Login
Judging from my other reviews, you would not think that horror films would be my thing, especially very gory ones. Actually aim to have a diverse taste in film, so seeing films from all decades and genres with no bias intended. Plus have seen my fair share of horror franchises where at least one film has been good.
Found myself surprisingly enjoying 'Wrong Turn' when slowly working my way through the films. Despite the mixed to negative critical reception, to me flaws and all it is the best of the 'Wrong Turn' films by quite some way, was less impressed with the sequels. It doesn't get everything completely right, but it is a long way from a wrong turn and is instead a worthwhile one.
'Wrong Turn' is in terms of story simplistic and derivative admittedly. It also has thinly sketched characters, cheesy dialogue and a run-out-of-ideas ending. A longer length would definitely have helped, there were times where the film's duration felt too brief. So those are reasons enough to dislike the film and consider it bad.
However, quite a lot is done right in 'Wrong Turn' as well. It has a slick and atmospheric visual look and has a wonderfully mysterious and creepy setting. The make-up is also well done. One of 'Wrong Turn's' biggest stars is the special effects, which send a chill down the spine in how realistically horrifying they are.
The music score is suitably eerie and Rob Schmidt adeptly pays tribute to 1970s exploitation cinema. While the story may not be perfect in how it's executed, it really does deliver on the creepy mood, the gruesome shocks and also the fun. There is a lot of gore here but mostly it is not used in a cheap way, there are times where it is not needed but generally the mood isn't compromised.
Despite the lack of development for the characters, the acting is not bad at all. Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku and Emmanuelle Chriqui in fact give pretty ballsy performances.
In conclusion, worthwhile. 6/10 Bethany Cox
6/10
