The Wrong Turn franchise has never been among the genre’s A-listers, but even so it carved out its own niche in gripping rural horror. The first entry landed in 2003 and was a hit, showing a group of attractive college students being hunted and killed by backwoods cannibals. That was followed by five straight-to-DVD sequels, none of which lived up to the promise of the first movie. But now The Domestics director Mike P. Nelson’s reboot is picking up some serious attention.
Simply titled Wrong Turn (or Wrong Turn: The Foundation internationally), the new entry takes the same basic premise as the original but emphasizes the political dimension, playing up the division between the well-off metropolitan liberal kids and the isolated mountain people. The pic saw a limited theatrical release in late January and reviewed very well, with RogerEbert.com’s Nick Allen calling it a “bizarre, winding odyssey,” Lee McCoy of Drumdums saying it’s “ambitious and daring” and Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com hyping it as “a brutally uncompromising descent into unflinching terror.”
Due to COVID-19, few caught it in theaters, but it released on DVD and Blu-ray yesterday and reactions online have been very positive, as you can see below:
so i just finished Wrong Turn. NOTHING like i expected. love how they make a reference to the original movies. i didn’t hate the ending (: it’s like two hours long so if you have the time, def recommend! has some pretty gnarly scenes but nonetheless great! 8/10
— martha may WHOvier (@slut4myers) February 24, 2021
@vardaanarora I saw Wrong Turn tonight!
No spoilers but wow. What a change of pace. Had investment in the characters. A chill. A new movement. Love you and your music. And your dynamic to let the energy take you.— Teo Weo Feo (@KillerEmm) February 24, 2021
That new #WrongTurn movie good af
— BoyDatsItRightThere (@coopcity86) February 24, 2021
That new Wrong Turn was solid. Delivers what you’d expect in the first act and then ditches the formula for something a little more heavy and sinister.
— jonvsthevolcano (@jcvddd) February 24, 2021
https://twitter.com/KevinTheWoofy/status/1364463496994422784?s=20
Y’all Wrong Turn (2021) was fucking awesome?! Like, I’m so pleasantly surprised wtf
— Sidney Presthott (@nekr0mantix) February 24, 2021
https://twitter.com/Van1llaGorilla/status/1364452778677071875?s=20
The first truly great horror film of the year is a remake of a movie that's not even 18 years old… Review on the way #WrongTurn. pic.twitter.com/Aoj5uutns9
— Steve Pulaski (@stevejpulaski) February 24, 2021
https://twitter.com/the1975s/status/1364410015440769026?s=20
I LOVED IT! Truly surpassed my expectations, no lie @DamianMaffei #WrongTurn
— Stephanie Michelle (@Wild_Fl0w3r_) February 24, 2021
@MikeyG_TBD soooooo what did you think of Wrong Turn?! I gotta say I liked it more than I thought I would! And that log scene!!! So good!! pic.twitter.com/cPL888Dl9b
— KIP GOODHOUSE✌🏽💛 (@KGoodhouse) February 24, 2021
Based on these reactions, I’m definitely going to check it out over the weekend. COVID-19 rules mean there’s still no socializing in person, but I’ll probably to set up an online watch party with my horror buddies so that we can all enjoy it together.
Given that the Wrong Turn reboot seems to be a success with audiences, let’s hope it makes a decent profit. If so, the pic could potentially kick off a whole new line of sequels, and if they follow this template, they may even surpass the grisly and gory originals.
