Even in a world where reboots, remakes and re-imaginings are commonplace a new entry into the Wrong Turn film franchise appears at first glance unusual. From the series debut in 2003 through to the proposed reboot Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort in 2014, the films varied greatly in quality and popularity, never quite achieving much in the way of credibility or cult status. But here we are with another entry titled Wrong Turn and against all expectations it’s rather good.
While hiking the Appalachian Trail in West Virginia a group of friends fall foul of a self-sufficient community known as The Foundation and events take an unpleasant turn.
While it may be pedantic to point out the group never actually take a wrong turn, but simply wander off the trail, this is largely irrelevant for the plot itself. Alan McElroy who penned the original film has written a good old-fashioned folk tale, where lines between good and bad, right and wrong blur – although become more distinct as the film progresses – and questions relevant to the modern world are raised. But this is also a genuine horror film. The jump scares are well executed, there is gore and violence aplenty, and the performances are consistently strong; with Modine and Vega particularly impressive.
Do not be distracted by that title. Simply called The Foundation or frankly anything other than Wrong Turn, this film would garner and rightly deserve greater attention. This is a good horror film, a worthy Friday night fright, and a considerable improvement on what’s gone before.
UK Release Date: February 26th (Digital Rental), April 26th (Digital Purchase), May 3rd (DVD/Blu-ray)
