The very first time I viewed this a couple of years ago, I noticed one thing right away: Some of the scenery is exactly like that of "Population 436"! Both films were made in Canada, so I wonder if "Wrong Turn" was filmed in or near Roseisle, Manitoba like "436" was.
Filmed in Canada, yes, but this horror movie is supposed to take place in the backwood country of West Virginia. The film is short and fast paced, its main dilemmas beginning within 5-10 mins. into the film.
Chris (Desmond Harrington, "Ghost Ship") is a young medschool grad who is supposed to go to an interview for his first residency job or something. He is apparently relocating from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. He is running pretty late, and an accident on the highway is going to make him even more late. Of course, when he tries to call ahead to let them know he is going to be late for the interview, his cell phone dies! All of the usual circs are present, as they were in Pop 436 and Dead N Breakfast: no cell phone service, desolate rural area, and can't forget the rude local folks (I had always been told that those mountain people were the friendliest and most courteous of all, but someone forgot to tell the ones in this story!)
Desperate to find a route that will put him ahead of the wreck on the highway, Chris takes an unpaved road and ends up rear-ending a camping party whose pickup's tires have been blown by homemade barbwire! The campers look more like they're dressed for a pleasant suburban backyard BBQ than a seriously bug-infested backwoods camping trip. In fact, the females look more like they're dressed for clubhopping! There are 2 couples Francine (Linda Booth ("Detroit Rock City") and Kevin Zegers (costarred with Jeremy Sisto in "Gardens of the Night"), and Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui (also of Detroit Rock" and "100 Girls") and Scott (Sisto), and one recently dumped woman named Jessy (Eliza Dushku of "Bring It On").
The Stan Winston studio did the special make-up effects on the 3 mountain men who end up pursuing and killing off one by one the 6 youngsters. Impressive it is, but also assuredly revolting are the real-life photos of deformed inbred people during the beginning credits. It made me interested in learning about the effects of inbreeding. Why are they so deformed? Why are they not only psychotic and murderous, but also mentally retarded? And of course, why can't they talk? Most importantly, what gives these dudes a taste for killing and eating other humans?! This being a horror that is meant to be nothing but gory, violent horror, nothing about the killers is really explained.
There was at least one continuity problem. It seemed like Scott was wearing the daisy on his neckchain sooner than Carly was seen picking the flowers on the side of the road. So what though. No biggie. The only true flaws aren't really flaws unless they are the kinds of things that annoy you. Carly being clumsy and noisy when the group is trying to sneak past the dozing mountain men after they butcher and consume Francine. The fact that for some odd reason the men didn't bring Evan home to feast on after they killed him, and the writer's obvious facination with womens' mouths. The female hiker gets dirty little hillbilly fingers in her mouth. Francine gets barbwire in her mouth, and suffered the most torturous death, while Even wasn't even killed on screen. Carly gets an axe in the mouth, but at least her death was pretty quick. Scott even suffered more than she did. The look on his face when he realized he wasn't going to make it out alive almost made me cry!
Really, in spite of it not being the best Jeremy film out there, I would be full of shit if I said it wasn't a success as a horror and as an all around entertainment. There are numerous excellent tension scenes and the acting is from decent to expert. It has good humor, friendship and heroics, and for horror geeks, lots of blood and violence. Even if this was snubbed for awards for acting or pic of the year, the scuzzy, grimy interior of the redneck shanty and the filthy, gamey and grotesque makeup of the cannibals should have at least gotten awards, even if only at a horror fest! It's worth at least one look.
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