoyable little "direct to video" splatter fest. It gives the fans of the first movie a little something extra to watch. That might not be enough for some people but honestly, who cares!?! You either want to like this movie or you don't. Plain and simple. In the end, I say no more sequels unless Eli Roth is involved. Considering the movie at hand here, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

Over and out!

The title itself doesn't make much sense.

This movie should had been located in the "cabin" like the first and not in a school. But, it being not in a school is the least of its problems.

The character development in this movie is really bad. When I started to see each and everyone of the main characters die, I didn't really care. All I thought was, "everyone dying really fast". There's is no scary or horror feel to this movie. It is just people dying one after each other. Or it is people trying to escape from the extermination people. The extermination people were never really introduced and just seemed to come out of no where. Then, they just started killing people off.

This movie doesn't seem to have much planning out to it. The first movie was much better made. It had a few main people. Then, one of them slowly get the disease and they all try to help that person. Then, another gets it and that person try to find help. Then, one after another gets it, but it is slowly done. This is good because you get to know the characters better and by seeing them more and more you start caring for them to stay alive.

The second movie, wasn't like the first and everyone dies way too quickly. Save yourself the time and don't watch this one.