Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wrong Turn 4 and Not Having an Extra Liver to Spare: A Movie Review



Director/writer: Declan O'Brien.

Cast: Dean Armstrong, Sean Skene, Jennifer Pudavick, Tenika Davis, and Blane Cypurda.

Director Declan O'Brien (Wrong Turn 3) again sets out to direct a Wrong Turn film. This time the title is Wrong Turn 4 or Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings. This third sequel is really a prequel as events take place before the first film in 1973. The disfigured cannibals One Eye (Dan Skene), Three Fingers and Saw-tooth (Scott Johnson) escape from a a sanitarium. Then their path of destruction is set, with some cozy campers coming by for a visit in 2003. They will not stay long, however. Before you know it Wrong Turn 4 has turned into an enjoyable horror feature that is unfortunately hampered with elements of predictability.

These three killers, mentioned above, appear in Wrong Turn 3; so, you know that they will be surviving this film. Only one question remains: how steep will the body count be? There are ten characters, so it is only a matter of time until the floors are covered in blood. And Uncle Creepy pokes fun at the character's intelligence: "you're not likely to find a dumber group of kids anywhere" (Dread Central). These folks cannot find a cabin they have been to a hundred times, they do not bat an eye when their gear is stolen and when people begin to disappear: "he'll turn up." No he will not and if he does, a leg or two will be missing. You see, these cannibals do not entertain guests in the conventional style and instead, they dine on them in a cannibal fondue. Gristled kidney anyone?

O'Brien follows many of the conventions of horror to give fans what they want e.g. bloodshed, t & a, while keeping his feature simple. There is a great set here (a large sanitarium or hospital), but there is only one stage to portray events on. There is no cell phone service. So, once all the initial characters are introduced there will be no late introductions, or help. As well, once the body count increases, the complexity of shots is diminished with fewer and fewer characters participating in scenes. These are some of the tricks of the trade that O'Brien utilizes. Unfortunately, the end result is one of predictability. Because this is a prequel much of the film's framework can be figured out quickly. Then, the use of tropes creates a formula that many loyal horror film fans will be able to figure out with ease. You just know how Wrong Turn 4 will play out: isolated locale (1) plus one set (1) plus characters (1) plus villains (1) equals bloody murder (4).

However, this is still a fun film despite its' inadequacies. O'Brien utilizes gore to extreme effect. Once the cannibals escape their cell other inmates are receiving involuntary electro-convulsive therapy. Did she sign the release for that treatment? As well, a psychiatrist is held spread eagled with barbed wire and it is only a matter of time before his leg gives out and is removed from the rest of his body. Barf bag please! There are drillings through stomachs, a live skinning, barbed wire hangings, decapitations, death by exposure, an ice pick to the brain, a snowmobile tread gutting, and much much more! All of these effects are displayed in brutal realism thanks to a very competent arts department and this reviewer is still squirming over the unwanted liver removal. Wont he need that later?

This is truly a film for gorehounds because of all the bloody business. There is also a great deal of t & a, which is a staple for horror films of late. However, horror fans looking for something original will need to look elsewhere for their fix, or perhaps alcohol will make the film more appealing. Either way, this is a great film for Halloween and this reviewer has no qualms about recommending Wrong Turn 4 to others. Just do not expect character's to behave logically. It is minus twenty and you want to ski fourty km in the dark to find help? Good luck with that!

Writing/story/plot: 7 (predictable, characters are still fun, the final scenes had this reviewer laughing).
Characters/believability: 6.5 (nobody is really this stupid, are they?).
Gore/Spfx/makeup: 7.5 (the cannibals look chillingly deformed, kills are enhanced with CGI to bloody effect).

Overall: 7 out of 10 (have a look).

*this titled recently had its' World Premiere at Screamfest LA Oct. 16th.

**releases on DVD Oct. 25th.

***rated restricted for scenes of gore.

A second review of this title at Dread Central:

Wrong Turn 4 Reviewed by Uncle Creepy

Visit the film's fan page for contests and more release details:

Wrong Turn 4 on Facebook



 |  |  | 

Advertise Here - Contact me Michael Allen at 28DLA

Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis Email Subscription

0 comments: