Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings Reviews

Judging from my other reviews, you would not think that horror films would be my thing, especially very gory ones. Actually aim to have a diverse taste in film, so seeing films from all decades and genres with no bias intended. Plus have seen my fair share of horror franchises where at least one film has been good.

Personally quite enjoyed the first two 'Wrong Turn' films, they weren't perfect or great but had a lot to recommend. Hated 'Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead', with the exceptions of two small things. Hated even more 'Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings', a prequel detailing the hillbillies' origins that just came over as completely pointless with nothing interesting to say and was just badly executed as a film. It makes exactly the same flaws as the third film, amplifies them and makes more on the way while not having either thing that stopped that film from being worse.

It's the camera work that fares the least badly in 'Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings', that it's still not very good with only moments of atmosphere is saying a lot about how awful everything else is.

Every single actor here is awful, no exceptions. Inexperience is all over the film. The only things the cast succeed in doing is accentuating that their very sketchily developed characters are either bland, obnoxious or both and impossible to care for. Especially when their behaviour throughout is just so stupid and illogical. The script is even more stilted, clichéd and cheesy than that in the third film.

The story is both derivative and takes simplicity to extremes, and ruins it further by failing to bring any kind of atmosphere to any of the components (or at least consistently with the camera work). There is none of what made the first two films work, everything is just too cheap, too safe, too predictable and too clean. It had a decent premise to work from, but starts dull, un-scary and dumb and stays like that all the way instead of doing the thankful 180 that the second film did.

Visually, there is nothing slick, professional, inventive or atmospheric here, slipshod is a better word for it. Particularly bad in this regard is the visual effects, the only thing that is scary about them is how risible and truly cheap they are. The direction has no personality or professionalism of any kind, there isn't a sense of understanding the genre or how to overcome a less than lavish budget.

In conclusion, unnecessary and amateurish, either to be avoided or watched with caution. 1/10 Bethany Cox