Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings

I just saw Wrong Turn 4 last night at Screamfest, at Mann's Chinese Theater here in Hollywood. The director, Declan O'Brien, introduced the film, and the cast was in the audience as well. I am a fan of Wrong Turn 1 (I own it) & 2, so I was happy to get to see direct to video film on the big screen. "Bloody Beginnings" starts off in 1982 in a sanatorium in West Virginia. After the opening sequence, which explains where 3 Finger and the gang came from, it fast forwards to 2003. Now in 2003, insert some nudity (great tits on the 3 sexy actresses, thumbs up) and some friends with snow mobiles decide to head out into a snowstorm, and get lost and take a wrong turn (surprise!), and end up at that sanatorium we met the brothers in at the opening...

Sadly, this can't be taken seriously as a horror movie. It has some bloody scenes, but there is nothing scary or creepy in this movie. However, if you grab some friends and beers (or cocktail of choice) this can be a laugh riot! This film is scene after scene of cheesy dialog and character choices. Lines like "I think they just turned Porter into a Porterhouse Steak!" are present throughout the whole movie. So this movie can be entertaining, but its got to be watched as a silly bloody comedy, NOT a horror film. This should only be viewed by someone that enjoys direct-to-video films (as I do). With that said- if you want a scary film, avoid this, but if you want a sexy cast, bloody deaths and scenes so ridiculous that you can't help but laugh out loud (at the absurdity), then maybe (and I stress the maybe) you will enjoy this as much as i did...

PS I highly suggest that IF(!) you watch this, do it with a group of friends and get ready to laugh...

Upon watching the first Wrong Turn back in 2003 it became an instant all time favorite of mine. Part two I found to be entertaining enough, but lacking compared to the first. The third one I was sad to admit that I didn't really like.

So, it was with mixed expectations that I turned on Wrong Turn 4.

My first point of critique is that it has a really slow start. This was something I also hated about Wrong Turn 3, because we're almost 50 minutes into the film before the action finally begins. Up until that point, it's all just cliché after cliché, some "BOOH!" chocks here and there, but no real action. It got kinda repetitive and boring. But then, out of nowhere, the action really picks up, and it doesn't let go until the movie's over.

This is were the good stuff begins. Wrong Turn 4 sure does take its sweet time to get going, but once it does, there are thrills to be found in it that can be compared to those in Wrong Turn 1. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that there are at least two scenes in Wrong Turn 4 that had me thrilled as much as Wrong Turn 1. Which is a huge plus. To that end, I definitely found this one the most adrenaline pumping since Wrong Turn 1; way more than part 2 and 3.

Okay, so the action (once it begins) is definitely good. How is the acting? It's what you would expect from this kind of budget horror. It's not award winning, but it actually does a decent enough job.

The gore is also a huge step up from Wrong Turn 3. While some of it had the same fake CGI look to it of the third one, a lot of it was on par with that of Wrong Turn 1 & 2. There's a lot of non-CGI blood and gore to be found in this one, and most of it looks good. It's good enough to keep your focus away from the less-impressive parts of the gore. Overall, I was satisfied with the gore, as well as the kills that brought it.

One more thing I really liked was that Wrong Turn 4 seemed to take a more "humane" approach to the hillbillies. There is one scene where the victims actually gains the upper hand and has the three hillbillies running for it. I really liked that, because it made them seem less invincible, and this in part made it even more interesting than the first Wrong Turn movie. All in all, the struggles between the hillbillies and the human victims was a lot more balanced in any of the three previous movies.

However, my biggest point of critique has got to be the makeup on the hillbillies. It is without a doubt, by far, the lousiest of all the movies. In every single scene where we see the mutants, especially Three Finger and One-Eye, it is so horribly obvious that they're wearing masks. You can literally SEE the distinction between the masks and the actors behind them, especially around the eyes. I always thought the Wrong Turn movies had really good makeup artistry on these hillbillies, but this is simply unacceptably and horribly made. It looks like an intern made it, and that isn't even fair to an intern to say, because any FX artist could've done it better. To put it short: the masks of the mutants are really, really horrible; so horrible that this is a 6 instead of a 7.

Overall, I was actually pretty positively surprised with part 4 of the Wrong Turns. If you, as I, loved the first one but didn't care for the third one - then I think you would like part 4, because they share a lot of elements. A lot more than I would've hoped for.

It's funny, a while back I was talking to my girlfriend about watching Wrong Turn 4, and I said to her: "Man, I wish they take it more in the direction of Wrong Turn 1, but I doubt it, because part 2 and 3 just got farther and farther away from the style of part 1."

But I guess they heard my prayers.

Not going to say much here, expect this. BEST ENDING EVER!

I shamelessly admit I rather like the "Wrong Turn" franchise… They're 100% derivative and forgettable, but – so far at least – each and every installment delivered brainless, unpretentious entertainment. What's the point of systematically bad-mouthing these films here via user comments when you know you rent something that is called "Wrong Turn 4" and thus ought to know from beforehand that it won't be a cinematic masterpiece. They can make another hundred sequels, for all I care, and most likely I will also keep watching them whenever I'm in an undemanding mood to see extreme gore, gratuitous nudity and idiotic plot spotting. Contrary to popular belief, there are still ambitious and intelligent filmmakers trying to come up with creative new horror concepts, and if you look a bit further than your nearest Blockbuster video store, you will easily find those as well. You can debate endlessly on why "inferior" movies like this one are wider available than the others, or you can simply ignore them. Either way, slinging mud at them on the Internet won't prevent them from getting made. Writer/director Declan O'Brien clearly amuses himself with this series as well, as he directed parts 3 and 4, and part 5 is already in the making. He doesn't undertake any real attempts to create suspense or profound character drawings, but aims straightforwardly for sickening gore and the most repulsive make-up effects imaginable. Once again, we're in the remote regions of West-Virginia, which apparently is the inbreeding capital of the world as they have an overpopulated sanitarium full of them. Three horribly deformed siblings take control over the hospital one dark night in 1974 and, even though they're still just children, manage to annihilate the entire staff. Fast forward to present day, when nine of the most dim-witted college students decide to go for a skiing weekend, but stupidly take a wrong turn and have no other option but to seek shelter in the eerie sanatorium during a blizzard. I don't suppose I have to elaborate on what happens next? Apparently it's very normal in West Virginia for three underdeveloped cannibals to remain at large and probably make dozens of victims in one and the same area for more than 30 years without sending in the army or whatever. Like with any random movie of this type, you have to abandon all common sense and intellect, and just enjoy the bloodshed. Although "enjoy" might be a rather inappropriate choice of words, as most of the killings featuring here are incredibly sick and twisted. Some guy gets quartered, a cute blond chick is decapitated with a barb wired noose and one poor sucker (ironically one of the most amiable one of the bunch) even has to witness how the inbred hillbillies cut out large pieces of flesh and turn him into a living fondue diner! It's a large group, so you can also entertain yourself by making a prognosis of the order in which they'll die, and of course by laughing very hard at the stupid things they do. Apparently interracial lesbian sex is popular nowadays as well, so we'll gratuitously throw in some of that as well. Onwards to the next "Wrong Turn" installment, say I. Hopefully Declan O'Brien will put some songs by the English band "Fine Young Cannibals" on the soundtrack.

"We are not alone here...They are gonna kill us all." When three "special" boys who are brought to an insane asylum escape the reign on terror from the "Hillbilly Cannibals" begins. I will start by saying that this was much better then the third one. This movie further supports my argument that Hollywood is out of ideas and is stuck on prequels/sequels, re-makes and comic book movies only. If you don't believe me, ask yourself how long you have been saying..."I wish they made a prequel to 'Wrong Turn', the saga doesn't feel complete." That's what I thought. This movie is just a lot of screaming, blood and decapitations. Oh yeah, and cannibalism. If you are into that sort of thing this is the movie you have been waiting for. Overall, much better then the third, my favorite was the second...but again I don't think a prequel to this series was needed. I give it a C-.

*Also try - Maneater & Wrong Turn 1-3