Wrong Turn - 29th October 2010

Taking into account the plethora of horror remakes, sequels and rip-offs that were kicking around in 2003 (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Destination 2 and Cabin Fever to name but a few), it's not surprising, that for a lot of people, Wrong Turn slipped through the cracks. Along with 28 Days Later and Switchblade Romance (High Tension in the States) it is one of the few fairly original horror films that came out that year. Now it isn't as good as either of those two, which I consider modern classics and it is a good deal sillier in a way as well but it shares a stylistic choice in common with Switchblade, in its grainy, almost documentary style cinematography.
Like the 70s survival horror films, it obviously draws much inspiration from, the premise is simple: a bunch of kids, a deserted road, thick woods, unknown territory and to cap it all off there are some mad folk trying to kill you. The reason, though, I said it was fairly original is unlike the nod nod wink wink stupidity and, by the end, out-right farce of Cabin Fever and the flat out theft and heresy of Texas Chainsaw the remake, Wrong Turn doesn't wear its influences on its sleeve, doesn't attempt to out do them and, thank you lord baby Jesus and all your minions, doesn't have a character knowingly reference them. 
It chooses, instead, to try and invent killers we haven't completely seen before. Sure there is a drop of the original Texas Chainsaw and a smidgen of The Hills Have Eyes (which would also suffer the horrendous remake train of sick that continues to rattle through hollywood spilling bile and effluent all over the place - very sadly, in this case, by the director behind the aforementioned and praised Switchblade Romance) but apart from that, the film does its own thing in an entertaining, satisfyingly gory and tension filled way.
The cast are mostly shockingly bad (although Eliza Dushku does her usual tom-boy savy-single girl act to pleasing effect, if you're someone who finds that stuff pleasing or acceptable), the script is not exactly first rate and for my money you see a bit too much of the, heavily made up and meant to be inbred back woods men in the daylight but the film and plot doesn't take a whole lot of time to get going and get exciting, the effects crew have an obvious pleasure splashing the crimson all over the place, it's solidly directed, has a few decent scares and for reasons known only to, no doubt, a grubby old man producer and the characters themselves, all the women wear fairly small tight tops.
Yes it is ultimately throw away but it's a great 80 or so minutes of exciting, scary, bloody fun with plenty of yell at the screen, no-you-didn't-just-go-and-do-that-did-you? moments.
Put it this way, I would watch this over any other horror remake of the last 15 years except maybe The Crazies because, well I liked that one. The rest can go to hell, at least the makers of Wrong Turn tried.
6 out of 10 Fettuccine Carbonaras
Points from The Wife 7 out of 10 Fettuccine Carbonaras