Some films really do not deserve sequels. Of course, if the box office and DVD sales are above par for the studios, any film, no matter how good or bad, somehow will manage to get a continuing story, as is the case with most horror films. As a result, the Wrong Turn story is now a trilogy.
The first film was a passable bit of horror fluff, but certainly undeserving of not one, but two, sequels. The second film did nothing for the franchise other than to garnish more fans than the first. Why, I really do not know, other than the fact that the director is a likeable person as well a true film professional. (He thanked me for pointing out the film’s mistakes in my review). I figured the film would series would end there. Unfortunately, another sequel has emerged.
Wrong Turn III: Left for Dead takes place, once again, in the backwoods of West Virginia. The inbreed mountain people are still alive and hunting human prey on the back roads. This time around, a group of college-aged kids is canoeing down a river that runs though the mountain mutants’ territory. All but one of them is killed in the film’s first scene. Meanwhile, a prison transport vehicle is transferring some of the state’s hardest criminals from the local jail to a the state prison. As the bus journeys through the back country, the mountain people strike, running the bus off the road and leaving the guards and prisoners in the middle of the forest. The mutants start to pick them off one by one as the prison party treks its way to a communications tower to call for help. But, as always, the prisoners manage to take the guards hostage and to fight among themselves when a armored car full of cash is found. They also run into the surviving girl of the college group. She explains to them what is going on. From there, the small group must fight though the woods while battling the mountain mutants and battling among themselves, trying to find help in the process.
I will give this film credit for having at least an entertaining story line. I hate to say it, but the plot is a lot better than those of the previous films. The problem, however, is that everything else is a mess. The dialogue is not only poorly written, but poorly executed. In spite of all that is wrong with the script, it still has a good plot, and the characters are developed well. It is just that the setup begins with the same horror movie clichés that have been around for the last thirty-five years: Some pot smoking and nudity to start to point out those who deserve to die, and so on.
I was astonished by the great picture quality of the film on Blu-ray. The overall production value is nothing spectacular. In fact, the locations and sets are probably the only good thing this film has going for it. The make-up effects look horrible. It is almost as if the mutants are wearing masks from a Halloween costume store. I understand that the film’s budget was probably nothing compared to that of the first film. The make-up effects are just as bad in the second film. The mutants, who are supposed to be basically human, look more like sci-fi creatures. Whether the fault of the lighting or of the costume design, probably both, the look detracts from the reality of the story. The visual effects are distractingly poor. They are cool in a gory way, but every time an effect is used, you can obviously see the outlines of the green screen and it is obvious that no effort was made to try to match the effects to the picture or to remove the signs of the effect’s being shot on a sound stage.
The Blu-ray Disc does come with a few special features which include three featurettes titled, Action, Gore and Chaos which is about the making of the film; Brothers in Blood, and Three Finger’s Fight Night. The disc also includes deleted scenes and trailers to other Fox titles and future releases. There is really not much on the disc, but the high definition picture and sound are excellent. Despite the way the visual effects look , the overall quality of the picture and sound on the disc are top notch.
Overall, Wrong Turn III: Left for Dead is by no means a great cinematic experience. I will not go as far as to say that the film is poorly put together, but it does have many issues that should have been fixed during the post production process. The script is also nothing to rave about, but the film is at least entertaining. If you liked the first two films, you will probably enjoy this one despite its many glaring flaws. But consider yourself warned.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
