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All these flaws though can be forgiven in a horror film if it is either a) scary (like ‘Audition’) or b) laugh out loud funny (like ‘The Leprechaun’), unfortunately ‘Wrong Turn’ is neither of these things. There is absolutely nothing scary about the cannibalistic, inbred, mountain men ... Read review
Something strange is happening deep in the woods... but no one's lived to tell about it. ... more
Chris Finn (Desmond Harrington, Ghost Ship) is on his way to an interview, but when he is faced with a huge backup in traffic, he makes a U-turn, taking a shortcut...
Chris takes a turning into an unmarked dirt road to avoid a traffic jam, he ploughs into ... more
the back of another vehicle after his tyres blow. As the two drivers swap details they notice that the road had been sabotaged with barbed wire... Four of the part...
Six contestants led by the headstrong Nina Papas (Leerhsen) assemble in the desolate ... more
woodlands of West Virginia to take part in the latest US reality show. Over the next five days they must battle against the elements in a simulated wasteland to see who will emerge the ultimate survivor and pocket the $100,000 first prize. But the participants are soon fighting for survival in an even deadlier game when they encounter a family of flesh-hungry mutants intent of having them for dinner...
Wrong Turn: In a hunt to the death, would you survive? When a group of friends get ... more
stranded in the back woods of Virginia, they find that they are not alone... hunted by cannibalistic mountain men, they must try to escape without transport, before they become the next meal.Wrong Turn 2: Dead End: The ultimate reality show turns into the ultimate in horror for six contestants when they find themselves pitted against hideously deformed and insatiably hungry cannibals in this white-knuckle thrill-ride. Directed by Joe Lynch, recently named one of Gorezone's top horror directors, and packed with never-before-seen special features including a commentary by Lynch, the writers and select cast members, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End promises twice the jolts and heart-pounding fear of the original!Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead: A group of friends find themselves trapped in the woods of West Virginia, being hunted down by inbred cannibal mutants in the third movie in the terrifying Wrong Turn Series
Two Wrong Turns Lead To Twice The Terror! Wrong Turn: An indescribable nightmare begins ... more
when a group of young friends is stranded on an isolated road deep in the Appalachian hills of West Virginia, with no hope of rescue. Desperate and fearing for their lives, the horror surges as they find themselves relentlessly pursued by a force of evil beyond their imagination! Featuring a hip ensemble of up-and-coming young stars, including Buffy The Vampire Slayer?s Eliza Dushku, this blood-curdling epic is a shock-a-minute horror rush that will leave you screaming for more! Wrong Turn 2: Retired military commander Colonel Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins) hosts a simulated post-apocalyptic reality show where participants are challenged to survive in a remote West Virginia wasteland. But the show turns into a nightmarish showdown when each realises they are being hunted by an inbred family of cannibals determined to make them all dinner.
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Advantages: Sisto, Dushku and the occasional giggle Disadvantages: Too formulaic to be anything more than boring at times
...back from the woods, what’s wrong with their face and what’s that they’re carrying?
I feel stupid even telling you how formulaic this film is. Anyone who doesn’t read that plot summary and get a startling sense of déjà vu is obviously not a fan of the horror genre. Alan B. McElroy’s script is really ‘horror by numbers’ with the most startlingly obvious comparisons being with ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (and a little seen but brilliant ... ...of the unthreatening murderers, the Hicksville USA (or West Virginia as it's otherwise known) location, the stupid road tripping teens, it’s all there. In fact the scene in which the kids turn up looking for a phone is almost identical to when their 1970’s counterparts first meet Leatherface. It’s not just the script however that feels familiar, Rob Schimdt’s uninspiring and amazingly derivative direction leaves you able to guess everyone’s next ... more
It’s a familiar set-up: a young athletic man is forced to go cross country in order to get to an appointment on time, whilst driving through the middle of nowhere he bends down to pick something up off his car floor and ploughs slap bang into the back of another car. A car containing six sprightly teens (well they look like they’re in their mid-twenties but I assume we’re meant to think they’re teens), who have also become stranded in the back of beyond after someone (or something) left barbed wire on the road which slashed their tires. Two of the kids stay behind with the car (weed and blow jobs – have they not seen 'Scream'?) while the others begin the search for a phone, which inevitably leads them to the creepy old house, with a small dealership's worth of cars parked outside and an unlocked screen door. In the absence of any phone lines, we can only assume the plucky kids think ‘the shack from hell’ might have cable and in they go, uninvited. The cupboard full of people’s hiking equipment, the creepy dolls heads, the bowl full of other people’s keys, the fridge full of human remains; you’d think one of these subtle hints might send our protagonists running. Unfortunately their brains aren’t as big as their hair and the penny drops rather too late – who’s that back from the woods, what’s wrong with their face and what’s that they’re carrying?
I feel stupid even telling you how formulaic this film is. Anyone who doesn’t read that plot summary and get a startling sense of déjà vu is obviously not a fan of the horror genre. Alan B. McElroy’s script is really ‘horror by numbers’ with the most startlingly obvious comparisons being with ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (and a little seen but brilliant episode of the X-Files ‘Home’). The family (and comedic) dynamic of the unthreatening murderers, the Hicksville USA (or West Virginia as it's otherwise known) location, the stupid road tripping teens, it’s all there. In fact the scene in which the kids turn up looking for a phone is almost identical to when their 1970’s counterparts first meet Leatherface. It’s not just the script however that feels familiar, Rob Schimdt’s uninspiring and amazingly derivative direction leaves you able to guess everyone’s next move or reaction long before those stupid kids get round to doing it themselves. It’s the same with nearly all aspects of production. The sets and locations are familiar, but not as good as that which inspired them. There are major problems with the lighting, I assume the filmmakers are attempting to keep the light as natural as possible. The trouble with this is that you can’t see what’s going on half the time. The major gory scenes always seem to happen in half-light (or total darkness in some cases). This may be an attempt at atmosphere or merely hiding budgetary constraints, either way it’s frustrating.
All these flaws though can be forgiven in a horror film if it is either a) scary (like ‘Audition’) or b) laugh out loud funny (like ‘The Leprechaun’), unfortunately ‘Wrong Turn’ is neither of these things. There is absolutely nothing scary about the cannibalistic, inbred, mountain men that stalk our moronic heroes. Despite the fact we are told in an opening montage of newspaper clippings (last refuge of the narratively challenged) that they have super strength and are immune to pain, they never feel like a threat. Partly this is because we don’t believe that inbreeding would equal an increase in strength, partly it’s because an inability to feel pain rather than benefiting them is been a disability that would have killed them by now, partly it’s because they look stupid, mainly it’s because they sound like Scooby Doo. Whilst watching these healthy, athletic young men and women running from these lumbering freaks you are almost screaming at them to turn and attack. I find it almost completely unbelievable that such an inept group of genetic mutants have survived this long. As for laughs, there are a few, the biggest one being when a mountain ranger has a Battle of Hastings moment, but not enough to keep you entertained.
Unsurprisingly for a film of this nature the cast is full of fresh faced (in the case of the teens, not the mutants) relative unknowns. Our leading man is the square jawed Chris Flynn (played by Desmond Harrington) he is bland and totally unengaging and I’m getting bored just thinking about him. The ‘name’ in the cast (and the girl on the poster) is the luscious Eliza Dushku (I’m a straight woman and I fancy her) she plays the same character she has since True Lies, but does it as well as always and it’s a performance that suits the film. You may find yourself wishing she would show her slayer credentials at some point and kick some giggling freak ass, but you shouldn’t get your hopes up. The stand out performance is from Jeremy Sisto whose recent work in the divine ‘Six Feet Under’ has really impressed me. His character ‘Scott’ (no surname, not a good sign) was shaping up to be one of the most interesting and rounded horror film characters I’d seen in a long time when…well let’s just say he doesn’t get enough screen time (which is unfortunate for all of us).
And so onto the splatter, and I say NOT ENOUGH! For a film which I expected to be at the very least impressively gory ‘Wrong Turn’ was a huge disappointment. There are relatively few death scenes and thanks to the aforementioned lighting (or lack of it) you can barely see what’s going on anyway. I hadn’t been so underwhelmed since someone told me that I should really watch ‘Se7en’, as it was gory as hell (ha!). You’d have to have a very weak stomach to find the occasional violence and maiming in ‘Wrong Turn’ scary (if you’ve got strong stomach try ‘Audition’ instead).
There isn’t much to say about ‘Wrong Turn’ at around an hour and twenty minutes it gets the timing just right. The plot that fits into this relatively small slot is predictable and hence occasionally frustrating. The performances are satisfactory, but there is far from enough teen slashing for my liking. This is one for the die-hard horror fans only, you could get some of your mates round and play ‘spot that cliché’. If you don’t like horror films this isn’t going to convert you, but it won’t offend you either, you’ll probably (like me) be a bit bored and slightly frustrated at the amount of time you find yourself shouting
“What are you doing?” and
“Don’t go in there!”
It’s not a terrible film, just don’t expect it to be a great one either.
Advantages: has its moments Disadvantages: cliche ridden, predictable, lack of tension, hollywood moments
Well... apparently so. Wrong Turn is a very violent, very predicable varriant of your routine slaher where; (deep breath) a group of people meet due to an unforeseeable, unavoidable accident and are picked off one by one in a predictable fashion by some unknown and evil force that either dwells there or has plans for world domination.
The film begins with two collage sweathearts on a rock climbing excursion which ends in decapitation. The two teens ... ...too convient for my liking, Wrong Turn doesn't deliver the goods that it promises.
BOTTOM LINE
Wrong Turn is run of the mill and is limited in its entertainment value. The whole inbred concept is actually quite original but the film never takes the time to go into it more, for example; who are they? Why are they like that? Why do they do what they do? etc. The opening credits give you the inspiration that this film is going to be different but ...
DarkMark 02.03.2004 (07.03.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wrong Turn (DVD)
Advantages: Good Cast, Nasty, Better Than Alot Of Other Genre Entries Disadvantages: Predictable, Ridiculous
...escape with their lives?
Wrong Turn made quite a splash in 2003 as there was only limited advertising buzz surrounding it, due to even the tamer scenes being too 'intense' to make trailers out of and what they did show disgusted many movie goers, but to be honest I don't think this movie is all about gore. Wrong Turn succeeds where other recent horror flicks have failed because it doesn't rely on gore to scare the audience it is just there to make ... ...it. Largely the success of Wrong Turn can be put down to its location. The woods offer a wonderfully claustrophobic sense to the movie making the audience fell closed in with these characters and offers a whole arsenal of places and weapons that the mad killers can hide in and use which again works to keep the viewers hyped up and expectant.
I am pleased to say, that for a teenage horror flick the performances in Wrong Turn are actually fairly good. ...
JayHall1991 22.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wrong Turn (DVD)
ONLY YOU know that messing with people on their own property is not a clever thing.
ONLY YOU know that woods are scary places.
ONLY YOU can prevent getting yourself killed by savage mountain men. Let The Institute of Gory Movie Hazard Pointing Out and their mascot Pepper Bear guide you through the do’s and do not do’s of woodsmanship.
#1 KNOW WHAT’S AHEAD
Consider the example set out by the informative movie “Wrong Turn”. A doctor is on his way ... ...traffic snarl-up. He decides to try another way around – and makes a…WRONG TURN! Whilst travelling down a stretch of country lane, he accidentally crashes into another vehicle, which has also made a…WRONG TURN! Their tyres have been punctured by some seemingly misplaced razor wire. The good doctor teams up with the 5 folks who were travelling in said vehicle, and they go looking for assistance. Of course, seeing as they have made a….yup…they do not ...
peppersinclaire 31.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wrong Turn (DVD)
...that forms the story behind Wrong Turn - and a very good story it is too.
There are very few films that I have seen that had the same effect on me as this one did. I didn’t find Wrong Turn frightening because it was so far-removed from reality that the fantasy provided a safety-cushion. The sparkle in this film’s eye was tension, the sort of tension that stems from not really knowing what to expect and then being made to jump when it ... ...are two principle scenes in Wrong Turn that made this film memorable to me. The first takes place when four of the group discovers a log cabin in a clearing. It is quite clear from the outset that something is not right about the place, but despite the nagging voices in their heads, they all still wander in. What greets them is horrific beyond belief. They find jars of human teeth on the shelves, still retained in their original jawbones. There is ...
LostWitness 05.07.2003 (06.01.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wrong Turn (DVD)
This is a review of the film and not the DVD.
"Wrong Turn" portrays the tale of a group of 6 men and women on a camping trip. The people find themselves in the middle of a forest and get lost. This is an interesting film but it didn't really move me deeply. There was some good acting but the story line was simply not newsworthy. The editing on the other hand was top notch. I'd only recommend it if you have one brain cell.
Certification: 18
Running ...
Nazuku 07.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wrong Turn (DVD)
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Advantages: It COULD have been good Disadvantages: The whole film
Until a friend pointed it out in blockbuster, I never knew that WrongTurn 3 was even been made or been thought off, never mind actually been released on DVD, granted it was only released a month ago (October 2009) and it was a straight to DVD movie. Now I?ve got to say that I, and quite a few people will agree with me, enjoyed WrongTurn, first time I saw it on Film 4, I was impressed, in fact one of the few Horror/Thriller films that is worth re-watching, however I can?t say it has any distinct features about it to really seclude itself from the rest. The second film was a massive failure in my view, even though it has a somewhat unique approach and story, it was really disappointing and I thought it was the end of the WrongTurn franchise at that. But here we are, WrongTurn 3 and I can?t say it has gotten at all better.
Summary ...
Review 1
In the forest, only they can hear you scream.
The ultimate reality show turns into the ultimate in horror for six contestants when they find themselves pitted against hideously deformed and insatiably hungry cannibals in this white-knuckle thrill-ride. Directed by Joe Lynch, recently named one of Gorezone's top horror directors, and packed with never-before-seen special features including a commentary by Lynch, the writers and select cast members, WrongTurn 2: Dead End promises twice the jolts and heart-pounding fear of the original!
Retired military commander Colonel Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins) hosts a simulated post-apocalyptic reality show where participants are challenged to survive a remote West Virginia wasteland. But the show turns into a nightmarish showdown when each realizes they are being hunted by an inbred ...
Advantages: Loads of gore right from the start Disadvantages: Storyline could be better
WrongTurn 2: Dead End
Director: Joe Lynch
Released: 25 August 2007
Runtime: 93 minutes
Certificate: 18
Cast:
Erica Leerhsen - Nina
Henry Rollins - Colonel Dale Murphy
Texas Battle - Jake
Daniella Alonso - Amber
Steve Braun - Jonesy
Aleksa Palladino - Mara
Matthew Currie Holmes - Michael
Crystal Lowe - Elena
Kimberly Caldwell - Kimberly
Wayne Robson - Old Man
Ken Kirzinger - Pa
Ashlea Earl - Ma
Clint Carleton - Brother
Rorelee Tio - Sister
Jeff Scrutton - Three Finger
Story:
The story begins with Kimberly a contestant for a post nuclear fallout reality survival show called apocolyse. On her way to the filming location she runs down a deformed looking crazy hillbilly freak and she checks to see if it is ok but soon realises it is her that will be needing the help as another quickly ...
Chris takes a turning into an unmarked dirt road to avoid a traffic jam, he ploughs into the back of another vehicle after his tyres blow. As the two drivers swap details they notice that the road had been sabotaged with barbed wire... Four of the party leave to track down some help and Evan and Francine stay to look after the cars...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date
02/02/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
P 9140 DVD
Barcode
5060002831922
Screenwriter
Alan McElroy
Composer
Elia Cmiral
Executive Producer
Aaron Ryder, Don Carmody, Mitch Horwits, Patrick Wachsberger
Commentary, Featurette - 1. Stan Winston, 2. The Making of WRONG TURN, 3. Fresh Meat: The Wounds of Wrong Turn, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Poster Gallery
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...The best slasher flick in years...as gory as gory gets!" (Daily Star, )
"...[Schmidt] manages to keep the suspense up through the final hour of the film..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C4, 02/06/2003)
DVD Description
Revisiting the teenage slasher movies of the 1970s and 1980s, WRONG TURN is a tense, suspense-packed horror film starring Eliza Dushku (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER). When Chris (Desmond Harrington) is late for a job interview, he drives speedily through a backwoods dirt road, and winds up in a head-on collision with a group of teenage campers. As the cars are write-offs, the group has no option but to trek through the woods and seek help. Stumbling upon a mysterious cabin, the unhappy campers soon realise they are in grave danger when they happen upon a mixture of grotesque oddities and body parts, soon followed by the return of the freakish inhabitants of the disgusting abode. The intensity builds as the inbred, kill-crazy cabin dwellers go after Chris and the campers, leading to some grisly scenes in the dense woodland, and a series of brutal, bloody set-pieces from director Rob Schmidt. WRONG TURN takes similar backwoods horror flicks like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES as its inspiration, providing visceral thrills aplenty, and the requisite amount of dumb teenage characters. Never lapsing into self-parody, the film should appeal to older horror movie fans keen to revisit the movies of their youth, and younger fans eager to witness some modern-day stalk-and-slash mayhem!
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