Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (DVD)
Starring Erica Leerhsen, Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, Aleksa Palladino, Daniella Alonso
Directed by Joe Lynch
Distributed by Fox Home Entertainment
Wrong Turn 2. “So fucking what?” That was my initial reaction to the announcement of this flick. Honestly, who was clamoring for a sequel? Still, the original Wrong Turn made some coin and had a cliffhanger ending (for those of you who hung around during the end credits), so I guess it was inevitable.
I was looking forward to this flick about as much as I was on my next trip to the dentist. Then something weird happened. The positive buzz started generating. It started with my cohort Johnny Butane’s Wrong Turn 2 set visit. Johnny was pretty impressed with what he saw. Me? I was pretty shocked. Here’s a flick that had every reason in the world to be phoned in and suck, but apparently, director Joe Lynch had other plans.
The movie starts just a bit after the first film’s events with two returning characters, Three-Finger and the old timer, still kicking around. Things were good for our inbred troupe despite the loss of fallen family members, who met their demise courtesy of Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington’s tenacity and tight shirts. There was always a cousin or sister around to screw to keep up the population, and people never learned to stay out of the fucking woods, so their bellies were always full. Nothing like living off the fat of the land as well as the fat of some poor drunken idiot who wasn’t paying attention to his map. It was smooth sailing until a Survivor-like reality TV show started filming in their twisted backyard. The show, headed up by a former commando named Dale (Rollins), would test the mettle of six contestants vying to be the last person standing in the middle of a post-apocalyptic setting. The series’ producers had all sorts of tests and scenarios worked out for their cash-hungry gang, but no one could have ever anticipated what would become the toughest task of all — living through the night.
Within minutes of filming, the family starts picking off the intruders one by one. They just have one thing standing in their way … Henry fucking Rollins! Wrong Turn 2 promised to be a badass, gory little flick that pitted Rollins vs. flesh-eating deformities, and it delivers by the bucketful!
Before we get into the good stuff, let’s get the bad out of the way, shall we? If Wrong Turn 2 exhibits any weakness, it comes through the, at times, stilted (and even corny) dialogue. The actors do their best with what they’ve got, but the script is just plain hot and cold. Don’t worry; as soon as the blood starts flying, you won’t care.
You see, this is one of those movies. Joe Lynch’s Wrong Turn 2 is the type of flick you get together with friends and watch for a good time. Yeah, it has its shortcomings, but then again, so do the movies that inspired it. Only a horror fan could have delivered a movie this much fun. A movie that knows exactly what it wants to be and revels in it. Plus, it’s also home to the single funniest term for fart I’ve ever heard. Wrong Turn 2 is a love letter to the genre that’s been scrawled in gore. You may not know the name Joe Lynch right now, but if this cat keeps making movies, it’s a good bet you’ll know the name soon.
Even better, Fox Home Entertainment didn’t phone in the DVD supplements either, as we get a nice little package. First are two commentaries, one with Lynch and actors Erica Leerhsen and Henry Rollins, the other with writers Turi Meyer and Al Septien. If you’re only going to listen to one, check out the first with Lynch. You will piss your pants. The guy is a maniac, and Rollins and Leershen also do a great job keeping up. A third commentary track was recorded with just Joe for the DVD, but it never made it onto the disc. Don’t worry, though … we’ve got your hook-up!
Click here to listen to and download the lost Wrong Turn 2 commentary!
From there, we get three featurettes …
The first, More Blood, More Guts: The Making-of Wrong Turn 2, clocks in at about ten minutes and asks the cast and crew one question … What are you scared of? Each shares his or her fears while discussing the vibe and antics on the set. Nothing groundbreaking, but just like the film itself, it’s a lot of fun. Next up, we have a twelve-minute look at the movie’s effects work entitled Making Gore Look Good. Jackpot! See something in the movie that you wanted to get a closer look at? I’m sure it’s represented here one way or another. Wrong Turn 2 is a meaty little flick. This featurette helps us sift through the grue. And finally, we get a three-minute look at the infamous incestuous stump hump scene shot by 311 bassist and videographer P-Nut. Okay, we could have lived without this, but hey, there’s really nothing like watching mutants fuck is there? For those of you with keen eyes, if you search around long enough, you’ll also find a really juicy easter egg. No, I’m not telling you where it is, you lazy bastard! Again, all in all, a good package that’s well worth the cash. Given the quality and absurdity of the film, I’d recommend this DVD even if it were bare-bones!
In short, are you looking for a good time? Need to quench the old blood lust? Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is your hot ticket for gore-soaked backwoods mayhem. It gets even better with repeated viewings and lots of booze. Rent it, buy it, call your friends, and live it up!
Special Features
- Audio commentary with director Joe Lynch and actors Erica Leerhsen and Henry Rollins
- Audio commentary with writers Turi Meyer and Al Septien
- More Blood, More Guts: The Making-of Wrong Turn 2
- Making Gore Look Good
- On Location with P-Nut
- Trailer
- Hidden Easter Egg
Film: 
4 out of 5
Special Features:
3 1/2 out of 5
Categorized:Reviews
