Best and Worst Horror Commentaries: "Cabin Fever (2002)"

In order to fully delve into the insanity that is the nearly 8 hours of Cabin Fever Commentaries, I must first give a little background. My current residence is living in a cabin that gets its water from the lake (no flesh eating viruses I swear), in complete isolation. So if ever I were to suffer from actual Cabin Fever now would be the time.

There are 5 Commentary Tracks on the Lion's Gate DVD for Cabin Fever, and had I expanded to the recent Blu-Ray release the total commentaries would have been 6. I will be ranking them from worst, to best in order to assist you through the commentary landscape.

5. Commentary #2: With The Boys

This commentary features the entirety of the male cast minus Rider Strong as he has a commentary track all his own. This is the worst commentary track on the DVD for one reason James Debello, or Jimmy as the entire cast refers to him. For those who haven't seen this film in a while James Debello plays the dude who lights fires, and shoots at squirrels. Apparently James Debello isn't much of an actor because he talks almost exactly like his counterpart in the movie. The more commentaries you listen to, the more you get the feeling that people weren't too fond of Debello on set. He wouldn't read the script, he was constantly on his cell phone, and overall he was just a troublemaker. On this commentary he constantly interrupts Eli Roth whenever he goes into a topic unrelated to their performances, and usually Eli was preparing to tell a story much more interesting than anything else on the commentary. You feel bad for an actor like Joey Kern who attempts to go into some serious areas, in order to discuss his character but he is just overshadowed by Jimmy's sheer insufferableness. The commentary like every commentary (save two) is cut together with a variety of guests. Eli's friends come on at one point, and in the highlight the elderly man who runs the convenience store makes an appearance for the last five minutes. Robert Harris who sadly passed away last year is the only real reason to listen to this commentary.

Notable Quotables

“Joey shut the fuck up while I tell a story.” - James Debello

“I always talk like I'm having an orgasm.” - Adam Roth mimicking his brother Eli Roth

“Eli enough with the notes.” - James Debello

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4. Commentary #3

Rider Strong. This commentary was clearly originally meant to be spliced in with “The Boys” commentary however as it says on the DVD, Rider Strong talked too much. The commentary has a nice flow to it, and really narrows down specifically on Rider Strong's character. They talk about the character's origins, the transition from Television acting to Film acting, and how Rider deals with all of his fans. The commentary has some interesting elements to it, but if you aren't a fan of Rider Strong most of the stories he tells won't be of much interest to you. A lot of the more interesting elements are dealt with in other commentaries. Things like the dog, pancake kid, and the karoke stand-off are all featured elsewhere.

Notable Quotables

“They're Going To Be Traumatized - Rider Strong on how his Boy Meets World fans will react.

“Ben Savage once slammed his balls.” - Rider Strong (not much context needed on this one)

“We don't ever depart from a very scientific reality.” - Rider Strong

“Jimmy was being a cock.” - Rider Strong

“You have to forge your own opportunities in this industry.” - Rider Strong

“We were our characters in so many ways.” - Rider Strong

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3. Commentary #1

Eli Roth. Aside from Rider Strong's commentary this is the only other commentary that is uninterrupted, and flows through consistently. The commentary is really interesting, and covers a lot about Eli Roth's personal life. There are quite a few filmmaking nuggets, and production details given here that are really intriguing. However he doesn't comment on anything happening onscreen until about 45 minutes in, and even then it's discussed sparingly. If you are interested in Eli Roth's pre-2002 life (every commentary was recorded before the film hit theaters) then this is well worth the listen, but it feels more like a podcast than a commentary.

Notable Quotables

“Everyone else can stay the fuck out of it.” - Eli Roth introducing the commentary.

“I barfed every time I saw a horror movie.” - Eli Roth discussing his childhood.

“One untalented Stand-In” - Eli Roth quoting one of his early reviews.

“I taped songs off of the laserdisc.” - Eli Roth

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2. Commentary #3: With The Girls

This is a fantastic commentary that focuses specifically on the female leads Jordan Ladd, and Cerina Vincent, unfortunately the two are interviewed separately and spliced together via the magic of editing. Eli spends much of his time complimenting the women on their looks, and in Jordan's case he gives her quite a bit of flack for not showing her breasts in Cabin Fever, but showing her breasts in Club Dread. It is a little icky to listen to, however Jordan Ladd takes it in good stride. Apparently it was made such a point of contention that Ladd flashed Eli months after filming. Everyone on this track has a good chemistry with one another, and is in general a much more solid version of “The Boys” track. Similar to “The Boys” track the best element of the track comes at the end when Eli calls up his own mother, and father in order to get their opinions on the film. While it dates the commentary severely having his mother talk about how they were watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” on Payperview really came off as charming. His parents give some really unique, and intelligent insights into the film, and to Eli himself. His mother is an artist, and his father a psychologist so they really bring forth some unique elements I didn't expect to hear on this commentary in particular.

Notable Quotables

“He's a real karate master.” - Eli Roth on Pancakes kid.

“Me making out with your rotty face.” - Eli Roth referencing a photo taken with Jordan Ladd.

“Hey Cerena.” “Hey Eli.” - said in a singy voice whenever Eli Roth is talking to Cerena Vincent.

“Is it just you making that sound with your lips.” - Jordan Ladd in regards to her infamous scene.

“You're the most beautiful blood puker.” - Eli Roth.

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1. Commentary #4: With The Filmmakers

This is the best commentary on the disc by far due to its focus on the film itself. They delve into all elements of the film, and really detail out its production history. Eli talks with his screenwriting partner, multiple producers, and even calls up his old film professor to give some insight on the film. It has undoubtedly the most interesting tidbits of every commentary, and if you've ever been interested in how a film evolves throughout it's production this is a must listen.

Notable Quotables

“The Dolly Elves Worked a lot of magic” - Cinematographer Scott Kevan.

“We did test it...I think” - Producer Lauren Moews in regards to their Nuclear lake.

“I like the fact that we kill all our investors.” - Eli Roth.

“I did not write squirrel porn.” - Eli Roth.

“The ultimate critic in my mind, is still Borris” - Eli Roth

TLDR: James Debello is a jerk, every track talks about three things: “The Dog, The Karaoke Bar Brawl, and Pancake Kid”. Similiar stories are told in every commentary so go for the track that has the most indepth information “Commentary #4: With The Filmmakers” or the track that has your favourite cast member on it. All commentaries are recorded before the film has been released to the general public.