Reviews: Wrong Turn

[JoBlo]

JoBlo's 6/10 review of WRONG TURN can be found here: http://www.joblo.com/wrongturn.htm

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[mshulman9]

Well when i went to this movie I had already read Arrow's review so I was excited. I was absolutely not going to go see it based on the cheesy TV ads. When I review a horrow flick it's rating system is totally seperate from any other genre so keep that in mind. I was happy to see a horror movie that concentrated more on scares and sheer terror then T&A and silly plot twists. This movie is pretty straight foward from begining to end. It doesn't develop the characters much, but what horror movie does. It basically just throws you into everything from the very begining, giving you a little taste of what you're in for. It also does a good job of staying believable for the most part, steering away from the monster or ghost thing, while to me unleashing something that was just as terrifying. While staying fairly predictable it was still very entertaining, and well scary that it kept me on the edge of my seat.
It was pretty old school and I like that, ala Texas Chainsaw. Trust me there's nothing worse then being stuck in the backwoods, to me the wilderness makes for the perfect setting for a movie of the horror genre.

7.5/10 on the horror meter

[jrsmt]

I was going to see Finding Nemo the other night when unfortunately it was sold out. I saw that Wrong Turn was playing and heard that it was supposed to "scare people to death" or something in those lines. I saw the trailer and it looked creepy. Then me and my buddy went to see it and man......I wish to god I saw Finding Nemo . The movie sucked!
I'm sorry everyone but that movie , except for maybe Eliza Dushku, it was a bomb in my book.


1/10 on the horror meter

[Mike]

http://www.creature-corner.com/graphics4/Wrong-Turn-pic-3.jpg


WRONG TURN (2003)


After seeing this movie, I can't help but say "what the hell was Fox thinking?" Don't take that the wrong way though, I'm wondering why they didn't have any faith in this movie and just decided to dump it into theaters without much promotion. Before the movie was released, the advanced buzz was bad, yet now I can't see why at all. The reviews actually aren't as terrible now that it's out. Audiences seem to be really enjoying it, and most horror/suspense fans either like/love it. I thought it looked like a good movie, but I wasn't expecting anything great. Then some early good reviews came out, and got me more excited for it. But even with that I never thought it would be as flat out excellent as it was. I'm really shocked, and very very pleased. The suspense is pretty much non-stop for the most part, and you should remain on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. You honestly never have the chance to be bored, and I found myself loving every minute of it. I kept wanting more and more, and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I had a smile on my face throughout the movie, and I left with one too.

All of the performances were good. None of them were bad, none of them were great, but all of them were just as they needed to be for this kind of movie, and were all believable. Desmond Harrington (The Hole, My First Mister, Ghost Ship) gives a very solid performance, and after liking him in his previous movies, I can't say I was surprised. Eliza Dushku (TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Bring It On) was also really good, and I'd put her performance about on par with Harrington's. Both played cool, strong, take charge characters, and I found both believable and enjoyable. I'm not the biggest fan of Jeremy Sisto (HBO's Six Feet Under, May), but he really surprised me here, and played an altogether funny and likable guy. Emmanuelle Chriqui (100 Girls, On The Line) did what she had to do, and did it well. Lindy Booth (American Psycho 2) didn't have all that much to do, but she did deliver some funny lines. I was actually surprised not to see any of the over-the-top annoying characters that we usually see in teen horror films. Pretty much everyone involved here had me rooting for them. I never once thought "oh just kill them off already." Most of the time in horror movies like this, there's usually always at least one or two annoying characters that you wouldn't mind seeing bite the dust, but none of the characters here got under my skin like that.

Director Rob Schmidt did an excellent job, keeping it simple yet doing it in such a way that makes it seem great. I couldn't help but notice some of the very well done editing. Some cuts were just---so perfect. Academy Award winning character effects artist Stan Winston (Aliens, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2) also did a great job. The makeup effects on the "villains" was so realistic it was scary. I also have to give a hand to cinematographer John S. Bartley (The X-Files, Eight Legged Freaks). This film has some great shots and excellent scenery, it really felt like we were in the woods.

I was beginning to think I'd never see another truly great teen horror film again after Scream, that was until I made the "right turn" into this movie. As a horror fan, I couldn't help but fall in love. You just can't ask for much more in a horror film. Wrong Turn managed to get it right. It's just like the horror films of the 70's, although I think it's better than most of them, and it corrects some of the mistakes they made. It really makes me sad to know that a chopped up bore like Darkness Falls was released earlier this year and made more money than something that actually deserves it. Oh well, at least Wrong Turn is sure to be the one that gets remembered, and will easily have the bigger fanbase. While Darkness Falls will be the movie you warn people not to rent. For fans of horror and suspense, Wrong Turn is a MUST SEE. I just can't help but say "WOW, what a rush." On the way out of the theater it made me happy to hear people saying "I'm never going into the woods again." It actually had the opposite effect on me though, and now I really want to go camping. I didn't hear one bad comment, and I didn't notice anyone looking like they didn't like it. Most people seemed really excited, and just like me, had smiles on their faces.

Grade: 9/10 or A- or ****1/2 of *****

[movies35]

MY THOUGHTS

I saw this movie 3 times. I loved it the first time 8/10 and I loved it the second time 8/10, but there is just something about the third time, I loved it even more.
There are some parts I missed the first 2 times I saw it, and I am glad I saw the movie tonight with no interuptions. Except these girls in the back screaming at everything, but it was all good... this is a horror movie!
**Spoilers**
The movie started out slow... very slow imo. But after they found the house, it just turned into a thrill ride. The movie overall wasn't very gory, but that chopping block was a bit gory and a little gross. The beginning credits were awesome too, but it was a bit stupid just to show the guys ear cut off. The first time I saw it, I was mad that the guy (in the blue shirt, forgot his name) didn't die, I was hoping Eliza Dushku would be the only surviver. And the ending, after the credits... do we really need a sequal? I mean this could go like Evil Dead, the sequal be a tiny bit worse then the original.
**end spoilers**
Overall a great movie if you need some chills and thrills.
9/10

[CMAGUS]

WRONG TURN 9.5/10

Well from the second i heard about this movie i wanted to see it and let me just say WOW i loved it the movie does start out slow but then as noted above as soon as they reach the house all hell breaks loose.

STORY: The story is pretty straight forward after a car accident a group of people are stuck in the woods and they go looking for help <insert crazy hillbillies>and a mass of weapons and you've got yourself a horror movie.Although some parts can be kind of corny its just all out fun if your a horror buff.Dont expect and plot twists or turns just people running for the lives from these strange demented hillbillies. And yes theres lots of blood and gore so it might not be for the squeamish.And lots of thrills.

The Actors: For the most part i thought they did a good job thats all i can really say about that i thought they fit the movie nicely, they at least had some personality to them.


I dont know what it was about this movie i just had a blast watching it and i recommend it if you love horror movies

9.5/10

[EDsoulsurvive*]

I must say i was very impressed, Wrong Turn is a very SOLID HORROR FLICK. Now that i think of it, there is almost nothin to qualify this as a teen horror flick than the young cast. It's smart. Not genius or intricately ccomplicated just smart and straight forward.

Wrong Turn will make u paranoid of going into the words, i can almost guarantee it. I think that the setting was one of the strongest assets of the movie. The darkness, the vast-ness, hell even the beauty of the woods are all used to Director Rob Schmidt's full advantage. This leads me to the movies STRONGEST point, the directing job provided by Rob Schmidt. The most evident place to look for brilliant direction was in the tree scene. You'll kno what I'm talkin about once u see it. The camera seemleassly weaves through the branches and delivers the goods.

All actors are on top of there game and kno what type of film they're making, especially the lead four and the creepy cannibal threesome. Major props to Eliza Dushku, she really knows how to convey emotion in her several breakdown scenes. And man, she can scream!!!!!

There are a handful of CLASSIC scenes thrown in here too. I'm all about the blood puddle.... once again u'll kno when u c it.
In conclusion, Wrong Turn is a serious, solid, and intense piece of horror work that is a must see for fans of the genre.
9/10 (tentative)

[kerrykat1977]

:confused: I saw this movie over the weekend and am still trying to decide if I like it or not. The suspense factor gets an A+, the gore was gratuitous enough for my tastes, but hmmmm something else was missing. Maybe it's the fact that so many movies play on the fucked-up hunter/vulnerable hunted scenario now-a-days... or maybe it's because I recently saw House of a 1,000 Corpses, which was basically the same plot but much more colorful and fun. I will have to muse over this a bit longer... :confused:

[Ghostface 2000]

When i first heard about Wrong Turn i new instantly that it was going to be a great movie, first off because it has got Eliza Dushku in the starring role, it has alot of gore and it is set in a the west virginia woods which is an isolated enviorment due to the none population. The stand out scene for me in the movie has to be the cabin scene when the kids are hiding, when the ogres come back with new dead bodies to cut up, this scene is the most intense and the most suspenceful scene in the entire movie and i think many people will love it. The only thing which disapointed me was the way it ended, i didn't like it, they should have had the usual cliffhanger ending.

Overall i thought this was a good solid movie, which has many scares through out.

****/*****

[Dignan]

8/10, this movie could have been classic twas not for the "stoner kids" and other horror movie cliches, and the ending was good, but for some reason I expected much more. Those crazy bastards should've put up more of a fight.

A badass movie all the way.

[dxhc99]

What is wrong with the people that liked this movie. The only good things were its ending and any time someone died. I was not happy when anyone escaped certin death I wanted them all to just die and end the movie. There are tons better horror movies out there right now go see them.

Wrong Turn: 4/10
Final Destination: 8/10
Final Destination 2: 8.5/10
Resident Evil: 8/10

[FilmBuff84]

Wrong Turn

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0295700/WT-01.jpg

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

I have been waiting to see this movie for a long while now, and it finally made its way to Australian cinemas, and I was damn happy with the end result. There hasn't been too many horror movies out this year, so it was nice to see one again, and especially one that was a little different from the 'Scream' type stuff. Sure there was the typical opening offing of two disposable types, and there wasn't a great deal of character developement in the main quartet of characters, but they were much more solid than I would've expected. The film didn't take long to get everybody together, and get things rolling, and after the tense and bloody goings-on at the cannibalistic mountain men's creepy shack, the film didn't let up for a minute. Whilst the film was creepy and violent, it was nice to see it get a bit more gruesome towards the end with certain deaths not leaving much to the imagination, and I liked that. Desmond Harrington has a nice horror resume behind him (Ghost Ship, The Hole) and this only adds to it, with the charasmatic actor delivering a solid, natural performance. Eliza Dushku (Bring It On, TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer) has the tough girl act down, but she was much more than that here with a simple yet layered role. Plus the white singlet played in her favour. Jeremy Sisto (Clueless, May) was well cast in his role. His character could've easily been an asshole/mucho boyfriend, and Sisto could play that to a tee, but his slightley nervous, talkative role was a breath of fresh air. He turned out to be an extremely likeable character. Emmanuelle Chriqui (On The Line, The Crow: Wicked Prayer) could've been as bad as she wanted to be and still could've impressed me as she is a major cutie and, like Dushku, was easy on the eyes, thanks to a blue tank top. But she came out on top with her acting, as she played the chatty girlfriend well, and thankfully she wasn't as annoying or as stupid as she could've been. Players like Kevin Zegers and Lindy Booth didn't have a whole lot to do, but were fine in what they did, and the two fared much better than they could've been. On an intensity level, the film had its share of edge-of-your-seat moments. In particular, the escape from the mountain men's shack and the tree top scene, which really got the juices flowing. As well the film was thick on jump moments, mainly Harrington's close call with an axe and the quick demise of a cop, which really surprised me. On that note, I had heard a lot of good things about a certain character's death involving an axe to the face, and whilst it was damn impressive it din't catch me off guard as I thought it would, still that would have to be one of the slickest 'decapitations' i've seen in a long while. Overall, this film delivered, and was much better than the usual scary movie fare. I dug the film's 80's vibe, the bloody moments, the likeable characters, and I look forward to seeing this again.

9/10

[Ren Hoek]

COOL: one of the most inventive decapitations in recent years.

POOR: everything else.

Cinema can't get any more generic than this. From the first minute, horror movie cliché is followed by horror movie cliché, and the whole plot is one big déjà vu of scenes from earlier (and better) horror films.


*****MINOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT*****


The plot: A good-looking guy gets crashes into a bus of a group of even better-looking 20-somethings. So who do we have here? The pot-smoking, sex-obsessed couple (doomed to a quick death like in every other reactionary genre movie? Who knows...); the nice but bland busty girl with her geeky fiancé (guess who's killed next); and - of course - the love interest for the hero, played by Eliza Dushku (from SOUL SURVIVORS fame) without the least bit of charisma. After some boring, poorly written expository dialogue, the hip-cats arrive at a deserted hut in the woods (in the meanwhile, two of their friends have been slaughtered... guess which two!). They realise quickly that there's something wrong with the cabin that somewhat resembles Leatherface's slaughter-house rather than a safe hideaway. But bland busty girl insists on taking a dump in this filthy shithole rather than outside, which makes the group spend far more time in the cabin than necessary. Suddenly, deformed, pathologically violent rednecks appear... and the shit hits the fan. Run and hide, followed by run and hide, followed by... well, yet another run and hide ensues (including a little peekaboo in a car junkyard, with our protagonists hiding behind vehicles freshly splattered with blood, since it apparently never rains in these woods).

Will the rednecks succeed and kill our heroes? Will the pothead couple survive? Will busty bland girl marry her boyfriend? Only people who have never seen a single horror movie in their life will be surprised by the outcome. Apart from ripping off virtually every backwood horror thriller of the past 30 years (that is, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, DELIVERANCE and a dozen others) and therfore failing plot-wise, this flick doesn't even deliver enough on the technical side to make the viewer forget about its poor narrative. The quality of the cinematography is so-so, with some downright awful shots (e.g. most of the night shots of our heros hanging in the trees, which are so murky that you can barely see anything); the score is poor standard, not always adequatly accompanying the on-screen action, and, thus, arbitrary. And what about the FX? I definitely expected a "Stan Winston Production" to score in this department, but all we get are blurry, shaky images of the rednecks' average facial make-up, and one mutilated body. Oh yes, and let's not forget about the movie's saving grace, a mostly CGI-animated decapitation.


*****END OF SPOILERS*****


I'm not surprised that 20th Century Fox shelved this turd for a year before releasing it. They should have let it rot in their archives for generic shitty horror films forever.

-3/10


Where is that bastard Ren coming from?
~ THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - 9/10
~ THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT - 7/10
~ THE HILLS HAVE EYES - 6/10
~ DELIVERANCE - 8/10

[Cronos]

after expecting another crappy teen slasher flick i was pleasantly surprised that i really enjoyed this, the acting is excellent, the makeup is also excellent

i really enjoyed it and pleased that there may be a possability better horror films are starting to come out instead of the crappy slasher flicks

9/10

[JurassicShark]

o

[Sad man]

WRONG TURN - 9/10 (A)

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0295700/WT-45.jpg

I finally got to see this movie. You all know how excited I was about this. Since the first reviews for the movie went on line I've been wanting to see it. Then, with all the rave from the schmoes I was dying, it was a torture to see that everybody else saw the movie. The only solution was to wait until the DVD and blind buy it. Well, that's what I did...And I don't regret it at all. I was lucky enough to get my copy a week earlier than the rest of the schmoes who also bought it. So I even got more excited for the movie and I was afraid to be dissapointed. I was expecting too much from it. But to my surprise, the movie turned out to be way more better than I expected. Lucky me.

I love horror movies. Horror it's and always was my favorite genre. This year was a real treat for horror fans like I. First was Final Destination 2, a gore feast. Then we got the brilliant mind fuck Identity. But that wasn't all, 28 Days Later arrived with a clever zombie twists and the best direction of the year by Danny Boyle. After that, the lovely MAY came hit the stores. And then, the battle of the century, Freddy vs Jason. Of course by then everyone else had already seen Wrong Turn. But I was still excited as Hell for it and I just couldn't wait for this day anymore.

When I finally got the DVD in my hands, I looked at it closely and watched every little detail. Then I opened it, smelled it and popped the disc inside. The menu appeared, blood splashes on the screen, creepy music and the options (Play, Scene Selection, etc...) I started to look at the designs and the titles of the special features. Then I finally pushed play. The movie started, beautifull shots of the West Virginia's woods appeared on screen. And the blood bath and most exciting ride of all just started. After the main titles we get to meat our characters. Jessie (Eliza Dushku), Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), Scott (Jeremy Sisto), Francine (Lindy Booth) and Evan (Kevin Zegers) who run in to Chris (Desmond Harrington) after an unexpected car crash. Everyone is ok, but as they tend to do in horror movies, the young adults seperate. Whilw Evan and Francine stay watching the car, the rest will go for a phone and some help. Guess what happens after that. Yeah...blood! action! kills! and more things. Wrong Turn is a non stop thrill ride, one of the most enterteining, exciting and amazing horror movies of all time. Also featuring three of the most scary and real inbred men. God, these guys were so ugly and mean! I especially enjoyed "Three Fingers", his evil laugh and his ability with the axe (You know what I mean) were chilling. I wasn't expecting a scary movie at all, just a fun ride like Freddy vs Jason. But I was scared a few times. There were lots of boo scares and some really really tense scenes, I just wanted the guys to get the hell out of there and be fine.
I also have to mention something about that precious decapitation...It was just brilliant. Best decapitation ever. And I swear to God, that I had the same exact idea before seeing the movie. I started to write a script for a new Friday the 13th movie and used the same concept of the decapitation. I was so surprised when the exact same thing that I thought about months ago happened on screen...It made me like the movie even more.

After all, Wrong Turn was worth the wait. The best movie of the year and one of the best horror movies of all time.

Sad man

[WOLFEN13]

ack! amongst all the hype about remaking horror classics i decided instead to rent wrong turn. what a mistake. no suspense, no scares, heck, i even fast forwarded most of the movie. sheesh, the orcs from lord of the rings looked cooler, if not scarier. anywho, guess i shoulda went to see the new texas chainsaw massacre instead. this wasn't even a popcorn movie so i went right back to playing jak 2 on my ps2. glad i didn't waste my money in the theaters. faith, oops, eliza dushku was the only redeeming part of the movie. only wanted to see her kick some @$$!!

[night prowler]

WRONG TURN although a pointless movie I still liked it very much. I liked the whole imbred story.

Acting: 5/10

Direction: 10/10

Music Score: 6/10

Script: 7/10

Effects: 8/10

[Rib Eye]

If Jo keeps recommending crap like this I'm goung to seriously have to reconsider using his reviews as a reliable barometer of what is worth my time.

Let's see:

1. Not scary at all
2. Minimal character devlopment. (I disagree that this is dispensible).
3. Shoddy internal logic (The extended sequence in the tree tops was boring and laughable.)
4. Not even any memorable "money sequences." (Inventive decapitation? I must have blinked, or it made no impression on me.)
5. Slight credit for good location scouting and decent photography.

2/10.

[REAL_XYZ]

This movie was a typical, generic horror movie. There wasn't anything new or surprising with this one. Who couldn't guess which people were going to survive at the end?

I'm getting a little tired of this cookie-cutter formula. We saw it in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, House of 1000 Corpses, and a zillion other movies. Gee, college kids get chased by hillbilly whackos. Whoooohoooo.

Some of the killings were kind of interesting. Also, I thank the movie gods that we didn't see or hear from the hillbillies too much. That would have changed this flick from "typical" to "completely stupid." Luckily, the guy at the gas station only said what was needed......no more, no less.

Who isn’t tired of the maniacs getting up and walking away, no matter what?!?

If the movie would have made me care who lived and died, it would have been a better flick.

I say...5/10.

[poopontheshoes7]

fun. That all it was. Pure fun. Simple, a liitle gory, hot chicks, and hillbillys.
fun times.
7.2/10