Movie Info:
Writer: Alan B. McElroy
Director: Rob Schmidt
Cast: Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth, Julian Richings, Garry Robbins, Ted Clark, Yvonne Gaudry, Joel Harris
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99

Every horror movie should have a hot heroine. That’s supposed to be a horror convention, but I’ve seen some real woofers in my day. Not so with Wrong Turn. Eliza Dushku is sizzlin’ hot in this movie. Sure, this definitely doesn’t stretch her skills as an actress, but this had to be a fun little film for her to make. It isn’t one of those horror movies that is going to hurt her career, but at the same time, making this movie didn’t do her any favors.

As far as horror movies go, this is your typical hillbilly cannibal story. Yes, the cannibals are kind of weird, but I found them far more annoying in the sequel to this movie. In this one, they were pretty creepy. It made me want to avoid the backwoods of Kentucky or West Virginia just in case there were some redneck cannibals in the back woods of the state. I don’t mean to single these states out, but I’m pretty sure, somewhere in one of the movies, it is mentioned that this takes place on the backwoods of West Virginia.

The acting, for the most part, was pretty good. It wasn’t standout, but I definitely do not expect an Oscar type of performance in a horror movie such as Wrong Turn. The most annoying character had to be Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui). It’s not that Chriqui’s acting was bad (she was much better in Zohan), but her character was just downright stupid. The stupid characters get on my nerves quite easily in horror movies. Of course, this is part of the horror convention. There has to be at least one character you just hope gets it. For this movie, that character is Carly.

The saddest part of this movie is that it was successful enough to make someone (not sure who is responsible for this) decide it would be really nifty to make two, very pathetic, direct to DVD sequels. I’m glad Wrong Turn was successful, but that didn’t mean that the direct to DVD sequel market had to start up. What a complete waste of time these sequels are. I recommend only watching this film ad skipping the others in the series.

The Wrong Turn Plot
The movie begins with a peek into what might be happening. A pair of 20-somethings are rock climbing. They are teasing each other as they near the top. When the guy reaches the top, he takes a look around. The girl, falls, but is caught by her climbing wire. When she calls for the guy to help, he has disappeared. It isn’t long before he is thrown over the cliff, and the girl is being pulled up. Cutting the rope, she falls, landing next to the guy’s body. Things don’t look good for her, as the sound of creepy laughter can be heard, and we’ll leave it at that, before the credits roll.

There are a few hints in the credits about inbreeding and mutations. Next thing you know, Chris Flynn is driving on the highway in West Virginia. Actually, he’s pretty much at a stand still. He is a medical student on his way to a job interview and he cannot be late, so that chemical spill holding up traffic means he’s going to have to take the back roads. He stops at a gas station (barely that) to get directions, but the old guy running the station doesn’t help. On an old map he sees a road he decides to take.

On the dirt road, Chris is startled when his car crashes into a Range Rover that has had its tires popped and is sitting in the middle of the road. The car has a group of hikers trying to go hiking in the woods to make Jessie (Eliza’s character) feel better after a breakup. Her friends include the engaged Carly and Scott and couple Francine and Evan. Chris, Jessie, Carly and Scott decide to walk down the road to get help while Evan and Francine stay at the car for some nookie. Well, they get more than nookie thanks to the cannibal hillbillies who call the woods home.

What is supposed to be a fun and relaxing trip for Jessie turns out to be a fight for survival. There are at least three crazy cannibals on the loose, one with a wicked bow and arrow, and they are on the hunt for supper. In the end, Jessie may discover she doesn’t really like the woods or outdoors quite as much as she thought.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Wrong Turn should be able to offer a nice transfer and in some ways it does, but it’s not as nice as a newer movie should offer. Parts of the movie offer detail and effective colors, but many areas of the movie end up feeling far too basic, soft, and occasionally blurry. Many of the wilderness shots feel fuzzy, especially the darker ones and many of the other shots are soft. With all the softness you shouldn’t expect to catch many detail shots, because they just are not there. It’s disappointing for Blu-ray. It might be passable for DVD, but I can’t say whether this was just ported over or not because I’ve never seen the DVD to compare the two. In any case, as far as Blu-ray goes, this is disappointing.

Where the visuals disappoint, the audio manages to pull through nicely. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is not like listening to Transformers, but it gets the job done for its intended purpose. The surround sound is used mainly for the horror moments and for more subtle woodsy moments. You will hear lots of leaves rustling and plenty of outdoor sounds, which makes plenty of sense since the movie is set in the mountains. The murder sequences also come through better than you would expect. I admit, I didn’t have too high of hopes for the audio after seeing the video. Still, the dialogue passes with flying colors and the music, though drab, is presented as well as one could hope. Along with the English audio there are tracks in Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 and subtitles in English and Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There are a number of special features here. I wouldn’t say any of them were absolutely necessary, but they will be appreciated by fans of the film. In all fairness, this is probably the best of the franchise and I am sure it will remain as such no matter how many of these movies are made. Things begin with a Commentary that includes Rob Schmidt, Eliza Dushku, and Desmond Harrington. This commentary is one that is worth listening to. Naturally fans of the film are going to enjoy it more than anyone. In any case, it is a commentary that is filled with laughs and offers a good time. There is some information here, but you can expect a more conversational style as opposed to something that is strictly informative and down to business.

There are three deleted scenes that last for around seven minutes total. One of the scenes is nothing more than a makeout scene. This is followed up by a kill sequence that was an extension of one of the shots in the film. None of these are really necessary in the scheme of things.

Four featurettes are available including “Fresh Meat: The Wounds of Wrong Turn,” “Making of Wrong Turn,” “Eliza Dushku: Babe in the Woods,” and “Stan Winston Featurette.” In “Fresh Meat” the director talks about his goals for the film and the producer talks about the inbreds and some of the kills in the film. This is funnier than anything, especially when the director explains how he wanted people to meet the characters and then watch them die, which is pretty much how things went. The Making Of is more of a fluff piece. You aren’t going to learn one thing from this featurette that you don’t already know from the movie.

“Eliza Dushku: Babe in the Woods” is the most amusing featurette just because of the subject matter. The director and Dushku talk about the depth of Dushku’s character and what an amazing story arc she goes through. Personally, I don’t recall either of these things, but it could have been just me. Finally, in Stan Winston you get to learn more about the effects man and how he enjoys his work.

The only other feature available here is the trailer.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Of all the Wrong Turn movies, this one is the best. Eliza provides nice eye candy. The cannibals are creepy without being too annoying. The story is suspenseful. Overall, for a horror film this isn’t bad. If you are looking for a good date movie, or just want a little mindless hillbilly cannibalism in your life, pick this movie up. While I’m not as impressed with the Blu-ray quality as I should be, the film in Blu-ray isn’t very expensive, but the Blu-ray quality isn’t a necessity. Whichever version of this movie you choose to buy should suffice.

Overall Rating:

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