Wrong Turn

Yet another retelling of the old tale about a group of photogenic twentysomethings stranded in the wilderness and stalked by a bunch of backwoods psychos determined to slaughter them in garishly ghoulish ways, Rob Schmidt's West Virginia variation on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre brings nothing new to the formula. Both tedious and repulsive, it pits a sextet of callow travelers against a trio of local maniacs who appear to be the result of protracted inbreeding. Much mayhem and bloodletting ensue, with most of the unlucky vacationers meeting gruesome fates before the survivors emerge victorious--although an obligatory epilogue leaves room for a sequel. Although the cast is somewhat better than one expects to find in such schlock (including Eliza Dushku and Jeremy Sisto), they drown in the muck of Alan McElroy's idiotic script and Stan Winston's gory effects. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, audio commentary by director Rob Schmidt and costars Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington, a making-of featurette, three additional featurettes (“Eliza Dushku: Babe in the Woods,” “Stan Winston: Monster Mogul,” and “Fresh Meat: The Wounds of Wrong Turn”), three deleted scenes including dailies, a poster concept gallery, and a trailer. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so horror flick.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 13, 2009—Fox, 84 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Wrong Turn features a lackluster transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Rob Schmidt and costars Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington, four featurettes (a “making-of,” “Eliza Dushku: Babe in the Woods,” “Stan Winston: Monster Mogul,” and “Fresh Meat: The Wounds of Wrong Turn”) totaling a half-hour, deleted scenes (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a bad film makes a less than sparkling Blu-ray debut.]