Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn is a laughable attempt to push the well-known B-movie slasher franchise in the direction of thematically more substantial horror flicks like Midsommar. And what’s more, it does so with would-be clever genre clichés in mold of The Cabin in the Woods. Unfortunately, this attempt is just as dumb as the preceding films, and not as entertaining as a guilty pleasure without the admitted stupidity. It’s watchable only out of curiosity as to what other unexpected twists will pop up to make the film seem innovative, even though it just mechanically borrows everything imaginable from everywhere (the final stylisation of the female protagonist into the archer from The Hunger Games confirms who the film’s target audience is supposed to be). But the ending left me a bit puzzled. It was brilliant, like Jordan Peele’s work at the time of Get Out. And for the first time in the entire film, Bill Sage didn’t come across as a cheap B-movie version of Ray Winstone. (21.02.2021)

It’s a paradox that this very well executed film with a fairly good and original premise (for the standards of the “group of people confronted by forest rednecks” subgenre) feels the need to carry the name of the Wrong Turn franchise, which turned into unwatchable shite after the first two entries, when it basically doesn’t have anything in common with it. In fact, I don’t think it’s a benefit, quite the opposite, because for those few people still interested in that dumb franchise, this will be a boring and pointless attempt at some sort of socio-political insight. In contrast, for me it was a bit of a pleasant surprise, and about a month ago, the news of a reboot had caused tremors of resistance in me. There are a lot of things that need fine-tuning, for instance, if they had a more likeable group of characters and explained more about The Foundation, it could be very good. Like this, it’s just good. (13.02.2021)

The only thing the reboot of Wrong Turn has in common with the original is the name and maybe the traps in the forest, so diehard fans of the series will be disappointed. From the trailer, it was quite obvious that there won't be mutants this time (which is not a big deal, since the best ones were in The Hills Have Eyes anyway) and this new direction possibly brought a fresh breath. Actually, the only thing that slightly bothered me is that most of the murders are off-screen, but fortunately they usually show at least "what's left". The group of teenagers is okay, the blonde is a likeable babe, who at the end comes off as Lara Croft, and I definitely have to praise the decent craftsmanship, the nature, the nice masks of animal skulls, and the very well built-up tension (the fall from the slope in front of the rolling log was great), and that one atmospheric and creepy scene that nobody expected (the corridor of the blind is wonderfully unpleasant). The final 20 minutes are quite intense, culminating in a sharp and interesting ending. It could have been even more brutal and dirtier, but it is still more brutal than most of the horror movies that have come out recently. I am satisfied, I have a weakness for forest massacres and there hasn't been a proper one for a long time and probably won't be. Those 49% are laughable and irrelevant for now. Story***, Action****, Humor>No, Violence****, Enjoyment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 7.5/10. (13.02.2021)

It's to be expected that progressive young people will feel just as uncomfortable in the forests of Virginia as a redneck does when venturing into a big city on the East Coast, finding himself trapped in the millennial snare of Reddit, Starbucks, and renewable resources. Moreover, the title and the opening events suggest that Three-Fingered Jack will snack on his fellow soldier before a warm dinner, assisted by local xenophobic pitchforks tangled in the Confederate flag, with a telling inscription on the belt buckle: "Nobody ever raped a .38" (referring, of course, to the revolver). But beware of Nelson’s double Nelson under Coach McElroy’s guidance! The direction of apostolic solstices isn’t entirely wrong, but there were several elements that marred the impression of Southern hospitality. Unwanted hints at parody, a lack of fun unbalanced by horror intensity, dubious mythology, and excessive runtime. However, the finale, accompanied by the closing credits, is very nice. The last time the STOP sign was this symbolic was in Eyes Wide Shut. (22.02.2021)

The relief! I put it on because I was curious to see how they could reboot a six-episode series of average redneck carnage, and to my pleasure, the creators took a major step aside, unafraid of disappointing fans. The intro hints at classic hixploitation in the spirit of the series and the running in the woods among traps and the shadows of the pursuers is playful, yet surprisingly dynamic and even tense at times. The break in the middle will certainly not please many people, but I thought it was great, even though it’s also a rip-off from many places and it didn’t feel very well thought-out overall. It manages to make you care about the characters, and the relatively sudden and short bursts of violence work better than senseless and excessive gore, and, when you think things will turn out exactly as you predicted in the middle, you get the bizarre and in its own way very funny nail that holds this entire satire about an uncommon American neighbourhood – it’s a pity that they don’t sell it at all as satire and the atmosphere is uneven because of that. In any case, a fine surprise with several great horror ideas (blind in the dark) and nice actors. 70% (13.02.2021)