I was curious to see what Wrong Turn was like, seeing as some were heralding it as a return to the horror movies of the '70s, in particular The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes.

Too bad about all those grads from film schools, who've learned their trade so dang well as to give even films this cheap and nasty a high-gloss, soft focus sheen. It really does take away from the potential luridness of these horror movies. Wouldn't you rather sit through something that looks cheap, horrid and nasty, an aesthetic quality that matches the onscreen murders? I know I would.

Anyway, a bunch of youths find themselves lost in the bush, where they are preyed upon by a savage household of mutants who chop up carloads of victims. There's plenty of predictability here, including the obligatory Deliverance reference. The good-looking innocent leads look like they should be in an afternoon soap or shampoo commercials (or both), also taking away from the potential lurid factor. Gosh dang it, I want my bloodthirsty cannibal mutants the old fashioned way: down and dirty!

» Matthew Hays