6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A survival reality show goes terribly wrong when the contestants accidentally stumble upon a clan of mutant hayseed cannibals eager to make a feast of the young TV stars who've ventured onto the flesheaters' woodland turf. As the players begin to vanish, the survivors struggle to find their way out of the remote West Virginia forest before they become the next meal. Henry Rollins and Erica Leerhsen head the cast in this direct-to-video sequel.
Starring: Ken Kirzinger, Jeff Scrutton, Erica Leerhsen, Texas Battle, Yan-Kay Crystal LoweHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 48% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Those cantankerous mutant cannibals are back at it again, stalking and slobbering through the bumble-brush of wild, wonderful West Virginia, taking down oblivious city folk with extreme prejudice, and proving that there’s more than one way to skin a co-ed. As an ode to the splatter sequels of yore—Evil Dead II, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, etc.—Wrong Turn 2 ups the ante with more gore, more gleefully wicked methods for dispatching our mutant fodder, and a decidedly higher kill count. It’s still schlocky, grade-z horror, but this direct-to-video sequel surprises by being a hell of a lot more fun than the franchise’s dour first installment. Here, the series drops all pretension of seriousness and goes for guts instead, letting the entrails fall where they may. You might not care about the characters, you may not give a deuce about the plot, and you won’t be scared at all this time around, but if you’re after gross-out gags and giddy mutant mayhem, Wrong Turn 2 will take you there.
Here, our mutants give new meaning to the phrase "split personality."
Wrong Turn 2 goes straight-to-video in another sense, foregoing the 35mm film
photography of the first installment for the quick and easy (and cheap) route of shooting on
video. If you read my review of Wrong Turn, you'll know that I had a few bones to pick
with the picture quality. Despite being sourced from a different medium, Wrong Turn 2's
1080p/AVC-encoded transfer exhibits many of the same problems. Softness is once again an
issue, as the majority of the shots look indistinct and undefined. It does appear that some DNR
has been used to filter out noise, and as a result textures are muddied and smeared and fine
detail is practically non-existent in many scenes. The overall clarity is probably a hair better than
that of the first film, but that really isn't saying much. I did find it strange that there are a few
shots—Rollins stitching himself up and the mutant teenager gobbling up dripping blood—that look
noticeably sharper than the rest of the film. A particular trait of cheaper video cameras is the
tendency to blow-out highlights, and you'll notice the plaid pattern on Jonesy's shirt is frequently
overwhelmed by a wash of overheated white. On the plus side, black levels seem more stable
than in the first film, with fewer crushed details and better contrast all around. Still, there's not
much color depth, and the image overall is only slightly better than DVD quality.
Do note that the back of the case says the film is on a 50 GB dual layer disc, but you'll actually
find a 25 GB platter inside.
While Wrong Turn packed a surprising wallop in the sound department, the sequel's DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 is somewhat less impacting and engaging. I'm not sure if it has to do with Wrong Turn 2 being a direct-to-video release, but there's not nearly as much activity in the rear channels. Sure, you'll hear some bleeding score and woodland ambience—buzzing flies and droning wind, mostly—but while the first film had plenty of rip roaring pans, there are few discrete effects here. Subwoofer use is also modest compared to Wrong Turn, and there's less detail in the soundscape overall. That said, the front-centric track literally lands a few good blows, as much of the violence is rendered with grisly crunches, splatters, thuds, and twitches. I especially like the frequently used bone-cracking foley effect when the mutants pop their joints back into place. I have a friend who can pop his entire spine on command, and it always sends shivers down mine. Dialogue too is presented clearly from the center channel, and I can't remember ever loosing any lines to poorly mixed levels. While not as impressive as the first film's beefy sound, this is a serviceable track that at least gives the film a lossless upgrade.
Commentary by Director Joe Lynch and Actors Erica Leerhsen and Henry Rollins
From the start, first time director Joe Lynch is super-enthusiastic about this commentary track,
bubbling up when the 20th Century Fox fanfare plays at the beginning of the film. Lynch pretty
much dominates the conversation here, chatting hyperactively about genre conventions and the
movie's so-called character development. Rollins gets a few words in, but Leerhsen is pretty quiet
throughout. Not a bad commentary track, but not exactly essential listening either.
Commentary by Writers Turi Meyer and Al Septien
Likewise, if you're up for watching Wrong Turn 2 a third time, writers Meyer and Septien
offer up a listenable, but ultimately disposable track. It is refreshing that the two men have no
pretentions about the script—they know they've written a splatter film, not some grand artistic
statement. As the comments are coming from writers, expect plenty of character analysis and
plot dissection.
More Blood, More Guts: The Making of Wrong Turn 2 (SD, 9:32)
Producer Jeff Freilich goes though the casting choices, director Joe Lynch claims he's personally as
disturbed as the script, and the cast members give a few words about their characters. Short and
sweet, but not much to eat.
On Location with P-Nut (SD, 2:14)
Friend of director Joe Lynch, bassist for 311, and videographer P-Nut—I'm not going to ask how
he got the nickname—visited the set for the mutant sex-in-the-woods scene. Fun times! Here he
provides us with some brief, poorly edited behind the scenes footage.
Making Gore Look Good (SD, 11:32)
By far the best featurette on the disc—I know, that's not saying much—Making Gore Look
Good gives us an on-set look at some of the film's grisly special effects, including the head-
to-groin split of the opening ax kill and the explosion of one of the mutants. Practical effects
geeks will definitely want to watch this one.
Second verse? Slightly better than the first. Wrong Turn 2 doesn't supply Dead Alive-levels of gore, but it does best the first film with better kills and a more entertaining, gut- busting experience overall. There are definitely some visual deficiencies in the transfer, though, and there are much better horror films to be found on Blu-ray. If you're a fan, I'd consider holding out for the Wrong Turn box-set that's set to release later this year.
Unrated
2009
Unrated
2011
2003
Unrated
2012
Unrated Edition
2006
Limited Edition
1977
2012
Collector's Edition
2013
Warner Archive Collection
1990
Unrated
2007
Unrated Director's Cut
2006
2016
2013
2020
2018
Unrated
2014
2011
1986
Theatrical Cut
2006
2015