September 19, 2009

Seems people are still getting lost in the woods of West Virigina and hungry inbred mutants are ready to eat them when they do – now that would be an awesome license plate slogan. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End opens much like the first, with a nice aerial flyover of some gorgeous scenery, trees, a river, and finally pulling in behind a speeding red Mustang convertible driven by Kimberly Caldwell (playing herself). We learn through her cell phone conversation that she is on her way to star in a new survival reality TV show being filmed in the woods, but before she can even get to the set she smacks into a mutant jaywalker, gets her face eaten off (literally), and is vertically cleaved in half with an axe. Good times.

We are quickly introduced to the cast and crew of a new post-apocalyptic reality show. We get some minor backstory for the characters and learn the rules of the game (which are actually quite good – I wouldn’t mind seeing this for real). Retired Marine, Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins) is the over-the-top host for the show and ultimate Rambo-savior by the end of the movie, as the rest of the contestants are hunted down one by one and we get to watch via headset cameras and surveillance cameras rigged into the trees.

Wrong Turn 2 falls into the same trap as other sequels. Once the premise is established in the first movie the filmmakers are left with only new ways to top their previous kill, so expect a lot more inventive and bloody, gory, murders. We also get a much greater backstory on the mutants, which I found far more interesting than any of the pseudo-drama from the rest of the cast. We meet grandpa, who isn’t really a mutant, lives in his own cabin, and likes to fish with dynamite. Then we have the rest of the family; ma, pa, and brother and sister who like to have wild mutant sex to increase their inbred herd. We even get to watch a newborn mutant baby come into this sick and twisted universe, but rather than suck its thumb it prefers other people’s severed fingers.

We learn about the abandoned paper mill and how toxic waste has leaked into the water supply, killed off all the wildlife and turned our hillbillies into hideous cannibals forced to prey on wayward travelers for food. The sense of family is ironic and twisted with pa teaching junior how to shoot a bow – thus getting a two-for-one kill on our reality contestants, and we even see classic family home life with pa watching TV while ma fixes dinner before they all sit down at the family dinner table so pa can say grace. It’s like The Walton’s, only they torture, kill, and eat people.

I think the biggest missed opportunity of this sequel was not having the cast think the mutants were part of the “scripted” reality show like they did in Tropic Thunder. One guy believes this theory until the rest of the hysterical cast threatens to kick his ass. So, as our contestants slowly get preyed upon Henry Rollins escapes his initial capture, gets painted up, and goes on his own hunt complete with bow and arrow and dynamite. Let’s just say the results are explosive and totally rewarding.

Filmmaking: 8
Wrong Turn 2 actually breaks the rules of sequels and outdoes the original in just about every way possible. This direct-to-video unrated cut spares no amount of blood, gore, or severed body parts, to the point where you have limbs and even entire bodies going into a giant grinder and splashing into overflowing barrels of blood and flesh below. Horror movies are known for sex and nudity – usually a prelude to death – and while the original glossed over this crucial element, you’ll find a standard dose of nudity and sex (both human and mutant). The script tries to flesh out the characters given their limited survival time, but we ultimately come to learn and care more about the mutants than their dinner.

Visuals: 7
Dead End was shot on video (and not HD video) so we get plenty of technical issues when it comes to quality, but oddly, overall, this sequel looked better than the first movie. Most of the movie is shot outdoors in daylight with only a few dark interior scenes. There is less grain and sharper darks and contrast in these shots, but overall, there is a fuzziness and lack of depth to most of the film as well as numerous inconsistencies where you have these really sharp almost-HD scenes inter-cut with a reverse angle shots that are loaded with grain. The movie excels with blood and special effects and of course, mutant make-up and prosthetics. You’ll quickly dismiss any technical issues with this 1080p/AVC transfer when your stomach starts to churn.

Sound: 7
Lower budget, direct-to-video status, or for whatever reason, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix for Dead End isn’t nearly as dynamic as the original film despite both movies having similar settings and all the same opportunities. My subwoofer was rarely called into action except for a few dynamite blasts, and the overall surround experience was focused almost entirely on the front side of the mix. Balance levels are nice so you can always hear the dialogue, and the sound effects sound as painful as they look.

Value: 6
Wrong Turn 2 packs in a few choice extras for genre fans starting with two commentary tracks; the first with Director Joe Lynch and actors Erica Leerhsen and Henry Rollins, and the second with the writers, Turi Meyer, and Al Septien. The first is a fun listen although Lynch dominates throughout. The writer track is interesting from a self-awareness standpoint as well as providing insight into the story and character arcs you might have missed. Things wrap up quickly with a 9-minute Making of… feature, a 2-minute disturbing look at filming two mutants having sex in the woods, and another 11 minutes of exploring how all the grisly special effects were done.

Overall: 7.0
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End totally surprised me with a fresh take on an established franchise. I enjoyed the whole reality TV show aspect only it should have been explored and used more - I mean you have a post-apocalyptic fictional show with real mutants - come on! The characters were more three-dimensional than the first film although no less stereotypical or dispensable, but I really enjoyed learning the backstory and experiencing a day in the life of a family of mutants who are only looking for their next meal. The opening scene sets up this nonstop ride but Henry Rollins steals the show.