Wrong Turn is an American slasher film series created by director Rob Schmidt[1] and writers Alan B. McElroy, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (uncredited).[2] The series consists of seven films, five of which share the same continuity, while the later two films serve as reboots.
| Wrong Turn | |
|---|---|
 UK box set containing the first five films | |
| Directed by | Rob Schmidt (1) Joe Lynch (2) Declan O'Brien (3–5) Valeri Milev (6) Mike P. Nelson (7) |
| Written by | Alan B. McElroy (1, 7) Turi Meyer (2) Al Septien (2) Connor James Delaney (3) Declan O'Brien (4–5) Frank H. Woodward (6) |
| Produced by | Stan Winston (1) Brian Gilbert (1) Erik Feig (1–6) Robert Kulzer (1–7) Jeff Freilich (2) Jeffrey Beach (3, 5, 6) Phillip Roth (3, 5, 6) Kim Todd (4) James Harris (7) |
| Cinematography | John S. Bartley (1) Robin Loewen (2) Lorenzo Senatore (3) Michael Marshall (4) Emil Topuzov (5) Martin Chichov (6) Nick Junkersfeld (7) |
| Edited by | Michael Ross (1) Ed Marx (2) Raúl Dávalos (3) Stein Myhrstad (4–5) Ludmil Kazakov (5) Don Adams (6) Cameron Hallenbeck (6) Tom Elkins (7) |
| Music by | Elia Cmiral (1) Bear McCreary (2) Claude Foisy (3–6) Stephen Lukach (7) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (1–6) Saban Films (7) |
Release date | 2003–present |
Running time | 657 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $33.5 million (2 films) |
The films originally focus on various families of deformed cannibals who hunt and kill a group of people in West Virginia in horrific ways by using a mixture of traps and weaponry. The reboot film features a centuries-old cult in Virginia who respond violently to outsiders who intrude on their self-sufficient civilization. The film series became known primarily as a direct-to-video franchise grossing $21.8 million in home video sales.[3]
Films
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong Turn | May 30, 2003 | Rob Schmidt | Alan B. McElroy | Stan Winston, Brian Gilbert, Erik Feig & Robert Kulzer |
| Wrong Turn 2: Dead End | October 9, 2007 | Joe Lynch | Turi Meyer & Al Septien | Jeff Freilich |
| Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead | October 20, 2009 | Declan O'Brien | Connor James Delaney | Jeffery Beach & Phillip Roth |
| Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings | October 25, 2011 | Declan O'Brien | Kim Todd | |
| Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines | October 23, 2012 | Jeffery Beach & Phillip Roth | ||
| Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort | October 21, 2014 | Valeri Milev | Frank H. Woodward | |
| Wrong Turn | January 26, 2021 | Mike P. Nelson | Alan B. McElroy | James Harris & Robert Kulzer |
Wrong Turn (2003)
editIn the first film, a group of six individuals are stalked by One Eye, Saw Tooth, and Three Finger. Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington) is forced to make a detour after a chemical spill on the road. He makes a wrong turn and crashes into another vehicle which had already fallen victim to one of the mountain men's road traps. While searching for help in the cabin belonging to the three monstrous mountain men, they are hunted down one by one. At the end, Chris and Jessie Burlingame (Eliza Dushku) survive.
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)
editThe second film introduces new cannibals: Ma, Pa, Brother and Sister. Three Finger and the Old Man are the only returning characters from the first film. This time, the cannibals hunt down a group of reality show contestants who are taking part in a survival reality tv show.
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009)
editWrong Turn 3: Left for Dead features a group of prison officers and convicts. The returning character Three Finger causes the transport bus to crash, allowing the convicts to escape and take the surviving prison officers, Nate (Tom Frederic) and Walter (Chucky Venn) prisoner. While fleeing, the convicts and their prisoners stumble across a lost truck which had been transporting thousands of dollars, as well as Alex Miles (Janet Montgomery), who has been lost in the woods since Three Finger killed the rest of her friends. Eventually, Three Toes (Three Finger's nephew) is killed by Chavez. Three Finger finds Three Toes's severed head, which makes him furious. He creates a shrine and leaves the head on display in his cabin. The one remaining surviving convict, Brandon, convinces Nate of his innocence, and is set free. Nate returns later to the truck to steal the money that Chavez wanted. But Brandon shoots him in the back with a bow and arrow and takes the money for himself. An unknown cannibal comes up behind Brandon and bludgeons him with a crude club killing him and leaving Alex the only survivor in the film.
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)
editThis film provides the back story to the three original killers and shows their childhood. It also shows the three brothers story. The story focuses on a group of nine teenagers who take a wrong turn while riding their snowmobiles and are looking for their cabin. They end up in an old abandoned insane asylum which is still inhabited by Three Finger, Saw Tooth and One Eye. The friends decide to spend the night in the insane asylum and they are attacked by the hilker brothers. By the end of the film, all nine teenagers are dead. The film served as a prequel to the first film.
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)
editIt is revealed that Maynard is a serial killer who has been on the run for over thirty years, and is now in cahoots with the three cannibal brothers. He repeatedly refers to them as 'my boys' and his kin. Throughout the course of the film, the brothers attempt to break Maynard out of jail and kill off the college students and Sheriff Angela Carter (Camilla Arfwedson), while the rest of the town is at the festival. The film ends with Maynard and the three brothers escaping with the blinded young college student Lita (Roxanne McKee) as a captive.
Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)
editIn the sixth installment, Danny (Anthony Ilott) discovers his long lost family as he takes his friends to Hobb Springs, a Forgotten resort deep into the West Virginia Hills. Danny then has to choose between his family or his friends as they are being killed by his family one by one. The film doesn't follow the continuity of its predecessors and serves as a reboot instead.[4][5]
Wrong Turn (2021)
editInternationally known as Wrong Turn: The Foundation, the second reboot film follows six friends hiking on the Appalachian Trail who become hunted by the Foundation when they inadvertently intrude on the community's land.[6]
Cast and crew
editPrincipal cast
editKey
- A Y indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- An O indicates a role as an older version of the character.
- A V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- A C indicates a cameo appearance.
- An A indicates an appearance through archival footage.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Characters | Original films | Reboot films | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong Turn | Wrong Turn 2: Dead End |
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead |
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings |
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines |
Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort |
Wrong Turn | ||
| 2003 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2014 | 2021 | ||
| Cannibals | ||||||||
| Three Finger | Julian Richings | Jeff Scrutton | Borislav Iliev | Sean Skene Blane CypurdaY |
Borislav Iliev | Radoslav Parvanov | ||
| Saw Tooth | Garry Robbins | Scott Johnson Bryan VerotY |
George Karlukovski | Danko Jordanov | ||||
| One Eye | Ted Clark | Dan Skene Tristan CarlucciY |
Radoslav Parvanov | Asen Asenov | ||||
| Pa | Ken Kirzinger | |||||||
| Ma | Ashlea Earl | |||||||
| Brother | Clint Carleton | |||||||
| Sister | Rorelee Tio | |||||||
| Three Toes | Appeared | Borislav Petrov | ||||||
| Humans | ||||||||
| Maynard Odets | Wayne Robson | Doug Bradley | ||||||
| Chris Flynn | Desmond Harrington | |||||||
| Jessie Burlingame | Eliza Dushku | |||||||
| Carly Numan | Emmanuelle Chriqui | |||||||
| Scott Korbee | Jeremy Sisto | |||||||
| Evan Ross | Kevin Zegers | |||||||
| Francine Childes | Lindy Booth | |||||||
| Nina Papas | Erica Leerhsen | |||||||
| Colonel Dale Murphy | Henry Rollins | |||||||
| Jake Washington | Texas Battle | |||||||
| Mara Stone | Aleksa Palladino | |||||||
| Amber Williams | Daniella Alonso | |||||||
| Matt "Jonesy" Jones | Steve Braun | |||||||
| Elena Garcia | Crystal Lowe | |||||||
| Officer Nate Wilson | Tom Frederic | |||||||
| Alex Miles | Janet Montgomery | |||||||
| Carlos Chavez | Tamer Hassan | |||||||
| Floyd | Gil Kolirin | |||||||
| Brandon Lewis | Tom McKay | |||||||
| Williams "Willy" Juarez | Christian Contreras | |||||||
| Crawford | Jake Curran | |||||||
| Walter Hazelton | Chucky Venn | |||||||
| Kenia | Jennifer Pudavick | |||||||
| Kyle | Victor Zinck Jr. | |||||||
| Sara | Tenika Davis | |||||||
| Jenna | Terra Vnesa | |||||||
| Daniel | Dean Armstrong | |||||||
| Lauren | Ali Tataryn | |||||||
| Bridget | Kaitlyn Leeb | |||||||
| Claire | Samantha Kendrick | |||||||
| Vincent | Sean Skene | |||||||
| Dr. Brendan Ryan | Arne MacPherson | |||||||
| Dr. Ann Marie McQuaid | Kristen Harris | |||||||
| Mrs. Hillicker | Mentioned | |||||||
| Sheriff Angela "Angie" Carter | Camilla Arfwedson | |||||||
| Billy | Simon Ginty | |||||||
| Lita | Roxanne McKee | |||||||
| Gus | Paul Luebke | |||||||
| Julian | Oliver Hoare | |||||||
| Cruz | Amy Lennox | |||||||
| Mose | Duncan Wisbey | |||||||
| Danny | Anthony Ilott | |||||||
| Jackson | Chris Jarvis | |||||||
| Toni | Aqueela Zoll | |||||||
| Sally | Sadie Katz | |||||||
| Vic | Rollo Skinner | |||||||
| Jillian | Roxanne Pallett | |||||||
| Rod | Billy Ashworth | |||||||
| Charlie | Harry Belcher | |||||||
| Bryan | Joe Gaminara | |||||||
| Jennifer "Jen" Shaw | Charlotte Vega | |||||||
| Scott Shaw | Matthew Modine | |||||||
| Darius Clemons | Aiden Bradley | |||||||
| Milla D'Angelo | Emma Dumont | |||||||
| Adam Lucas | Dylan McTee | |||||||
| Gary Amaan | Vardaan Arora | |||||||
| Luis Ortiz | Adrian Favela | |||||||
| Edith | Daisy Head | |||||||
| Venable Ram Skull |
Bill Sage | |||||||
Characters
editThe Wrong Turn film series has featured several different cannibals. All of the cannibals are hostile toward the characters they encounter, showing no remorse for their victims. The cannibals are portrayed as mute, but show the ability to communicate with each other. They also show the mental capability to operate machinery and vehicles. The cannibals stay with each other in groups and appear to be the result of inbreeding.
Three Finger
editThree Finger is the main antagonist of the Wrong Turn film series. He is a cannibal with great physical deformity caused by toxic chemicals he was exposed to at birth, alongside his two brothers. He is a skilled trap maker, crafting his traps so well that they often kill his victims before he can enact horrific acts of violence upon them.
- In Wrong Turn (2003), he made his first appearance alongside his two brothers, attacking the medical student, Chris Flynn and the group of friends including Jessie Burlingame, Carly Marquez, Scott, Evan, and Francine, However, in the end of the film, Three Finger manages to survive as he was last seen killing the deputy sheriff as he investigates the destroyed cabin. However, his brothers were presumably dead.
- In Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, he is seen killing Kimberly by cutting her in half with the help of Brother, a member of the cannibal family. Then, he and the mutant family begin their brutal assault on the rest of the contestants as he successfully killed Neil, a television crew member and captured Colonel Dale Murphy with the help of Pa. Later, he was seen torturing Dale in his cabin but Dale somehow manages to escape before engaging Three Finger in a knife fight. During the fight, Dale manages to shoot Three Finger in the chest with a shotgun and as the result, he was presumed dead, but he survives.
- In Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead, he is trying to kill a group of hikers and prisoners, and he is killed at the end of the film, stabbed in the head with his hook and blown up on top of a car.
- Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, the fourth installment in the franchise, is an origin story of the mutant cannibals showing how they came to be.
- In Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines he is the antagonist alongside his two original brothers. During the series, he has been blown up, stabbed, impaled, and shot various times, and yet survives; he is also very skillful at creating traps that will instantly kill the victims before he finishes his cruel job on them. In addition, he also has the unnatural ability of regenerating.
- In Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, he returns alongside his two original brothers.
Saw Tooth
editSaw Tooth, like his two brothers, first appears in Wrong Turn (2003). He is the biggest and strongest of the family and appears to be the leader of his branch of his family as he is the older brother to Three Finger and One Eye. He is killed at the end of the first film and does not appear again until the first prequel, Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines and then Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort.
One Eye
editOne Eye, the least harmful of the three, first appears in Wrong Turn (2003). Just like Saw Tooth, he dies in the first film, and does not make another appearance until the fourth, fifth and sixth film.
Maynard Odets
editThe Patriarch of the cannibals who appeared in the first two films and the fifth film.
Other cannibals
editWrong Turn 2: Dead End introduces a family of four cannibals called Ma, Pa, Brother and Sister. The two young siblings are shown to have an incestuous relationship; Sister even gets extremely jealous and angry when she catches Brother masturbating while spying on a human girl. Ma gives birth to a mutant baby before she (and the rest of her family) is killed. The second film ends with Three Finger caring for the baby. The baby becomes known as Three Toes in Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead. Three Toes is killed by a group of convicts, and his head left as a warning. Three Finger finds Three Toes' severed head, which makes him furious. He creates a shrine and leaves the head on display in his cabin. In the third film's ending, another cannibal shows up, killing Brandon. The sixth film introduces Sally, Danny, and Jackson.
The Foundation
editThe Wrong Turn (2021) reboot introduces the Foundation, a self-sufficient civilization who have lived on the Appalachian Trail since the 19th century. They are hostile to any outsiders intruding on their secluded community.
Venable / Ram Skull
editThe leader of the Foundation.
Cullen / Wild Boar Skull
editA member of the Foundation.
Morgan / Deer Skull
editA member of the Foundation.
Standard / Wolf Skull
editA member of the Foundation.
Edith
editA member of the Foundation.
Ruthie
editA mute young girl and a member of the Foundation.
Reception
editBox office performance
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Box office gross | Budget | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories |
Worldwide | ||||
| Wrong Turn (2003) | May 30, 2003 | $15,418,790 | $13,231,785 | $28,260,575 | $12.6 million | [7] |
| Wrong Turn (2021) | January 26, 2021 | $1,251,184 | $3,578,742 | $4,829,926 | [8] | |
| Total | $16,669,974 | $16,810,527 | $33,090,501 | |||
Critical and public response
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong Turn (2003) | 40% (82 reviews)[9] | 32 (17 reviews)[10] | C−[11] |
| Wrong Turn 2: Dead End | 70% (10 reviews)[12] | — | — |
| Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead | 0% (5 reviews)[13] | — | — |
| Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings | 57% (7 reviews)[14] | — | — |
| Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines | N/A (3 reviews)[15] | — | — |
| Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort | N/A (1 review)[16] | — | — |
| Wrong Turn (2021) | 65% (65 reviews)[17] | 46 (7 reviews)[18] | — |
Music
editSoundtracks
edit| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Performed by | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong Turn: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | June 3, 2003 | 45:43 | Elia Cmiral | Varèse Sarabande |
| Wrong Turn: Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | July 1, 2003 | 47:01 | Various artists | Lakeshore Records |
| Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | September 18, 2007 | 52:11 | Bear McCreary | La-La Land Records |
| Wrong Turn: The Foundation (Original Soundtrack)[19] | February 25, 2021 | 65:01 | Stephen Lukach | Konigskinder Music |
References
edit- ^ "Rob Schmidt | Director, Camera and Electrical Department, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "Wrong Turn". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "Wrong Turn Franchise Box Office History". The Numbers. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ Whitworth, Spencer (October 3, 2021). "The Wild History of the 'Wrong Turn' Series". Collider. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ Wilhelmi, Jack (April 12, 2020). "Wrong Turn's Full Movie Timeline Explained". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
While there are six movies total in the Wrong Turn franchise, the sixth movie, which released in 2014 was intended as a standalone film under a different director, Valeri Milev.
- ^ "Wrong Turn Reboot Begins Shooting in Ohio". Prime Time. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Wrong Turn (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Wrong Turn (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Wrong Turn (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Wrong Turn". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ "Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ "Wrong Turn 6". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Wrong Turn (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Wrong Turn Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Wrong Turn: The Foundation Soundtrack to be Released". Film Music Reporter. February 24, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.