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Created Nov 09, 2007 06:52PM PST • Edited Nov 09, 2007 06:52PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Pretty Bad 1.5

   Wrong Turn 2: Dead End takes place in the same woods as the original film did. However, this time the reason that our characters are there is because of a reality television show much like survivor. Kimberley Caldwell plays herself as the only celebrity that is participating in the show. She isn’t happy about this though, thinking that she is above this. Kimberly thinks she should be starring in a movie rather than roughing it in the wilderness. Soon this becomes the least of her problems just as it will for the others contestants. These contestants are Nina (Leerhsen), Dale (Rollins), Jake (Battle), Mara (Palladino), Amber (Alonso), Jonesy (Braun), and Elena (Lowe). The last person standing when it is all done will win a $10,000 prize. It is everyone for themselves and no one seems to be making any extra effort to make allies in their fight for survival. This fight becomes much more extreme when some of the contestants begin to fall victim to monstrous deformed beings. They seem to be everywhere in the woods. By the time, many of them learn of the dangers they are capable of it is too late for them. They begin to be killed in brutal ways. Those that haven’t been slaughtered yet try their hardest to get out of those wicked woods alive.
   There are also several side stories with many of the characters when they pair up with the other contestants. Mara becomes the replacement when Kimberley doesn’t show up. She really has no drive to do this, but she does it for her boyfriend, the director, M (Holmes). Mara steps up to the challenges though only to find out the man she did all of this for is letting her down. Elena is one of the characters the film could do with out. She was the slut of the show who would do anything for her slice of fame even if it meant throwing her integrity out the window. Jonesy would be the easiest target for her as sex and women are at the top of his priorities. He chases after Amber, a military woman who served in Iraq. This ends up being a lost cause though as she reveals that she is a lesbian. Unfortunately for her though, this just turns him on more. At first, Nina isn’t very likeable. She is cold and seems to brush everyone off. As the intensity of things increase though, she begins to open up a bit. We find out that her fiance slept with her best friend and put her in massive debt. His actions scarred her life in more ways than one. Dale and Jake are probably the most helpful characters. Jake had dreams of becoming a football player and Dale plays a tough military man. When things get rough they don’t run in cowardly fear like some of the others. They put others first and fight to get as many of them out of there alive as possible.

4. Acting

   Pretty Bad 1.5

   Some of the acting is okay while some is much worse. It fails mostly with the more stereotypical characters. Kimberly Caldwell didn’t do much for the film and luckily she isn’t around too long.

5. Male Stars Pretty Bad 1.5

6. Female Stars Pretty Bad 1.5

7. Female Costars Pretty Bad 1.5

8. Male Costars Pretty Bad 1.5

10. Film

    Barely OK 2.0

    The film would have done much better if some of the less significant characters were focused on less. There is some good material for the ones who do contribute something to the film. However, we don’t really have enough time with them to get to know them or care about them. They aren’t completely wasted, but it is just a shame that they weren’t developed upon more. One thing preventing this was the amount of main characters. There were so many that there was no focus, preventing the audience from really seeing in to a character enough to feel for them.

11. Direction Pretty Bad 1.5

12. Play Pretty Bad 1.5

13. Music OK 2.5

14. Visuals Good 3.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.3

    The deformed creatures did serve as a threat and gave out a sense of abnormalities not just by their looks but by their behavior too. They were brutal and seemed to have no emotions at all. Their killing seemed to in fact turn them on, as if this is what their thrived upon. All of the animals in the area were gone so they resorted to humans. In a deserted area like the one they were in, you can tell that they don’t get the chance to kill people very often. Any chance they do get though, they attack on impulse. They even teach their children on this from birth; raising them as killer cannibals. As well as tricking their victims to eat their opponents. If you are a gore hound, this movie will satisfy. There are buckets of blood and every one of our characters is at least injured or tortured in some way; many of them unique from the other.

17. Sex Erotic 3.5

18. Violence Brutal 3.3

19. Rudeness Profane 3.0

21. Reality

    Glib 1.7

    Towards the end, the film gets better. The only problem is that even in some of the intense scenes you can’t fully appreciate it due to the lack of originality. I am not even talking about copying the first film. Even putting the initial movie aside, you get the sense that you have seen this before and in better context. Many of the ending scenes seemed to be an altered version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the lead actress, Erica Leerhsen, was in fact in the 2003 remake of the film. There is a scene where the deformed family is eating dinner and Nina is trapped in her share at the same table, screaming in pain just as Sally did in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre when she was stuck at a similar talble. Also, there is an instance where it seems like some help will be brought to the victims. However, just as in the 2003 remake, they are betrayed since the family of killers is everywhere in the community, ready to serve their family human flesh.
    Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a decent horror film that has some faults holding it back. The film just has a feel to it that makes it just okay but nothing beyond that. It isn’t bad for how it could have been. I liked the first film, but it wasn’t great, so I could see how there might not have been that much to work with. Originally, the film was going to keep the two characters from the first who survived. They backed out when they found out it was going straight to dvd. It doesn’t surprise me that they didn’t want a part in it since the writing isn’t all that solid. It really isn’t even a wrong turn. It is not just a mistake that led the character in to danger, they were there solely for the purpose of money. There are some stereotypical points that hold it back. Unfortunately, the writers resort to reusing ideas from better horror films. The gore, violence, and sick state of the inhumane deformed people added to the intensity of the film. However, it couldn’t quite save the movie.

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.7

23. Biological Glib 1.7

24. Physical Glib 1.7