Sometimes, being merely average is enough. Wrong Turn is a
thoroughly undistinguished, relentlessly ordinary horror film, yet has
been widely hailed as one of the best the genre has produced in the
last few years. Perhaps it is a sign of the sorry state of the modern
thriller that a flick as routine as this seems so satisfying. It is
not that it is a bad film, or incompetent, just hopelessly
nondescript. But for blood-starved slasher fans, that alone is cause
for celebration these days.
A conscious throwback to the
gritty, seminal horror films of the 70's, Wrong Turn is an amalgam of
other, better "culture clash" pics like Deliverance, The
Hills Have Eyes and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A wayward doctor
collides with a group of teens on a rural country road, the victims of
a seemingly unforeseen accident. But all is not what it seems - a clan
of inbred cannibals roam the neighborhood, on the lookout for
traveling motorists they can entrap, kill and devour. As the reality
of the situation begins to dawn on our hapless protagonists, it will
be a bloody fight to the death as the ever-dwindling survivors attempt
to make it out alive. As the old tagline goes, "Who will
survive, and what will be left of them?" Wrong Turn has far less
going on that even the above meager plot description may indicate. I
love a simple, straightforward horror show as much as the next guy,
but this one has no discernible theme to elevate the material. Nothing
of any purpose seems to happen - this is exactly what you think it is.
The characters crash, get picked off one by one, realize they are
fucked, and then kick the bad guys' asses. Fade to black, cue end
credits.
At a scant 84 minutes, Wrong Turn is lean, mean and
unpretentious. It is well shot and fairly well acted, considering the
caricatures the cast is given to play. It also delivers the gore, with
Stan Winston's bloody concoctions gleefully gruesome. And director Rob
Schmidt is able to stage some genuinely exciting stalk 'n' chase that
keeps the pulse agitated. But what is the point? I learned nothing
about human nature, nothing about society's propensity for violence,
not even anything about other horror movies. Flicks like The Hills
Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw and Deliverance are classics for a reason -
the deliver the goods and illuminate at least a little something -
anything - about who we are and why we do what we do. Wrong Turn does
not. It is a fun timewaster, but it could have been more. And should
have. 
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Fox Home
Entertainment has delivered a rather beautiful new 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer for Wrong Turn. This is a very good-looking movie.
It is supposed to be a homage to the gritty flicks of the 70's, but it
is far too polished for that. The gorgeous, burnt-out oranges and
midnight blues sparkle, so even the really scare scenes are
distractingly pretty. But no matter - this transfer is pretty great.
The print is pristine, with rich, deep blacks and near-perfect color
reproduction. Hues are lush, clean and vivid, with accurate fleshtones
and excellent contrast. The amount of detail is impressive, with
excellent shadow delineation and nary a smidgen of edge enhancement.
Pretty dang great!
Also included is an open matte 4:3 full
frame version included on the flipside of the disc. Both transfers are
allotted a single layer only.)
Audio: How Does The Disc
Sound? 
Just as sharp as the transfer is this soundtrack.
PResented in Dolby Digital 5.1, the cheapie horror flicks of the 70's
could only dream of sounding this great. While not produced on a huge
budget, Wrong Turn benefits from excellent frequency response and a
very aggressive mix. Stereo separation is top-notch, with very clear
dialogue reproduction and the film's minimalist score perfectly
balanced with eh effects. Surround use is aggressive and clever, with
select discrete effects subtle but maximized for surprise. Sounds pop
out frequently and are always good for a jolt. The .1 LFE is also deep
and solid. A great little soundtrack.
French and Spanish Dolby
2.0 surround dubs are also included, along with subtitles in English,
French and Spanish and English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? 
As great as this
disc looks and sounds, the supplements are a disappointment. The back
of the box indicates great stuff within; alas, the four
featurettes are all of the very short, EPK variety
and are way too glossy. "Making of Wrong Turn," "Eliza
Dushku: Babe in the Woods," "Fresh Meat: The WOunds of Wrong
Turn" and a peek at the wizardy of "Stan Winston" all
run around 4 minutes, far too short to deliver much depth. "Fresh
Meat" is probably the most fun, as at least we learn something
about how the film was put together and the evil cannibals
conceptualized. Still, nothing here rises above the glossy.
The 3 deleted scenes are also a disappointment.
Two of them are really the same thing, an alternate look at the
"barb wire in the mouth" trick. In fact, the
"dailies" bit is relentlessly boring...why did they choose
to show us the same stuff over and over and over again? Weird. Also
included is a still gallery with alternative poster
concepts which are kinda cool but there are far too few of them. And
the film's theatrical trailer is pretty effective,
but apparently no one saw it as the film failed to make much of a dent
at the box office.
With all the video-based extras so slight,
it is up to the screen-specific audio commentary with
director Rob Schmidt and co-stars Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington
to take up the slack. Thankfully, it is quite a bit of fun, although
Schmidt's monotone delivery threatened to put me to sleep. All were
passionate about making a great little thriller, and although the
results are debatable, they are an engaging trio. Anyone who thinks
making horror films are easy should listen to this one, and Dushku has
a wry sense of humor. Worth a listen. 
(A Note of Annoyance:
Why must Fox continue to split up the extras across both sides of the
disc? Do we really need a pan & scan version of a film shot in a
still TV-friendly 1.85:1 widescreen? And if they must torture us,
can't there be some rhyme or reason to how the extras are segregated?
The featurettes are all over the place, the menus are ugly, and why
can't six stills and a trailer be replicated on both sides? Pretty
bloody obnoxious.)
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when
you pop the disc in your PC?
No ROM extras have been
included.
Parting Thoughts
Wrong Turn is a
serviceable slasher flick. It is sick, slick and utterly unnecessary.
Some will find such single-mindedness refreshing. It left me
uninspired. As less than the sum of its parts, here is a great
Saturday night timewaster, but if you are looking for a horror film
that matters, look elsewhere. But this is certainly a great looking
and sounding DVD, even if the extras are too gutless. For fans only.
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