Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Retired military commander Colonel Dale Murphy hosts the simulated post-apocalyptic reality show where participants are challenged to survive a remote West Virginia wasteland. But the show turns into a nightmarish showdown when each realizes they are being hunted by an inbred family of cannibals determined to make them all dinner!
Wrong Turn 2 is a competent and surprisingly energetic slasher sequel that cleverly fuses the reality TV format with backwoods cannibal horror, giving it a fresher hook than its predecessor. The plot is functional genre fare elevated by the reality-show conceit, which adds light satirical texture. Henry Rollins as a gruff ex-military host is a genuine casting coup and elevates the material considerably, though the rest of the cast is thin and forgettable. Cinematography is serviceable genre work — gritty and atmospheric in the woods without being particularly distinctive. The kills are creative and gory, pleasing genre fans. The ending deflates somewhat, falling into predictable last-survivor conventions without a memorable payoff. Novelty earns a bump for the reality-TV-meets-cannibal-clan mashup, which felt fairly fresh at the time for a mid-tier DTV horror sequel.