Eli Roth’s flesh eating bacteria tale puts a whole new spin on the “cabin in the woods” genre.

You know the horror story: a group of friends leave the city, head towards the remote cabin of one of their relatives to partake in a weekend of drug-taking, fooling around, and relaxation. But while Cabin Fever is self-aware of its cinematic genre origins (there are the inbred hillbillies at the local gas station, police officers are bumbling idiots), writer/director Eli Roth (in his directorial debut) puts an interesting twist in the horror trope by making the killer an unrelenting bacteria strain. Of course the outcome is the same in that friends start to distrust each other, morality is questioned, and their deaths are so gruesome it borders on comedy but, fourteen years after its release, Cabin Fever remains a surprisingly refreshing horror flick perfect for midnight revivals. Plus, Roth’s cameo and that shaving scene (!!) make the whole movie.

Angelo Badalamenti’s score to Cabin Fever seems like an unlikely match but his mesmerizing score that oscillates between powerful punches and screeching symphonies breathes new life into a horror film score.

Part of Nitehawks series THE WORKS – ANGELO BADALMENTI.