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‘Wrong Turn’ (Directed by Rob Schmidt, starring Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Jeremy Sisto and Emmanuelle Chriqui)

added 02 July 2003 at 05.29

Taking his cue from the classic lost-in-the-woods flicks, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, director Rob Schmidt assembles a group of attractive teens who must fight for their lives as, this time around, they attempt to outrun and outwit a group of in-bred, deformed ‘mountain men’. ‘Ghost Ship’ and ‘The Hole’ star Desmond Harrington plays medical graduate Chris Finn who, having found himself in a traffic jam on the afternoon of a job interview, decides to look for a short cut through a heavily wooded, rugged area of West Virginia. Turning down a dirt road he unexpectedly encounters Jessie (Eliza Dushku) who’s on a camping trip with her friends: the amiable Scott (Jeremy Sisto who plays Billy in ‘Six Feet Under’), his fiancée Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), the arrogant Evan (Kevin Zegers) and his equally unpleasant girlfriend Francine (Lindy Booth). Venturing deeper into the woods, they encounter a cabin filled with macabre bric-a-brac and an array of human remains. When the owners return back home, the gang glimpse bloody horrors first-hand and soon a horrifying hunting spree has begun with them as the terrified quarry.

The terror that faces the teens is established early on through a nail-biting opening scene and stylish credits that serve to give historical weight to the urban legends of cannibalistic forest-dwelling half-breeds. Schmidt begins his on-screen killing spree with great gusto, picking the teens off one by one in a terrifying, totally engrossing cat-and-mouse chase through the trees, with the enraged rednecks clearly relishing the hunt. When the blood flows, cameras hover languidly on the gore, making ‘Wrong Turn’ an effective stomach-churner. An unsympathetic, wonderfully horrific slasher that catches you unaware time and time again, the film ups a gear as the hapless group take on their adversaries in a primal and brilliantly barbaric test of strength, agility and cunning.

Unlike some teen horrors where you gleefully count down to the cast’s demise, you’ll be rooting for the vulnerable, inexperienced hikers as they frantically attempt to escape their predicament time and time again. When the fighting really starts, ‘Wrong Turn’ manages to pack in some strong action sequences, in particular Eliza Dushku who reprises some of her character Faith in ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ to shift into kick-ass mode with particular style and effect.

Unashamedly vicious, gory and totally petrifying, ‘Wrong Turn’ is an adrenaline rush of a film that goes straight for the jugular in a barrage of blood, violence and heart-stopping scares. One of the best horror films of recent years; face up to the fear and buckle up for one hell of a ride.

See the official site for more info

‘Wrong Turn’ is released nationwide from Friday June 27

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Mario Vella

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