The Popkorn Junkie :: Wrong Turn

The late 1970's and early 1980's marked the peak for the horror genre. Two to three horror films would be released each and every week, and almost all of them would end up doing from moderately well to extremely well, depending on the franchise. However, as the eighties' progressed, the horror craze was replaced by the slapstick craze and the science fiction craze. By the end if the eighties', horror films seemed on the border of extinction. Thankfully, Hollywood noticed this and decided to start churning them back out; not nearly at the same pace as before, and with a little more selectiveness. All of this mumbo-jumbo leads up to the film "Wrong Turn", which feels just like one of those eighties' horror flicks, like "Friday the 13th" or "Sleepaway Camp". The originality factor comes with the addition of the villains, a blend of "Deliverance" and "Hellraiser".

After a car accident, five friends and one stranger find themselves stranded on a long stretch of gravel and dirt known as Bear Mountain Road, in the heart of the West Virginia wilderness. Three of the friends (Eliza Dushku, Jeremy Sisto, Emmanuelle Chriqui) and the stranger (Desmond Harrington) decide to keep walking down the road to look for help, while the other two friends stay back at the wreckage in case someone comes along. Pretty typical so far, eh? Well, enter the bad guys, three cannibalistic woodsmen, freakishly disfigured by years and years of inbreeding, with nothing on their minds but flesh and malice. When the friends stumble upon their cabin in the woods, they discover that the cannibals have murdered possibly hundreds of others. And, when the three men return home, they begin their assault and pursuit of the friends, leaving a trail of blood and gore behind them.

I first saw this film a couple of weeks ago at a horror festival in Georgia. Showing alongside this film were "Cabin Fever", "28 Days Later", and "Jeepers Creepers II". I can honestly say that this film, though it was not the best of the films shown, certainly held the highest fright factor. The make-up effects on the three hunters were top notch Stan Winston designs, and the pacing and tension in the film were brilliantly choreographed by director Rob Schmidt. The performances from Harrington and Sisto were very solid, though Dushku seemed to overacting a little, trying to obtain that "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" appeal.

The only thing I can say I did not like about the film was the opening. It was too quick and really had no basis in being in the film. I know horror films always like to open with that one terrifying death scene that lets the audience know a little about the killer (s), but this opening death scene was the least spectacular in the entire film. It was unnecessary.

So, if you are looking for genuine thrills and chills, some pretty wicked looking monster effects, and a hell of a lot of blood and gore, "Wrong Turn" might just be the film for you. Some of the tension and scares will be lost on the VHS and DVD, so seeing it in theatres would be a novel idea. And, please do not assume that everyone in West Virginia fits the profiles of the people in this film. I have been through West Virginia and can vouch for most of them as normal, everyday people. I am from Alabama, so I know how easily a state can get a bad wrap.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

This is a classic horror film. It's start out innocently...not. Okay, the basic plot is: traffic backup, dirt road, do they have collision insurance, missing teeth, inbred home, running for their lives from screaming inbred rednecks...I hope that's understandable. There isn't really anything bad I can say about this. It delivers what it advertises. It's suspenseful, gross, suspenseful, and gross. Not for the squeamish. Actually there is one thing, as soon as we met all the main characters, I knew instantly who was going to die. All the whining crybabies. The two that were tough, made it. I won't say names, don't want to spoil anything, but you should see it clearly like I did. Now, going in, I didn't expect it to be great in the plot department, so I won't knock off too many points for that, and I will say that it did follow the "rules" of the horror film and there's never a dull moment. So see this if you dare...or have a crush on Eliza Dushku.

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Another teen scream flick? I know you're probably conjuring up the punch line at this very second, but trust me--this one's good! Forget "Darkness Falls," forget "They," forget all the bad and mediocre horror flicks of recent years. This is a return to true terror! I did get a few scares and was genuinely creeped out by some of the film's extremely gruesome images. Let's just say the R-rating is very well deserved. I would call this a popcorn flick, but a few scenes in this movie will probably cause you to throw up your popcorn. Being that I've seen a couple million movies, I've seen the most horrific of the horrific, so I'm virtually desensitized to most violence and gore. So when I get creeped out--please take that into consideration. The film contains one of those scenarios where you definitely don't want to be in these characters' shoes, and that's part of what makes it tick. Of course, you'll have the standard smart-aleck audience members who'll snicker at some of the characters' decisions and say things like "You're so stupid" or "Man, I wouldn't have done that." Well, guess what? You're not those characters! Have any of you audience members been in a life or death situation? When people panic, they don't always do the smartest things! I don't care if you're friggin' Einstein! Sorry about the ranting, but there's few things I hate more than pretentiousness, especially among audiences (unfortunately, people around my age range) who can't tell their elbows from their behinds. Another brave thing the movie does is it never gets campy. There are brief moments of comic relief, but it never becomes a "comedy," and remains dedicated to delivering the scares. There are certain scares which really come out of nowhere, due to great pacing and fine cinematography. Take my word: "Wrong Turn" is the right way to go.