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"WRONG TURN"
(2003) (Eliza Dushku, Desmond Harrington) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Heavy Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate Extreme Extreme None Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Minor None Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Horror: Various young people find themselves lost and trapped in the woods of West Virginia and must avoid the murderous intentions of three barbaric mountain men.
PLOT:
Chris (DESMOND HARRINGTON) is driving through rural West Virginia on his way to Raleigh when he runs into a traffic jam that won't be cleared for hours. Not wanting to be late for his interview, he decides to turn around and try to find a way around the gridlock. When his cell phone won't work, he stops at a rundown gas station to call about being late, but the phone won't work and the one-toothed attendant isn't of any help.

Chris then spots a map and decides to take a detour on Bear Mountain Road, unsure of whether it's finished or will even get him where he wants to go. Along the way, however, he's distracted on the winding forest road and ends up crashing into a vehicle stopped dead in the middle of it.

Its occupants -- Jessie (ELIZA DUSHKU), her friend Scott (JEREMY SISTO) and his fiancée Carly (EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI) and their friends Evan (KEVIN ZEGERS) and his girlfriend Francine (LINDY BOOTH) - aren't hurt, but also made an impromptu stop due to a string of barbwire that seemingly was in place to blow out their tires.

With two of them staying behind to watch the vehicles, the other four head off for help. Along the way, they find a rundown, backwoods mountain house. No one's home, so they decide to go in for a bathroom break and to use the phone to call for help. Inside, they find what look like human organs inside many jars and then have to hide when the three disfigured and apparently inbred owners return - with one of their dead and very bloody friends.

From that point on, the four spend the rest of the day, night and following day trying to elude the homicidal mountain men who are intent on catching and killing all of them.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of anyone in the cast or horror/suspense films, they just might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For strong violence and gore, some language and drug use.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • DESMOND HARRINGTON plays a young man headed for an interview who ends up accidentally crashing into the others' vehicle and then tries to survive the repeated attacks by the mountain men. He uses some profanity and fights with those attackers.
  • ELIZA DUSHKU plays a young woman whose boyfriend has recently broken up with her who also finds herself in the same predicament. She uses some strong profanity.
  • JEREMY SISTO plays her engaged friend who's in the same boat and uses some strong profanity.
  • EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI plays Scott's fiancée who hates when he talks about eloping and uses strong profanity while trying to survive.
  • KEVIN ZEGERS plays another of their friends who shares a joint with his girlfriend with whom he nearly has outdoor sex (but is interrupted).
  • LINDY BOOTH plays Evan's girlfriend who smokes both a joint and a cigarette and nearly has sex with him.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a quick look at the content found in this R-rated horror film. Profanity consists of at least 12 "f" words, while other expletives, colorful phrases and some sexually related dialogue are also present. A couple prepares to have sex outdoors after some brief, clothed kissing, but they're interrupted.

    Violence consists of various brutal, graphic and bloody murders (by various means), as well as attempts on others' lives and fighting. Some of those scenes and other standard horror film moments (including many jump scenes and close calls, mutilation, etc.) may be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to viewers. The killers obviously have extreme cases of bad attitudes.

    Meanwhile, one woman smokes after she and her boyfriend share a joint. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • As everyone else heads off for help, a comment is made about Francine and Evan staying put and getting high. We then see them sharing a joint. Later, she thinks that Chris might be a doctor and states that maybe he can write them some prescriptions.
  • Scott comments about having a margarita.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • We see a dead man and he has some blood on his face (and some of his blood drips onto a woman).
  • In the credits and then later in the main film, we see people whose faces are quite disfigured (in a horror film sort of way). We also see quick shots of blood and bloody items during the opening credits.
  • We briefly see a dead deer.
  • We see a severed and bloody ear.
  • Barbwire suddenly goes around a person's face (with bloody results) and lifts them off the ground.
  • We see all sorts of jars that have what look like human organs inside them as well as a hand and part of an arm coming out of bathtub filled with foul-looking water.
  • We see a dead and bloody body on the floor (with barbwire cut into the face). Blood from that body then runs toward two people hiding under a bed. Later, we see blood running down the body's arm (after it's put on a table). We then hear sounds of it being mutilated, and then see it lying face down on the table and missing an arm and leg (with bloody stumps) and see blood and barbwire on/in its back.
  • We see some blood on a man's hand.
  • We see a blood stain on a vehicle.
  • A man's leg is a little bloody after being shot (seen several times).
  • A dead body falls out of a truck.
  • Blood spreads on a person's shirt and we then see arrows sticking out from his chest (with more blood).
  • Chris has some bloody scrapes on his face, as does Jessie.
  • An ax suddenly lands in a person's face, impaling them to a tree trunk (with bloody results).
  • An arrow suddenly hits a man in the head through the eye (with bloody results that are seen several times).
  • We hear and partially see the movement of a mountain man cutting off a victim's head (that we then see dropping from the body).
  • We briefly and partially see a headless body.
  • We see a mountain man's disfigured and now badly scarred face (from a fire).
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • The three murderous and barbaric mountain men obviously have extreme cases of both types of attitudes for killing and mutilating scores of people.
  • Some viewers might not like the stereotypical representation of people from West Virginia as inbred, poor and homicidal.
  • Francine lies to Evan about finding food (she says she hasn't when she has and is eating it).
  • Four members of the group trespass inside the mountain men's house.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" might be disturbing, suspenseful or scary to viewers.
  • A woman slips on her line while vertical rock climbing but quickly stops. Her climbing partner gets to the top, but we then hear sounds of him being hit and then see him lying bloodied at the top of the cliff. Some blood drips onto her from above and we then see the partner being thrown off the cliff (we don't see the impact, but later see his dead and bloody body). She's then yanked toward the top of the cliff via her rope. Once up top, she tries to run away, but trips on a line of barbwire and is then dragged off.
  • We see the point of view of someone watching Francine and Evan.
  • Francine goes through the woods looking for Evan who's disappeared (she finds a shoe and then a bloody ear). At the same time but in a different location, Scott realizes that Carly has suddenly disappeared.
  • Various members of the group slowly make their way through the mountain men's backwoods house and then scramble to get out when the men drive up in their truck. The four (in groups of 2) then hide in the house as the men enter (and drop a bloody body on the floor in front of two who are hiding under a bed and are nearly discovered at another moment).
  • Later, the four try to escape from the house as quietly as possible as the men sleep. They then run through the woods, hoping to get away from the men who are now after them.
  • The four then try to hide in a junkyard of sorts and then get to a running truck to escape, but must deal with the mountain men being after them (including one seen close by in the side-view mirror as he runs after the truck).
  • Three survivors find themselves trapped in a tall watch tower in the woods with the mountain men climbing the ladder and then trying to get through the trap door that the others have blocked. The survivors then realize that the mountain men have set the tower on fire, causing the three to leap from the tower and into an adjacent tree (through which they fall and try to grab a hold of the branches).
  • The three then try to make their way through the tree at night as one mountain man comes after them and another fires arrows at them (that occasionally hit the branches near them). They then have some lethal and otherwise close encounters with the man in the tree.
  • One of the survivors tries to hide from a mountain man.
  • We see that the mountain men have a woman gagged and tied up. One then repeatedly holds a knife to her throat.
  • We hear and partially see the movement of a mountain man cutting off a victim's head (that we then see dropping from the body).
  • Two survivors try to fend off attacks by the mountain men in a house.
  • A man finds a headless body, but doesn't realize a killer is approaching him from behind.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Shotgun/Axes & Hatchets/Handgun/Knives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill people and to mutilate bodies.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "What the f*ck?" "F*cker," "Don't be a d*ck," "Kick your ass," "Sucks," "Don't be a sissy," "Friggin,'" "Pissing," "Jeez" and "Shut up."
  • Some impressionable kids might be enticed to imitate the use of barbwire to trip people or flatten car tires.
  • Carly and Francine wear midriff-revealing tops.
  • People jump from a tall tower into a nearby tree.
  • People shoot arrows at others (including some in a tree).
  • A survivor catches a ride by hanging beneath a vehicle that drives off.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Carly suddenly surprises Scott.
  • Barbwire suddenly goes around a person's face (with bloody results) and lifts them off the ground.
  • Something suddenly falls when a door is opened.
  • A large animal trap suddenly snaps shut and then goes up into the air.
  • The sudden sound of a radio might startle some viewers.
  • An ax suddenly lands in a person's face, impaling them to a tree trunk (with bloody results).
  • A mountain man suddenly shows up on a branch near a survivor.
  • The end of a dream with the sudden appearance of a mountain man might startle some viewers.
  • An ax suddenly lands in a tree.
  • An arrow suddenly hits a man in the head through the eye (with bloody results that are seen several times).
  • A hand suddenly grabs a person's foot.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays throughout the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 12 "f" words (3 used with "mother"), 8 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("d*ck"), 4 asses (3 used with "hole"), 3 damns, 1 hell, 6 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "Jesus," 3 of "God," 2 of "Oh God" and 1 use of "G-damn" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Carly shows some cleavage as does Francine.
  • After sharing a joint while seated on a vehicle's hood, Francine pulls off Evan's shoes while playfully telling him to drop his pants. The two briefly but passionately kiss while standing and clothed, and she tells him again to remove his trousers, but nothing else happens as they're interrupted.
  • As Carly and Scott talk about their upcoming wedding, she tells him that if he wants to get into her pants again, he won't talk about eloping. Later, she envisions them staying in a hotel, him drawing her a bath, and then tells him to prepare to give her lots of orgasms.
  • SMOKING
  • Francine smokes once.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • None.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The stereotypical view of West Virginians as inbred, dirt-poor people.
  • Inbreeding.
  • Trespassing.
  • VIOLENCE
  • A woman slips on her line while vertical rock climbing but quickly stops. Her climbing partner gets to the top, but we then hear sounds of him being hit and then see him lying bloodied at the top of the cliff. Some blood drips onto her from above and we then see the partner being thrown off the cliff (we don't see the impact, but later see his dead and bloody body). She's then yanked toward the top of the cliff via her rope. Once up top, she tries to run away, but trips on a line of barbwire and is then dragged off.
  • Distracted while driving, Chris accidentally drives into the others' parked vehicle (in the middle of a road in the woods), damaging both but hurting no one.
  • We see that someone has cut off a man's ear (and presumably killed him).
  • Barbwire suddenly goes around a person's face (with bloody results) and lifts them off the ground. We later see the dead body.
  • We hear a body being mutilated (and later see it missing an arm and leg, with bloody stumps).
  • A man cuts his hand while holding a screen door's spring.
  • A mountain man shoots one of the men in the leg, wounding him. He then shoots at another person, but misses.
  • A mountain man shoots of the group members with an arrow and then several more, killing him. He then shoots an arrow at others in a truck.
  • The mountain men set a watch tower on fire and then shoot arrows at the survivors in a tree.
  • An ax suddenly lands in a person's face, impaling them to a tree trunk (with bloody results).
  • A branch is pulled back and then let go, hitting a mountain man and sending him falling a long distance to the ground (but he doesn't die).
  • A mountain man fights with one survivor, causing him to fall and roll down an embankment. He then grabs one of the women and drags her away.
  • An arrow suddenly hits a man in the head through the eye (with bloody results that are seen several times).
  • We see that the mountain men have a woman gagged and tied up. One then repeatedly holds a knife to her throat.
  • We hear and partially see the movement of a mountain man cutting off a victim's head (that we then see dropping from the body).
  • A truck crashes through a door and wall, and into a person, as a house starts to burn.
  • A man fights with another man and repeatedly tries to hit him with something. He eventually stabs that man with the object.
  • More fighting and struggling occurs between two men, with an ax and a shotgun used in attempts to harm the other.
  • An arrow is fired into the back of a man's head.
  • A man repeatedly hits another man with a pole and then knocks down a woman. The other man then strangles the first man with a chain and the woman drives an ax into the first man's chest.
  • A huge explosion rips through a house.
  • We hear but don't see the impact of a man hitting another man with an ax.



  • Reviewed May 29, 2003 / Posted May 30, 2003

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