Wrong Turn (2003) starring Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto directed by Rob Schmidt Movie Review

Wrong Turn (2003)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Desmond Harrington in Wrong Turn (2003)

Dushku's Cannibal Run

As far as I am aware "Wrong Turn" isn't a remake but it could easily be because we are in modern take on 70s horror territory with attractive young people on the run from freaks in the woods. Now I can understand why "Wrong Turn" was made, most young audiences go through a stage where old movies mean boring and wouldn't dare watch a true 70s horror in fear of being labelled uncool so this provides their slice of freaky slasher action. But it does mean that for those who have already gone through this stage of movie adolescence "Wrong Turn" ends up a mostly derivative slasher movie with nothing to make it scream classic.

Having already come to a halt once in a tail back, Chris (Desmond Harrington - The Hole) is bombing down a country lane as he is late for an interview when he smashes into a Range Rover stopped in the middle of the road. It turns out the Range Rover had run over some barb wire leaving it with 4 flat tyres and so whilst 2 of the passengers in the Range Rover stay with the vehicles Chris along with Jessie (Eliza Dushku - City by the Sea), Scott (Jeremy Sisto) and Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui) start walking in hope of finding help or a phone. What they find is an isolated cabin surrounded by car wrecks and when they go in they discover jars full of body parts. But worse is to come when the cannibalistic freaks who live there return with their now dead friends.

Eliza Dushku in Wrong Turn (2003)

So for those who have seen a few slasher movies, especially the classic "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", what you get in "Wrong Turn" is what you will have already seen before. The difference, well I suppose there is the fact we have 3 freaks hunting down are attractive young people and the way these young people end up together is a bit of a variation on the norm but beyond that it is just your typical 70s style slasher movie made for a new audience with new stars. It didn't really excite me because it is derivative and whilst it is nicely paced, with some gory action and a clever idea of the hunted finding a watchtower to hide in they don't make up for an overall sense of familiarity.

But as I said "Wrong Turn" is a movie made for those who want horror but think it would be uncool to watch old movies and like them. What that really means is we get a current, young and attractive cast which will appeal to audiences with the right amount of gore rather than shocks to delight young minds. And in fairness Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Lindy Booth are all very attractive whilst Desmond Harrington has stereotypical, clean cut good looks. But their characters are as wafer thin as they come and you can pre-empt which ones are going to meet a gruesome end within minutes of meeting them.

What this all boils down to is that "Wrong Turn" is just a solid if unimaginative modern take on 70s style slasher movies. It probably works better for younger audiences who think old movies are uncool but for anyone who has been around for a while will have seen it all before.


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