The true irony here is that this self-referential movement became a subgenre all unto itself -- and was then sent up by the largely unfunny gross-out spoof Scary Movie. So, despite being the so-called "revolution" of horror in the90s, the self-referential slasher is as much a joke as the slasher films it was poking fun at. Now we have two seemingly incongruous streams of Hollywood Horror to choose from -- the slick, well produced but typically empty-headed fims (the latest of which would have to be Final Destination 2, once more proving that using the word "final" in a horror film title is meaningless), and the low-budgeted, lower-profile films, which as of late have been the best spookshows Hollywood has been able to muster. Now, obviously there are exceptions to both sides of this (The Ring is pretty well accepted by genre fans, while is molto cheaper theme-mate feardotcom was reviled by damn near everyone who saw it), but generally speaking the smaller films, which have less studio interference as a general rule, turn out better. Jeepers Creepers, Jason X, and They are all quality low-budget Hollywood films, unmarred by the trappings of the Teen Scream films.
This is all well and good, but what does ANY of this have to do with the film which is the subject of this review, Wrong Turn? Well, Wrong Turn is an unusual film on the surface. It stars Eliza Dushku, best known to fans of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" as the rogue slayer Faith, along with a bunch of, you guessed it, fresh-faced WB Fodder. On the other hand, it was co-produced by Stan Winston, a god of horror effects, and the special effects were done by Stan Winston Studios, the top studio in the world for creature and other physical effects. So, which way would this turn? Teen Scream, or Old School? Commercials were of no help, as advertisments were not heavily circulated and the MPAA would not allow a theatrical trailer (they rejected all the ones which were submitted). It was rated R, which was a good sign, but it might have been for nudity or vulgarity more than anything else. We would have to wait and see.
And see we did. Wrong Turn is a solid, hardcore, old style horror film truly in the vein of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes -- only updated for a more modern appearance. Yes, there is a cast of teens straight from an episode of "Dawson's Creek," but its not a showcase for them like a lot of Teen Scream films are -- there's not a lot of showy lighting in this film. Its slick and well-made, but not at the expense of the story, the effects, or the scares.
Our story concerns Chris, who is driving through West Virginia to an interview of some kind in a swank classic Mustang. When he gets caught at the end of a massive traffic jam, he turns back the other way and tries to find a way to circumvent the highway. After consulting a map at a gas station manned by a guy with about 3 teeth to his name, he decides to try using a small dirt road. Within a few moments of getting onto this road, he runs smack into the back of an SUV disabled in the middle of the road. Its a group of friends on a trip to the country who had all their tires cut down after someone strung barbed wire across the road. Its the single, tough Jessie, engaged couple Scott and Carly, and stoners Francine and Evan. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception, Chris, Jessie, Scott, and Carly set out to find help, leaving Francine and Evan behind to smoke pot and have sex. Needless to say, they don't make it too much farther in the film -- including a gruesome death for Francine involving razorwire. Ouch.
The other group eventually comes across the home of the Moutain Men, who (we learned from the opening credits) have been blamed for countless disappearances and murders in the area over the years. Searching for a phone, what they discover instead is the sickening remains of butchered bodies. Trying to make a quick exit, they are cut off by the returning Moutain Men, who are towing Francine's Land Rover behind them! The kids hide while the three Mountain Men drag in and butcher the bodies of their friends right before their eyes. Trapped in the house, they wait until the Men fall asleep, and then sneak out -- only to be spotted at the last second. What follows is a race for survival through the forests of West Virginia, with a terrible trio of madmen hot on their tails.
Wrong Turn works very well as a horror film in pretty much all aspects. The acting is pretty decent, with the odd Scott being a sentimental favorite, and med student golden boy Chris being one of the most useful characters in a horror film in a long time. Jessie doesn't fair so well since we don't learn too much about her, really, but she still comes across well enough. The script is tight, without a lot of mindless diaglouge, and the plotline is downright taut, with suspense to spare. And the effects are downright amazing.
Some people have complained about the lack of special effects in Wrong Turn, and this, I think, is the sign that they are as good as they are. Beyond the obvious grue (and trust me, that is not an easy thing to look beyond; more later) is the Mountain Men. These three backwoods maniacs are the nastiest of their kind since the original TCM back in '76. Their hideous deformations, coupled with crazed laughter and their seeming inability to speak in any coherent way make the Mountain Men the scariest new horror villains since The Creeper. Even the psychopaths of House Of 1000 Corpses can't match these guys for sheer scaring power. Each one has a unique look, and a unique favored way of killing, and all three of them take creepiness to a new level for the state of West Virginia. Stan Winston Studios has a long history of making memorable "creatures" in their shop, and the Mountain Men are no exception. I wish McFarlane would pick up a license to this film!
The gore effects are also top notch, which is to be expected from SWS. But what is not expected is the sheer -nastiness- of some of the killings, which seem to have come from a different decade in their sheer level of depravity. Some critics have called this film "safe" and "Hollywood-friendly" -- I disagree. While some aspects and generalizations about the plot could be considered this way, the details reveal the truth about the whole thing. The violence on display here is so far beyond anything we have gotten from a Hollywood film in many, many years (save maybe House Of 1000 Corpses, if one considers that Hollywood; I don't) that one has to wonder whether this film was even screened by the studio bigwigs. Its 80's style grue, but with the newest technology -- SWS doesn't resort to CGI to show its wares, as all effects in Wrong Turn save one or two non-grue or creature shots are physical effects, not digital.
There is inevably going to be comparisons between this film and House Of 1000 Corpses, which is to a degree understandable. Both are obviously inspired by TCM (although to be fair, Wrong Turn owes a lot more to The Hills Have Eyes), both are highly gory, and both were panned by mainstream critics. Thematically, they are very different, as Wrong Turn is focused on the heroes (that is to say, the hunted), while House is obsessed with the villains. Further, House is an homage and visual to the level of almost being an art-house horror film, whereas Wrong Turn is much more a traditional-style film. Comparing the two on sheer quality alone, I would have to give the edge to Wrong Turn, if only slightly. I really enjoyed House, and it certainly accomplished what it set out to do, but Wrong Turn beats it out on entertainment value. House is a cult film through and through, with all the trappings which that title implies; Wrong Turn is free from that baggage.
What is sad is that this film, which will turn a mild profit but still be considered a bomb, will be long forgotten by the general public when the ill-advised TCM remake comes around later this year. Critics will probably eat that one up, as people who have never seen TCM will tear it down in order to build up the newest shiny Hollywood idol. It is unfortunate because if the pea-brained cynical critics of this world wanted to see a film which can stand on its own two feet next to that exploitation classic, they need look no further than Wrong Turn, which could just as easily could have been titled West Virginia Hatchet Massacre.
Maybe the suits would have liked it then.
