The Cool Channel DVD Review: Wrong Turn 2: Dead End Posted by J.D. Dunn on 08.29.2007
Stop me if you've heard this one. Okay, so a lesbian, a black guy, and a goth all walk into a red state...
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007) Director: Joe Lynch Writer: Turi Meyer Starring:Erica Leerhsen, Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, Crystal Lowe and Ken Kirzinger. MPAA: Unrated Runtime: 93m.
Back in 2003, after the post-modern slasher rebirth had died down a bit, the horror genre seemed to regress from eighties-inspired slasher films to seventies-inspired torture porn. In just a few years' time we got films like Saw, Hostel and High Tension, which sought to ratchet up the violence and bloodshed to push the envelope to uncomfortable levels.
The original Wrong Turn was one such film. Although most male moviegoers probably sought out the film to see Eliza Dushku and Emmanuelle Chriqui sweating it out in the forest, what they got was a stylish, unrelenting chase movie that combined action, suspense and enough bloodshed to satisfy even the most ardent splatterfan.
And with success comes the inevitable sequel. Does it live up to the original? Let's find out.
We're still in the backwoods of Virginia, only this time everyone came here intentionally for a Survivor-esque reality show called "Ultimate Survivor: Apocalypse." The idea is that six C-list celebs have been picked to hang out in the forest and pretend they're living in a post-apocalyptic world. They have to deal with radiation poisoning, bacterial infection, and post-apocalyptic crazies. Oh, and of course, the backwoods cannibal inbreeds from the first film.
In fact, the locals derail and slice the prima donna contestant (Kimberly Caldwell, playing herself) in half in the opening scene, so the producer's girlfriend (Aleksa Palladino) has to take her spot. Unfortunately, she gets paired with Elena (Leerhsen, sort of a cross between Alicia Witt and Ali Larter), a vegan who can be "kind of a bitch." Man, if anyone could use some meat, it's her.
The rest of the contestants include "the sensitive athlete (Texas Battle)," "the slut (Crystal Lowe, one of the tanning beauties from Final Destination 3) ," "the smart-ass X-Games kid (Steve Braun) ," and "the lesbian soldier (Daniella Alonso)." Of course, we get jabs at reality TV as the director (Matthew Currie Holmes) tries to stage some love scenes between the slut and the athlete and then has to "rethink the storylines" when it doesn't work out.
The killing starts quickly as the production staff gets picked off one by one. Even tough guy host Henry Rollins gets hung out to cure. With no worries about a backlash to a major theatrical release, director Joe Lynch lets it all hang out here, piling on the blood and guts with glee. This one pushes every kind of button there is: p.o.v. vomiting, inbred incestuous sex, exploding hillbillies. The only thing we don't get is coprophagia, but there's always Wrong Turn 3: Left at Albuquerque.
The film takes a turn for the nasty about halfway through, and it never looks back, escalating the taboo-breaking with each scene. In fact, it gets so bad that it threatens to topple over into the same porno-violence morass that killed the entertainment value in 2001 Maniacs. By the end of the film, which is a blatant rip-off of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre only with the added irony of a vegan being terrorized by a bunch of cannibals, the viewer can't help to be exhausted and numb to all of the depravity.
So what keeps the film from spilling over into pretentiousness and sickening exploitation? Part of it is that same winking nod that made Scream so successful. Caldwell playing herself was a nice touch, and Lynch reveals that he wanted Eliza Dushku back for the sequel playing *herself.* They also work in a nice little jab at the controversy surrounding the first film when North Carolinians complained about backwoods stereotypes.
The one brilliant observation that the film does stumble upon is that reality TV shows such as Survivor and Fear Factor and the horror genre are kissing cousins. We tune in to watch people eat bugs and worms for the same reason we go to the theater for a really good gross-out.
Joe Lynch does a serviceable job of directing, but he wears his influences on his sleeve. It's not that you say, "Hey, he's influenced by Sam Raimi there," you're saying, "Hey, that shot *is* from Evil Dead!" The actors are okay, if a bit one-note-ish. Henry Rollins steals the show as a Rambo-esque marine hell-bent on rescuing the kids.
Wrong Turn 2 is a film that walks a fine tightrope between suspenseful splatter film and derivative exploitation. Sometimes it falls over completely, but, for the most part it manages to redeem itself with twists in characterization or plot. One can't help but wonder, though, how far Wrong Turn 3 will have to go to achieve the same effect.
Extras:
Commentary with Joy Lynch, Henry Rollins, and Erica Leerhsen. Not bad at all, especially because Leerhsen acts more like an interviewer than a commentator, giving the other two a chance to wax rhapsodic.
Mini-documentary on making the gore.
Theatrical trailer.
The 411: An unrelenting, nasty film that seeks to shatter every taboo of civilized society. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in unapologetic perversion. It's definitely not for all tastes, no pun intended, and if you're out for a harmless suspenseful scare, look elsewhere. If you're someone who likes having their buttons pushed and working out their gag reflex, though, this is your Citizen Kane.B-
