I am a massive fan of the Wrong Turn franchise. The first film had a kick-ass heroine, and the following movies continually out-did themselves in gore and senseless killings, to my cheering it on. One of my all-time favorite horror scenes is the decapitation in the school gym in Wrong Turn 4, let alone the decapitation at the end of that movie on the snowmobile. So good.
When I saw that there was a new addition to the franchise, I watched it as soon as I could. Before turning it on, I looked up reviews to see if I could get a feel of what to expect, and I was warned that this movie was not going to be what a Wrong Turn franchise movie would usually offer. Reading that, I went into it disliking it. If I don’t have cannibals and a total kill count by the end of the movie, will I have truly seen a Wrong Turn movie?
I can’t say I hated it. I would consider it a light version of the franchise. The effort to pull the expected senseless gore into a storyline was difficult because what makes a Wrong Turn movie great is that the plot is just that some buggers take a wrong turn and get hunted and eaten by cannibals. Although I wasn’t loving the plot, I did like that it never lagged, and the conclusion was satisfying, even if it was simply the satisfaction of ending on an intense scene.
I also can’t say I’d watch this movie again, even if I wanted to introduce someone to the franchise. Not a big deal because the other versions will certainly continue to be in regular rotation for horror movie nights.
Nelson, Mike P. Wrong Turn (2021), Saban Films, 2021.
The Devil's Muse 