Director: Mike P. Nelson
Notable Cast: Charlotte Vega, Matthew Modine, Adain
Bradley, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head
The Wrong Turn franchise has been something of a
pleasure of mine. While the first two films in the long-running slasher series
feature some creative and well-executed concepts, in two very different tones,
the rest of the four sequels have de-evolved into low-brow slasher silliness.
The ‘turn off your brain’ kind of entertainment one would expect from a
direct-to-home-video slasher franchise. The latest installment of the series, a
reboot with the clever title Wrong Turn (I hope you all can feel my eye
roll as I type that), aims to not only bring a new life into a franchise
treading water, but one that also aims for loftier goals of embedding a message
into the material. That’s right, no longer is this just a series of films about
inbred cannibals in West Virginia slaughtering people in questionable states of
clothing, but it’s going to say something about it.
Outside of a snide comment in the third act about kids
choosing to watch films about inbred mountain cannibals with a sly
hardy-har-har by the characters, Wrong Turn truly does aim to rise above
where the series has been for the last decade. Whether that choice works is
more or less a preferential debate, but the intentions are clear.
Director Mike P. Nelson and writer Alan McElroy are aiming
high and even decide to give the plot and narrative a dual path. The first part
is a father, played by Matthew Modine, looking for his daughter that went
missing in the Appalachian Mountains. The other plot is six weeks earlier when
a group of 20-somethings are looking to hike in the mountains on a little trip
where, predictably, they run across the local mountain people who deem them as
trespassers. Naturally, these locals and the kids don’t gel and the resulting
first half of the film very much plays its cards like a traditional Wrong
Turn flick, albeit with the dual narrative.
Yet, there is a bit more artistry on display here than
almost any film of the franchise. Not only is the quality overall better,
including better cinematography and better performances, but there are some
intriguing considerations in the plot that arise to themes. Wrong Turn
toys with messages about the intolerance of those who live different lifestyles as
a younger generation is confronted with rural life and the wilderness. It’s
unfortunate those messages tend to crumble underneath too much scrutiny thanks
to its slasher structure and all attempts at reaching The Woman or Darlin’
levels of social commentary can fall flat. Still, for a franchise mostly known
for gore and simplicity, the attempts certainly deserve some respect.
Wrong Turn also injects some intriguing style to the
mixture. It’s a far more realistic horror experience than any of the previous
entries, focusing on more grit and realism (sans a giant rolling log that
completely forgets how physics and forests work) and the villains of the film
are less creatures and more just kooky survivalists that love to wear antlers,
fur, and skulls. If anything, the film presents its most intriguing ideas in
the final act - with an incredible final shot that leads into the credits, but
to dig too much into that spoils the experience. Trust that it starts to lean
into more interesting territory that makes for a more unique and refreshing
experience. Too bad the entire film wasn’t like the last half of the final
act.
Considering its birthplace, Wrong Turn is still a
large step in the right direction. It abandons the modern and cheap
exploitation slasher tones for a grittier and more modern look and approach
that deserves some respect. Its attempts at a social commentary are perhaps a
bit too ambitious for its foundational structure, but again - it’s something
new to the franchise worth mentioning. It’s just unfortunate that so much of
its core pieces are still so formulaic and mid-tier. The kids are still fodder
and the plotting still a bit too predictable. If anything, the real reason to
support this is the ideas it seeds for future installments if the franchise
were to continue, particularly where it ends up at the end and for some decently
fun kill sequences. Wrong Turn will ultimately split fans and it’s not
quite good enough to truly reignite the passion for the franchise, but it’s
certainly a step up from many of the other sequels.
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