Actors: Sean Astin, Currie Graham, Ryan Donowho, Brando Eaton
Director: Kaare Andrews
Rated: Unrated
Studio: RLJ Entertainment
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Run Time: 95 minutes
Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 0 out of 5 stars
“Cabin Fever” is a great horror film and it also kick started the career of Eli Roth. The sequels/prequels to this film have been very good at all. In fact, they have been pretty bad. “Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever” was such a bad film, it was delayed for year and even had the director Ti West trying to take his name off of it. “Cabin Fever: Patient Zero” was the first of two planned prequels to reinvigorate the series, but it falls flat just like the sequel and it’s follow up film was canned already. Maybe they need to let this series die and come up with a new idea instead of just rebooting the same thing over and over. The film does have some great gore in it, kudos to that but it drags ass half way through and has no major shock factor at all. Just another unnecessary prequel. Big pass here!
Offical Premise: A group of friends planned the perfect vacation in the Caribbean, but when they head ashore to explore a remote island, their ultimate bachelor weekend devolves into their worst nightmare. After an ill-fated swim in contaminated water, they stumble upon a seemingly abandoned research facility where a deadly, flesh-eating virus has been unleashed. In the aftermath of a massacre, the only people left alive are a handful of secretive medical personnel and “Patient Zero” (Sean Astin), the lone person who’s been exposed to the disease and shows no symptoms. Can they find a way to survive and escape, or will the virus consume them all in a bloodbath of chaos and carnage?
RLJ Entertainment released this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray and DVD included. “Cabin Fever: Patient Zero” does look quite impressive with its 1080p transfer. The practical makeup effects looks great for sure and the locations were the film was shot are also well highlighted. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also solid especially with composer’s Kevin Riepl (Silent Night) score, which is quite rocking. In more disappointing news, if the film wasn’t bad enough there are literally no special features included on this release at all. There are trailers for “Aftermath”, “All Cheerleaders Die” and “Wolf Creek 2” at start up but nothing else.