WRONG TURN 4: Bloody Beginnings- The Hughes Verdict

 

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginningsreally does cheat us with its selling concept.What we the fan were told is that this, the 3rd sequel in a surprising successful franchise was going to be a prequel, foretelling us what happened before the events of the original. What I was hoping for was a kind of Tremors IV kinda feel, set in the 1800’s, into how this crazy bunch of inbred cannibal killers actually turned out like they did. If you think of it, that is a pretty cool idea. An era where modern technology is way out of the question and those in danger have to rely on their wits to survive the threat of being eaten alive.

What we get with Bloody Beginning is nothing of the kind. Yes it is a prequel but sadly only for about the first 15 minutes and then its set in the 70’s, before skipping forward to the year 2003. Now if you anything like me and you’ll start wondering when Wrong Turn came out, then please do not sit there for 89 minutes thinking about it because I will tell you here. It was actually 2003…..yes the same year that this is set, so again….how the feck can this be called a prequel?

My only guess is that this timeline is set either days or months before the events of the original but because it is snowing and the fact that in the first film, it was all nice and sunny….I would say that it being set afterwards is probably the more realistic answer to that question. Oh and by the way…yes I did have to goggle the 2003 date straight after this film, because it did drive me crazy throughout this.

Now that my crazy ramblings is over and what starts off like a negative review actually is far from it, because Wrong Turn 4 is actually a really good sequel, in fact and shocking to say but I probably had more fun watching this than I had with the last two. The reason being is probably because this chapter sold its soul to appease fans like myself. Gone are the long treks in the deep woods that served the others well, this time we have just one location to focus on which is a pure horror environment. Be annoyed Session 9, Grave Encounters and countless other films, the makers of this franchise have stole your destination, yes I am talking about the one and only horror cliche of an abandoned Mental Asylum that just happens to be placed up in those woods.

The “prequel” moment at the beginning shows us the now three established inbred’s that have become the franchise lead bad guys. We see One-Eye, Sawtooth and Three Finger all younger and locked up in that Asylum. Somehow they manage to unpick the lock on their door and soon in the style of House On Haunted Hill, the inmates run amok and kill all those who work there. This sequence does actually set up a quite brilliant gory set-piece involving the head Doctor that is so good, fans of all things gore will lap it up.

The film skips to the year, you guessed it, 2003 where we meet the meat for the inbred’s and what a welcome. Boyfriend and Girlfriend having a bit of graphic sex while nearby two lesbians are going down on each other…….its a kind of start that the teenage horror crowd will love, I mean gore and sex in the first twenty minutes, what more could they wish for.

To cut a long story short, the gang of friends decide to go up to this cabin in the woods, they manage to get lost (one of them actually says the phase “wrong turn” and because it is snowing and they will probably freeze to death, instead of turning around and going back home, they stumble upon that Asylum which has been left to rot, even though it looks quite clean and tidy, and of course what we get is an odd new take on Cold Prey.

The best thing about this sequel is that the gloves are off. The title says bloody and damn it is in such a wonderful way. Once the trio arrive and see that their place is suffering from what can be called in horror a “Home Invasion” then its time for a bit of mayhem and what I loved about the film is that the deaths are just fun. We have a brilliant and sick “eat alive” scene that is gruesome and well played out and many others that slash fans will love and take to their heart.

 

What I loved is that the film knows its daft, knows its audience and so just runs with it. Its a glorious straight to DVD horror that will make fans happy and is the best out of all the sequels and after the dismal third film its amazing to think that the same director Declan O’Brien has pulled this out of the bag. Filmed in only 19 days with a zero budget and it shows with some of the make-up design, Wrong Turn 4 is a welcome entry into the horror field and thanks to some strong word of mouth and growing fan apprectation, expect a fifth sometime soon.

 

                                                                                   Rating:

 

Read Matt’s more indepth review right here….