I have to admit that when I got Wrong Turn 2: Dead End in the mail, it quickly found its way to the bottom of my “must watch” list. After the insipid original, I’d come to the conclusion that the “backwoods mutant” genre had pretty much hit the saturation point, and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to yet another film cementing my opinion. Then something funny happened; the more humorous than horrific Wrong Turn 2 turned out to be a helluva lot of fun!

A group of wannabe reality TV stars converge upon the Appalachian woods to film a post-apocalyptic themed Survivor rip-off. The series’ host, ex-special forces soldier Colonel Dale Murphy (Rollins), excitedly explains the show’s ridiculously convoluted set of rules, and our contestants quickly go about the task of completing their first survival challenge. What they don’t realize, however, is that a very real threat lurks in the woods around them, as a family of mutants have already sized them up for dinner. As the contestants are picked off one by one, Dale, Nina (Blair Witch 2 hottie, Erica Leershen), and Jake are faced with the ultimate survival challenge; getting out of these woods alive.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a very welcome surprise in that, unlike its predecessor, this is a film that holds its tongue firmly in cheek throughout, with over-the-top gore, squirm-inducing gross outs, and lots of laugh out loud funny moments (of the intentional variety). Director Joe Lynch heaps on liberal doses of grue and guffaws, making the somewhat clumsy screenplay, budgetary restraints, and cable access caliber performances by some of the cast members go down much easier, while the casting of

Rollins as the Rambo-esque Murphy proves truly inspired.
Fox presents Wrong Turn 2: Dead End on a fairly well-stocked DVD that includes a trio of featurettes, including “The Making of Wrong Turn 2”, “Making Gore Look Good”, and “On Location with P-nut”, as well as a cast and crew commentary, trailers, and more.

Wrong Turn 2 isn’t a great film, but it’s one heck of an entertaining one, and light years better than a lot of the “serious horror” films that have come down the pike in the last year or so. It’s got blood, it’s got boobs, it’s got a wicked sense of humor – it’s everything a gorehound could ask for. If torture porn’s got you down, and you’ve had your fill of ghostly Japanese girls with hair down to their ankles, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is just what the doctor ordered.