Not having been a fan of the first installment of the Wrong Turn series, I didn't have high
hopes for this second outing. But the interesting script for Dead End (written by scribes Turi
Meyer and Al Septien) actually takes the creepy aspect of an inbred family from the first film
and wisely meshes it with our current obsession with reality TV to create a surprisingly
interesting film. (And one that should have taken the Wrong Turn moniker off it's title!) Not
that Wrong Turn 2 is a fantastic film, as it does have the stench of heavy fromage all over it,
but as far as sequels go, it's not so bad. A group of young and good looking (is there any
other in these kind of films?!) actors gather together in the woods to play a survival reality
show headed by woodsman Henry Rollins, but soon find that the deformed cannibals
roaming the tree line aren't in on the game. It's classic cat and mouse - who will survive and
if so what will be left of them? (Sorry, I took that one from Texas Chainsaw, but it was just
too tempting!) Amidst a barrage of pretty disgusting and impressive gore effects (a woman
being chopped in half and both parts dragged off in different directions!) and a so-so cast
(with the exception of Rollins who is pretty solid here!), Director Joe Lynch does manage to
provide some backwoods fun (like his inbred bastards going at it hot and heavy!) for all fans
hungry for some human-meat eating genre fun. The extras in this release include a
commentary with Lynch (who does know his horror films!), Rollins (who helps steer the topics
- he should do every commentary!) and Erica Leerhsen (who, sorry, adds nothing - “Why is
there always sexuality in horror?” - yipes!) and a making-of titled Making Gore Look Good
that has a very cool look at the impressive effects. (Those sausage-like entrails are really
gross!) Not exactly groundbreaking, but good enough to surpass it's predecessor, this is a
wrong turn that's worth the risk.
Visit Wrong Turn 2 - Dead End (Unrated) on the web.
Directed By: Joe Lynch
Written By: Turi Meyer and Al Septien
Cast: Erica Leerhsen, Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, Aleska Palladino
Runtime: 97 minutes
Release Company: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Horror
