Not that 2003’s Wrong Turn is any sort of classic, but any degree of effectiveness in conjuring cases of the heebie-jeebies has been dulled by the mild hit film’s five sequels. All made for the direct-to-DVD market, those increasingly silly — but comfort-food satisfying — installments made the predators the stars instead of the prey. Now, original screenwriter Alan B. McElroy (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) returns to press the reset button. Hard.
The result, also titled Wrong Turn, follows Jen (Charlotte Vega, American Assassin) and five of her millennial friends — “goddamn hipster freaks” to the locals — as they arrive in Virginia to hike the Appalachian Trail. Even if there weren’t a six-weeks-later prologue of Jen’s father (Matthew Modine, 47 Meters Down) attempting to locate his missing daughter, we know not all these beautiful young people will make it to the final frame. In fact, we count on it!
Rather cleverly, McElroy and director Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics) use your knowledge of the original and/or its sequels against you — or at least for the benefit of their reboot. What you expect to be a slasher instead becomes something of a folk horror tale. Still, the filmmakers are not above smashing someone with a runaway log. An ominous warning of “Nature eats everything it catches” resonates as Wrong Turn ’21’s theme, sacrificing characters to other booby traps in the forest.
The surprise is how solid the movie is — for the first half. Its initial scenes of Jen and her pals exploring a quiet town of deer hunters and Confederate flags are more frightening than anything happening along the trail, in part because rural folks not taking kindly to tourists from the city isn’t just some trope. Modine’s quest finds deep roots in realism as well. From there, McElroy and Nelson’s pivot toward the road not taken is an admirable one, yet not as gratifying as their movie’s steps to get there. As well-made as this seventh installment is, I never thought I’d end up missing dear ol’ Saw-Tooth, One-Eye and Three-Finger, but I do. —Rod Lott