Movie Review – Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

If you look very closely you can see that the above is a picture of a bus running a man over and that that man has literally exploded.  The man happens to be Rider Strong of Boy Meets World fame.  And perhaps the second project that you might recognize him from is Cabin Fever.  Now, that movie wasn’t exactly great, but it wasn’t necessarily awful either.  It was a somewhat believable horror movie that quickly became more of a commentary on how people react in dog-eat-dog situations.  Like I said, not awful, and it’s worth a watch.  It’s follow-up, however, is not.

In order to “appreciate” Cabin Fever 2 you’ve got to at least have a synopsis of the first movie.  In the original, a group of collegians spend the weekend at a remote cabin; the typical horror set up.  Check out my review of The Cabin in the Woods if you’re interested in an original take on this classic premise.  But anyway, the kids plan on spending the weekend drinking, partying, and having a generally reckless time.  But when a man approaches their camp who appears to be sick, order begins to break down.  As the disease spreads, friends begin to turn on each other, and human morality is up for a bloody test.

Ok, so now you know the back story.  The second movie picks up where the first left off.  The disease is still present and it might be impossible to contain.  With the contagions present in the water supply, anyone and everyone is susceptible to the sickness, and once you’ve got it you’re dead.  At a local high school where preparations for the Senior Prom are under way, the student body becomes contaminated and the horror begins all over again.  Friends John and Alex try their best to survive, while local cop Winston attempts to unravel the mystery, and the deadly virus runs rampant.

If you’re like me and you saw Cabin Fever you might also be tempted to see Cabin Fever 2.  Don’t be.  Save yourself an upset stomach and watch something else.  This movie was a gore-fest and nothing else.  And the sad part is that it’s not even a well-made gore-fest, it’s just cheap blood.  People explode, hands get sawed off, body parts ooze strange fluids, and about a million teenagers vomit in a projectile fashion.  Not an enjoyable way to spend ninety minutes, trust me.  And I’m even partial to horror/slashers/gore, but not like this.  Not when it’s  juvenile, cheap, and lackadaisical.  You gotta put a little effort in somewhere or, guess what, you’re movie will suck.