Wrong Turn and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End - Blu-ray Reviews

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 22, 2009, 16:04 GMT

With a third direct-to-video sequel upcoming, the first two Wrong Turn films are given a high definition release. It’s so that you and your inbred family can hoot and holler around the picture box to the hungry antics of your hillbilly cousins in preparation for the next installment. Makes me hungry.

Wrong Turn (3 stars): The woods are a dangerous place to be. Many people have gone into them and not all of them have returned. Medical student Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington) is going to a job interview and takes a fateful detour down a dirt road. He crashes into a stranded car that has been sabotaged with barbwire across the road. The care contains a group of friends looking to do some hiking.
They include Jessie (Eliza Dushku), and couples Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Scott (Jeremy Sisto) and Francine (Lindy Booth) and Evan (Kevin Zegers). Francine and Evan stay with the cars and the rest of the group set off to get help. However, what they find in the woods are some inbred cannibals who put the barbwire across the road because they were looking for a meal and the young people are on the menu.

She happens upon one of the wood’s residents and it doesn’t look like she’ll even be a runner up on the show.
The show is hosted by retired Marine Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins, channeling R. Lee Ermy) and directed by M (Matthew Holmes). The contestants are ex-jock Jake (Texas Battle), Goth girl Nina (Erica Leehrsen), the jerk Jonesy (Steve Braun), Iraq war veteran Amber (Daniella Alonso), the slutty Elena (Crystal Lowe), and M’s girlfriend Mara (Aleska Palladino) who has been pulled into the game when Caldwell doesn’t show. Of course, the woods are full of inbred mutant freaks and they decide to get in on the fun and participate in the game. Unfortunately for the contestants the muties are playing for keeps or at least a good meal and the contestants are on the menu.

Both films are a throwback to the harsh cinema of the 1970s. We were treated to several tales of deranged wood folk hunting down and killing teenagers, mostly to eat them. The first film had a bigger budget and more professional gloss. It also had the participation of late makeup maestro Stan Winston. It must’ve hit a nerve with some audiences since it was destined to start a new franchise for Fox.

The second sequel was basically more of the same, but only the mutants were back. This time their take-out was a whole new cast of delicious young-uns, but it was a short step below the original. However, it was a bit of fun if you were into the first film. However, the budget was certainly not as much. From the look of things the “law of diminishing sequels” seems to apply to the third film, but I’ve not really seen enough to make a call just yet. Both films look good in high definition and bring over the special features from their DVD counterparts.

Both films are presented in 1080p high definition transfers (1.85:1 for Wrong Turn and 1.78:1 for Wrong Turn 2). Both films special features are presented in standard definition. Wrong Turn has an audio commentary by director Rob Schmidt and stars Dushku and Harrington, 7 minutes of deleted scenes, a 9 minute making of called “Fresh Meat,” a 3 minute “Babe in the Woods” piece focusing on Dushku, a 4 minute tribute to the late makeup master Stan Winston, and the 2 minute theatrical trailer. Wrong Turn 2 features a commentary with director Joe Lynch, Henry Rollins, and Erica Leehrsen, a commentary with writers Al Septien and Turi Meyer, the 9 minute making of “More Blood, More Guts,” a 2 minute behind-the-scenes “On Location with P-Nut, and the 12 minute “Making Gore Look Good” about the gory makeup.

Both films do offer some fun “blasts from the past” if you were into to grimy slasher flicks from the old school. The first film is definitely the better of the two, but the sequel does offer a bit of fun.