by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: Discs: 2, The Film: 4/5, The Extras: 3.5/5, Overall: 7.5/10
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth, Garry Robbins, Ted Clark, Julian Richings
Intro:
... the right choice for all those who like their horror twisted, deformed and with a drooling case of the murderous munchies.
The Film:
We city folk are a fearful lot, and nothing scares us more than other folk who aren’t city folk. Rural types, clad in overalls, equipped with thick callused hands and possessing work ethics and the ability to whittle and such. Nightmare scenario. This fear has been around since time immemorial, but probably rose to cinematic supremacy with 1972’s Deliverance. That John Boorman classic pitted some city dwellers against a cadre of rapey rednecks and put the fear in generations of movie watchers. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Mother’s Day (1980), Just Before Dawn (1981), Southern Comfort (1981) and about six hundred other movies on the topic exist, including postmodern (and hilarious) deconstructions like 2010’s Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Today’s example of what critic Carol J. Clover called “urbanoia” movies is Wrong Turn, the 2003 flick from director Rob Schmidt (Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, The Alphabet Killer). Your humble scribe liked this one back in the day, but that day was some decades ago, so how does this tale of a deadly incorrect direction play in 2026?
It’s not fancy, but it works.
Wrong Turn is the story of medical student Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington), who is on the way to an important job interview. Sadly, traffic is backed up in the mountains of West Virginia, leading Chris to take an ill-advised shortcut through some backroads. He (literally) runs into a group of affable young people including Scott (Jeremy Sisto) and Jessie (Eliza Dushku) who are having vehicular problems of their own, thanks to a barbed wire trap strung across the road. They join forces and head into the woods looking for help. What they find there makes Deliverance look like a kid’s party: a trio of inbred, mutant hill folk who delight in murder, mayhem and the enthusiastic consumption of human brisket. Looks like these soft-handed city kids are going to have to discover some inner grit or end up on the menu.
The thing about Wrong Turn is that it barely has an original thought in its head. It’s a movie composed of tropes and ideas you’ve seen before. However, it delivers the familiar material with an engaging cast of actually likable characters who you don’t want to see butchered, generates a decent amount of suspense throughout and ends on a well-executed, satisfying note. At 84 minutes, there’s no fat on this steak, which makes its consumption all the more appealing. It also helps that both Harrington and Dushku are fantastic leads, with the latter going a bit beyond her usual ‘tough but sexy’ schtick. The antagonists, the sibling-rooting maneaters at the heart of the piece, are also very creepy with effective prosthetics and a no-nonsense pragmatism to the art of killin’ folks that makes their sense of menace feel genuine.
Some aspects of the production haven’t aged as well, mind you. A couple of CGI-assisted kills look a tad wonky by modern standards (although kudos to the creativity involved) and the colour of blood seems weirdly inconsistent throughout. Also, the early 2000s low-rise jeans are a rather unwelcome blast from the past, but that might be a personal preference.
The 4K print is gorgeous and really showcases the fact that director Rob Schmidt knocked up a lean, propulsive film that starts ratcheting up the tension from the opening scene and never lets go. Is Wrong Turn the equal of the big guns like Deliverance and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? No, of course not, but it is an undeniably riveting example of why this genre continues to captivate those of us who live so far from nature and wonder who or what could be lurking in those deep, dark woods.
The Extras:
A solid mix of backwoods treasures, new and old here. In terms of 2003 gear: there’s an audio commentary with director Rob Schmidt and lead actors Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku, There’s a Making of Wrong Turn featurette, Fresh Meat: The Wounds of Wrong Turn featurette, Eliza Dushku: Babe in the Woods featurette, Behind the Scenes featurette, archival interviews with cast and crew and some deleted scenes, one of which is a cheeky pash between Desmond and Eliza! Imagine having your kissing scene with Eliza Dushku cut! You’d be absolutely gutted, mate.
Of course, the 2003 extras are a bit short and shallow, as was the style of the time. The new gear is much more impressive.
There’s Evil Residents – a rather charming discussion with the cheerful, erudite producer Robert Kulzer, Hidden Horrors – an interview with Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Berardi, The Bad and the Ugly – an interview with Makeup Effects Supervisor Shane Mahan which showcases just how much work went into realising the grotesque visuals of the film, and the lovely Edge of the Axe – a long interview with iconic character actor Julian Richings, talking about how he found and played his character Three Finger.
Best of the lot is a bittersweet one, Beware the Woods: A History of Rural Horror – a 2022 video essay by Lee Gambin who tragically left us back in 2024. Lee’s passionate, articulate dissection of the urbanoia/hilly horror genre is typically well-researched and thoughtful, giving loads of historical context and cultural impact of this style of film.
It’s a pity that the likes of Rob Schmidt and Eliza Dushku couldn’t pop in to give their thoughts on the film over two decades later, but it’s a very decent selection here, particularly for fans of behind-the-scenes nitty gritty.
The fancy Collector’s Edition comes with a poster, art cards, a 48-page booklet all housed in a lovely rigid case. It will sit very nicely near your copy of Wolf Creek, showcasing narky murderous locals from all over the globe.
The Verdict:
It’s not fancy, it’s not terribly original and it hardly changed the face of the backwoods cannibal genre. However, Wrong Turn is a great example of a well-executed, lean, mean and nasty little horror thriller with some likable, beautiful young people getting butchered in briskly unpleasant ways.
Combined with a very decent set of extras and boasting a fantastic new 4K print, Wrong Turn is the right choice for all those who like their horror twisted, deformed and with a drooling case of the murderous munchies.
