Wrong Turn - Il bosco ha fame

I usually don't find horror movies to be very scary. I've seen enough of them to know pretty much what's going to happen and when it will happen. They're generally so predictable that they just fail to illicit any kind of emotional response in me whatsoever. "Wrong Turn" is an exception, however. It's one of the rare horror movies that was actually as scary and disturbing to me as it was meant to be.

The plot, which involves six attractive young people being hunted by a family of cannibalistic mountain men, is very straightforward and offers no real surprises to fans of horror movies. As is the case in most of these movies, however, the plot quickly becomes besides the point, and the movie becomes more concerned with trying to frighten and disturb the viewer.

Needless to say, it succeeds. The mountain men prove to be some of the scariest movie killers that I've seen in a long time, probably because the film wastes no time in showing us exactly what they plan to do with their victims (we see this about a half-hour into the movie in a scene that is guaranteed to make at least half of the people who watch it really, really sick). They also manage to be more relentless and even more beyond reason than most horror movie killers; they behave more like wild animals than people.

The acting is considerably better than most movies in this genre. Granted, that's not saying much, but I actually felt more than a little sympathy for the two main characters (Eliza Dushku and the Ray Liotta-looking med student). They behave just like anyone else would in that situation, and they're likable enough and believable enough to make us root for them. I didn't find myself feeling much sympathy for the rest of the cast (they often act like typical slasher movie fodder, especially the two kids who get high and have sex shortly before being murdered), but they're at least more believable than the characters who usually appear in these movies.

Overall, I would have to say that this movie was better than most of the horror movies that have come out lately. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but any fan of horror movies should definitely check it out.

I probably hadn't seen this movie since it first came out over 20 years ago. It's a rainy summer Sunday evening and I could not think of a better movie to follow-up the classic National Lampoon's Vacation!

Wrong Turn is your standard backwoods, hillbilly, cannibal slasher that has been done several times over. The movie really doesn't add anything new, but it does provide some good kills, some good gore, and just good times! It's a fun ride with some suspensful moments that leave you as the viewer wondering what exactly you would do in situations such as this.

The bottom line is that if you are a fan of this sub-genre of horror, or if you have never seen it before, give Wrong Turn a shot, I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Wrong Turn tells the story of Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington), a doctor who gets stranded in the middle of nowhere after being late for an important meeting. In hopes of getting to his final destination in time, Chris takes a back road through the woods of West Virginia to avoid the traffic jam and accidentally crashes into a car which belongs to a group of friends led by the somewhat bitchy heroine, Jessie Burlingame (Eliza Dushku). Having two wrecked cars, the group decides to wander through the woods in hopes of getting help, unaware that they are about to get stalked and killed off one-by-one by a group of hideously deformed inbred family who has been living and feeding with human flesh in that area for more than 30 years.

Having seen the film countless times before, I was always strangely fascinated by it, but I never truly understood why. I did always love it, but there was always something about it I just really dug. Having seen the film again now, I've finally realized what, and the reason is very simple - the film is just a very well-done homage to all those bad-ass 70s Horror films, and just combines the highlights of those flicks in one simple and highly-enjoyable Slasher film.

Another reason why I probably like this movie so much is because of its fantastic and unique eerie atmosphere. Throughout the whole movie you repeatedly get that uncomfortable feeling of being watched by someone, and the scares which constantly appear through the movie just add to the atmosphere. The tension and the special effects are very well done too thanks to Stan Winston who creates a really disgusting and menacing inbred family, but he does it so good you don't even look at them in that way; sure they are scary as hell and look horribly deformed, but beneath that all you still do realize they are all just a bunch of humans, well at least sort of.

The cast is really good too. The two leads, Desmond Harrington and the lovely and talented Eliza Dushku, do an amazing job here and since they both play likable, strong characters, you really root for them and want to see them live. The other cast members, Jeremy Sisto, Lindy Booth and Kevin Zegers, are all great actors, but they don't have really much to work with here since their characters are basically wasted, though Emanuelle Chriqui really stands out and plays the supporting female lead role very good and convincing. Even though you already know from the start who is going to survive, there's still plenty of tension and scares present throughout the whole movie, so if you think this is just another typical, gory Slasher flick - think again.

One thing I'm very impressed with here is the directing. Schmidt does a terrific job, and you can say he's a horror geek by just watching several clips from the movie. We get some "Deliverance" references now and then, a little bit of "Last House on the Left", "The Hills Have Eyes", "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", and loads more. The kills are very effective and absolutely gory too, so if you are a fan of brutal death scenes, you will almost definitely dig the deaths.

The film does have some weak points though. Some of the dialog is a bit cheesy in parts, and the ending is really predictable, clichéd, and a bit rushed if you ask me, but the film still really impressed me and is definitely one of my favorite movies now.

So in short - Wrong Turn is a movie you either love or hate. I definitely belong to the first group for a couple of reasons, and even though I do realize Wrong Turn is not the best film ever, I love every second of it for one simple reason - it's a simple, highly enjoyable and scary no-brain throwback to 70s Horror movies, so if you're just looking for a fun and gory Horror film, Wrong Turn is then definitely a right turn, and an amazing film you should definitely not miss! Highly recommended.

8/10

I rented 'Wrong Turn 1 & 2' a couple of nights ago as I am a huge fan of horror films, and I thought that it wouldn't hurt to watch this even though I didn't know anything about the films. Well, I am glad I watched it as it was better than I thought it would be.

Chris Finn (Desmond Harrington) is on his way to a job interview and is driving through the mountains of West Virginia. There is then a chemical spill on the road, so being short on time, he decides to take a different route, an abandoned dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He then by accident crashes into a car sitting in the middle of the road. He then meets a group of five friends on a hiking trip who include Jessie (Eliza Dushku) whom are stranded on the road. Two people stay at the car, and another group goes for help, only to find a sinister cabin nestled in the West Virgina woods, that is home to a trio of cannibalistic mountain men horribly disfigured from years of in-breeding. They then make a mad dash for their lives through out the woods, only hoping to make it out alive. But, will the trio let them leave their hunting grounds?

This is one of those films which are as cliché as you can get and the plot is predictable all the way through. But still, I did like 'Wrong Turn'. It had more than just the classic kids get lost in the woods and get killed. There was a little spark to it and I loved the fact that the killers were deformed mutated humans who were more closer to real monsters, than the more routine big bad guys. One thing I hated is the fact that the actors are so beautiful and glossed over even when they come out of burning towers, running through the wild and their throats are parched without water. But, I liked it & some of you who may not have seen too many horror movies like me may like it.

7/10

It was entertaining and engaging as much as it was tired and expected. Acting and soundtrack were irritating in some parts of the movie. Very cheesy and cliche but will certainly appeal to many as an entertaining backwoods slasher.