The wife and I love the Wrong Turn series. I remember going to see this in the theatre when it was released in 2003 and I have watched it multiple times since. It would go on to become a damn fine straight-to-DVD/streaming horror series and it recently got the reboot treatment in 2021. Having rewatched all of the Wrong Turn movies recently, I thought I would start reviewing them, and what better place to start than right here?
How to Download Wrong Turn (2003)
Wrong Turn was released on May 30, 2003. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like this one, check out our review of the 2021 reboot of the series.
The Movie Review
The Wrong Turn series is kind of like a modern take on stuff like Deliverance. People go into the woods and end up getting into some serious trouble with locals, in this case, locals who are deformed due to inbreeding! I remember being excited about this before it came out because it had Eliza Dushku from Buffy in it.
A medical student called Chris is trying to make his way through the mountains of West Virginia as he has an important meeting. There is some trouble on the road and there is a huge traffic jam, forcing him to try and find an alternate route. He comes across a pretty rustic, to say the least, gas station and finds a map that he thinks will let him cut through the mountains.
Characters and Setting of Wrong Turn (2003)
Chris is not paying attention to the road and plows into an RV. The RV was broken down due to running over some barbwire that had been strategically left on the road. Here Chris meets the rest of our cast, Jessie, Scott, Carly, Evan, and Francine. They were on their way on a trip to try and help Jessie get over a breakup.
The Adventure in the Woods
Evan and Francine stay with the cars. The rest of the group head into the woods to try and find help! If you have seen any movie where people go into the woods looking for help, you know what is going to happen here. Wrong Turn is about as subtle as a brick to the face, but it is still a ton of fun.
The Thrill and Horror in Wrong Turn
Our young attractive cast find themselves in deep trouble. Turns out this part of the woods is run by a family of inbred hillbillies that trap passersby, take their stuff and then eat them! Wong Turn has some of the best inbred hillbillies in any movie. Despite not talking, they manage to give them a ton of personality.
The Legacy of the Series
Over the years fans have come to love these characters. We have Three Finger, Saw Tooth, and One Eye and they are stalking Chris and Jessie through the woods. There are some pretty gnarly scenes here, but it is not completely over the top like other horror movies in the early to mid-00s would be
Conclusion: Wrong Turn’s Enduring Appeal
It is just a really fun time and out of the first few movies, the production values here feel far more like a full Hollywood kind of movie. If you get a kick out of lost in the woods, bring chased by cannibal hillbilly movies, you are going to have a lot of fun with Wrong Turn. I have seen this probably ten times and it has never gotten old for me. While there is no 4K release of this, it has a pretty solid Blu-Ray release.
