Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever   Starring: Rider Strong, Giuseppe Andrews, Judah Friedlander and Noah Segan Lions Gate Home Entertainment RRP: £12.99 LGD94122 Certificate: 18 Available 22 February 2010

Prom Night is fast approaching, and a young student only has eyes for the girl of his dreams. He was friends with her in the past, but now they are both older and she is dating a confrontational boy who isn't happy unless he's fighting or at least threatening somebody. The student seems to be that somebody lately, so he decides to go to a nerds screening of an old slasher movie instead. However, he bumps into the girl the night before and, on a whim, asks her to the prom, spurred on by his joker of a friend. However, water delivered to the school has become contaminated at the bottling plant by a substance which causes a quickly developing flesh-eating virus. Occupied by the violent boyfriend's objection to the rekindling relationship, they initially fail to notice the change in the partying guests. But when a group of figures in environmental rubber protection suits shows up and starts killing the students, the smitten boy and his prospective girlfriend are suddenly on the run for their lives...

This is the second film I have reviewed in succession which stakes a claim to humorous gore. Whereas Blood Feast 2 does contain a number of lines or situations which raise a smile, Cabin Fever 2 contains none of note. Instead, the attempt is to utilise body horror to make the audience wince and writhe uncomfortably. There is the pulling of a fingernail, the producing of pus from a penis, and the cutting off of a hand using a circular saw to prevent the spreading of the skin virus. The obvious emulation of flicks such as Carrie, Prom Night, Virus, and any number of teen party movies simply made me cringe. Believe me, much as we might be led to believe differently, this film is nothing new.

During the opening credits we are shown a thoroughly entertaining and humorous animated sequence depicting the circumstances which led to the bottled water becoming contaminated. I would much rather have watched an entire movie in this format. I'm certain it would have been infinitely more entertaining than the offering we are actually given. Very disappointing.

Extras include a Gore Reel and Behind the Scenes.

3

Ty Power