The story begins with a group of five college friends – Paul, Karen, Jeff, Marcy, and Bert – traveling to a remote cabin in the woods for a week-long vacation. They plan to relax, party, and enjoy each other’s company away from the stresses of everyday life.
Upon arriving at the cabin, the friends discover that the local store is closed, and the only nearby resident they encounter is a strange hermit who warns them to leave the area. Ignoring his warnings, the friends settle into the cabin and begin their vacation.
However, their idyllic getaway takes a dark turn when they encounter a sickly drifter in the woods who exhibits strange symptoms and begs for help. Despite their attempts to assist him, the drifter dies suddenly and mysteriously.
Unbeknownst to the group, the drifter was infected with a flesh-eating virus that soon begins to spread among them. As the infection takes hold, the friends become increasingly paranoid and desperate, turning on each other in a desperate bid to survive.
With no way to escape the cabin and no one to turn to for help, the group descends into madness and chaos as they succumb to the gruesome effects of the virus. Their bodies deteriorate rapidly, and they become consumed by fever, paranoia, and violent impulses.
As tensions reach a boiling point, the surviving friends must confront the horrifying reality of their situation and make difficult choices in order to survive. They must also reckon with the consequences of their actions and the role they played in bringing about their own downfall.
In a climactic showdown, the remaining survivors face off against each other in a battle for survival, with the virus threatening to consume them all. In the end, only one person manages to escape the cabin alive, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
“Cabin Fever” is praised for its intense atmosphere, gruesome practical effects, and subversion of typical horror tropes. It has since become a cult classic among horror fans and spawned several sequels and a remake, cementing its status as a modern horror classic.