Wrong Turn: The Foundation

Eine Bemühung um die Verrückung der bekannten Slasher-Serie zweiter Klasse in Richtung thematisch inhaltsreicherer Horrorfilme wie Midsommar. Es sollte auf dem Weg einer schlauen Demontierung von Genre-Klischees (The Cabin in the Woods) passieren. Leider wurde daraus ein Versuch, der so dumm wie die vorigen Filme ist. Ohne zugegebene Dummheit ist es nicht mehr so eine unterhaltsame guilty pleasure Sache. Den Film konnte man sich nur wegen der Neugier ansehen, zu welchen unerwarteten Wenden es kommt, damit der Film innovativ wirkt, obwohl er sich nur mechanisch alles Mögliche von überall her ausborgt (die Endstilisierung der Hauptheldin als Bogenschützin von Die Tribute von Panem - Tödliche Spiele bestätigt die Zuschauerzielgruppe). Nur über den Zusatz muss ich irgendwie nachdenken. Der war so brillant wie von Jordan Peele in den Zeiten von Get Out - Rette deine Haut. Und Bill Sage wirkte in ihm zum ersten Mal im ganzen Film nicht wie eine billige Version von Ray Winstone. (21.02.2021)

It’s a paradox that this very well executed film with a fairly good and original premise (for the standards of the “group of people confronted by forest rednecks” subgenre) feels the need to carry the name of the Wrong Turn franchise, which turned into unwatchable shite after the first two entries, when it basically doesn’t have anything in common with it. In fact, I don’t think it’s a benefit, quite the opposite, because for those few people still interested in that dumb franchise, this will be a boring and pointless attempt at some sort of socio-political insight. In contrast, for me it was a bit of a pleasant surprise, and about a month ago, the news of a reboot had caused tremors of resistance in me. There are a lot of things that need fine-tuning, for instance, if they had a more likeable group of characters and explained more about The Foundation, it could be very good. Like this, it’s just good. (13.02.2021)

The only thing the reboot of Wrong Turn has in common with the original is the name and maybe the traps in the forest, so diehard fans of the series will be disappointed. From the trailer, it was quite obvious that there won't be mutants this time (which is not a big deal, since the best ones were in The Hills Have Eyes anyway) and this new direction possibly brought a fresh breath. Actually, the only thing that slightly bothered me is that most of the murders are off-screen, but fortunately they usually show at least "what's left". The group of teenagers is okay, the blonde is a likeable babe, who at the end comes off as Lara Croft, and I definitely have to praise the decent craftsmanship, the nature, the nice masks of animal skulls, and the very well built-up tension (the fall from the slope in front of the rolling log was great), and that one atmospheric and creepy scene that nobody expected (the corridor of the blind is wonderfully unpleasant). The final 20 minutes are quite intense, culminating in a sharp and interesting ending. It could have been even more brutal and dirtier, but it is still more brutal than most of the horror movies that have come out recently. I am satisfied, I have a weakness for forest massacres and there hasn't been a proper one for a long time and probably won't be. Those 49% are laughable and irrelevant for now. Story***, Action****, Humor>No, Violence****, Enjoyment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 7.5/10. (13.02.2021)

The relief! I put it on because I was curious to see how they could reboot a six-episode series of average redneck carnage, and to my pleasure, the creators took a major step aside, unafraid of disappointing fans. The intro hints at classic hixploitation in the spirit of the series and the running in the woods among traps and the shadows of the pursuers is playful, yet surprisingly dynamic and even tense at times. The break in the middle will certainly not please many people, but I thought it was great, even though it’s also a rip-off from many places and it didn’t feel very well thought-out overall. It manages to make you care about the characters, and the relatively sudden and short bursts of violence work better than senseless and excessive gore, and, when you think things will turn out exactly as you predicted in the middle, you get the bizarre and in its own way very funny nail that holds this entire satire about an uncommon American neighbourhood – it’s a pity that they don’t sell it at all as satire and the atmosphere is uneven because of that. In any case, a fine surprise with several great horror ideas (blind in the dark) and nice actors. 70% (13.02.2021)

I've seen a few wrong turns in my life, so I thought I knew what I was in for, but I didn't. The filmmakers went about it a little differently, making a thriller rather than a horror film, and it was quite a pleasant surprise. Instead of a well-worn, predictable plot, I got to see something a little different. I was introduced to a community compared to which the Amish are pioneers of progress. I didn’t have to feel sorry for the perfectly politically correct bunch in the car, and I quite enjoyed it. (11.04.2021)