Wes Craven’s Scream brought horror back big time in 1996, but the success of the film also ushered in a new wave of bubble gum horror. The major studios felt safe with box office returns by producing horror films that would appeal to a younger audience. In turn, many of these films played it safe with cut away kills, regurgitated plots, and safe sleepy dialogue. The turn of the millennium brought back hard-core horror with great box office receipts from: “Cabin Fever,” “Jeepers Creepers,” and “Saw.” Among these new modern true horror classics was “Wrong Turn.” A 2003 sleeper hit with legendary SFX master Stan Winston creating some new monsters and sitting on as a producer. This end of the road tale of hikers running into the wrong part of the woods, quickly drew comparisons to “The Hills Have Eyes,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” “Wrong Turn (2003),” is littered with creative kills, a fresh daunting setting, and a level of brutality that had been missing for nearly a decade in theatrically released horror films. The film gathered cult status and spawned five direct to video sequels. News broke in 2019 that original writer Alan McElroy would be scripting a reboot, sending the horror nation into a fan frenzy. After several release delays due to the pandemic, its finally time to take a terror trek back into the woods.
Scott (Matthew Modine) arrives at a rural Virginia town in search for his daughter Jen, who has not called him in over six weeks. A hotel clerk, a band of rough locals, and the local sheriff all warn Scott that his daughter has either left the area long ago or is forever lost to the sinister secrets of the woods. Weeks earlier, Jen and her friends arrive at the same town and receive similar warnings to stay on the trails and not to venture too deep into the wooded abyss. Ignoring the warnings in search of historical artifacts and majestic scenery, the group quickly finds out that they are not just lost in the wicked woods, they are lost in a foreign country. One that was formed many decades earlier. Scott, not wanting to ever give up on his daughter, fights his way for the truth and recruits help. Desperate to find his daughter, Scott must make his way through the forest of hell to discover the deep secret society that holds her captive or what is left of her.
“Wrong Turn (2021)” has quickly become one of the most controversial films in modern horror cinema. While some will dismiss this as not true horror, it falls under the realm of dramatic/horror. Much like comedic/horror, it can be defined as a film that is dramatically based with horror elements. Such as films like “Midsommar” and “Misery.” Writer McElroy shines again, putting out a very original concept and producing more turns than a backwoods trail. Fans of the original series will be disappointed by the absence of our favorite mongoloids but should be intrigued by the introduction of deeper more human monsters. The plot starts out with the new typical brand of character troupes. An interracial couple, a homosexual couple, and an overly obnoxious white couple. The audience is introduced to another staple in most horror films, the backwards residents of a rural town. What is brilliant in this film, the entire character driven satire is twisted upside down by the end of the piece. Characters you would believe to be bad, come good. Those who appear heroic become villains. McElroy’s script is one of the freshest takes on character development in any format of film in many years. The performances are all solid, Modine stealing his scenes, to be expected with his vast experience. Charlotte Vega puts in a terrific emotional and physical shift as the lead of the film. Refreshing and terrifically paced, “Wrong Turn (2021)” is not without its flaws. As the dramatic plot plays and twist to perfection, the horror elements leave a lot to be desired. Besides one scene where the character of Luis redefines the term tree hugger, the rest of the traps in the trees are basic and boring. Much better effects were done on a fraction of this budget by the franchises direct to video sequels. The kills are standard, bringing nothing new to the table, which was a fixture in the franchise. While many will enjoy this terror tale filled with plot driven pace, fans looking for some hard-core original horror will be dispirited. Two major errors will cast an eternal cloud over this otherwise well-made film. One, the final act is a ridiculous and unneeded scene. There is a perfect point to end the film, but for some unknown reason, someone decided to end a stereotypical cliched absurd ending that runs through the final credit roll.
Taking a very nice drama filled piece of dark art and finishing on an inexplicable silly scene. Two, the marketing behind the film is misleading. While there is no problem with taking a franchise into a more plot driven realistic world, the team behind this film absolutely abused the following of the original series to drum up a set base audience. While sum will enjoy the
story change, others will be upset at being duped. This could have simply been avoided by tagging the film title with: The creator of “Wrong Turn” brings you a new terror in the trees with “The Foundation.” Not only could they have avoided the inevitable fury of some fans but brought in a larger art house crowd that will avoid this film, thinking it just another chop shop horror piece. Better marketing and a few edits could have made “Wrong Turn (2021)” a modern masterpiece. Instead, we get a good film that just misses hitting the gap between good horror and great drama, like a broken bridge too risky to cross from one mountain to another.
Scream Score: 8.2/10