Wrong Turn

Imagination went on vacation when they made this movie. Halfway between a throwback to Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) and a cheap copy of Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977), “Wrong Turn” certainly doesn’t shine as far as originality, given that in certain respects, such as its depiction of violence and its emphasis on physicality, the movie feels like it was conceived in the late ’70s or early ’80s (but stripped of any socio-political message, however).

The woodsy setting is reminiscent of John Boorman’s “Deliverance” (1972), not to mention the myriad of slasher movies set in an untamed wilderness full of murderous yokels and grotesque killers – such as Tony Maylam’s “The Burning” (1981) and, particularly, Jeff Lieberman’s “Just Before Dawn” (1981).

The fact remains, however, that this movie actually succeeds pretty well as a purely entertaining horror flick – the pacing is quick and the tension stays high, the cannibal family manages to be genuinely hair-raising (good makeup), and the cast gives it the old college try.

Interesting cinematography, favoring atmospheric autumnal tones. The trite genre trope where the protagonists can’t resist walking into danger certainly does little to conceal the pronounced underlying artificiality (when they get to the monsters’ house, they practically start taking an inventory). Is it some morbid fascination with danger that keeps them there? Or perhaps an unconscious desire to have an extreme experience? Whichever the case, they’re going to be satisfied here.