Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Jen and a group of friends set out to hike the Appalachian Trail. Despite warnings to stick to the trail, the hikers stray off course—and cross into land inhabited by The Foundation, a hidden community of mountain dwellers who use deadly means to protect their way of life.
The 2021 Wrong Turn reboot smartly pivots from the original franchise's inbred cannibal formula to a secretive survivalist community called The Foundation, giving it a fresher premise than expected. The plot holds together reasonably well with some genuine tension, and the acting is serviceable if unspectacular. Cinematography captures the Appalachian wilderness adequately without distinguishing itself. The novelty is moderate — it subverts the slasher formula enough to stand apart from its predecessors but doesn't fully commit to its more interesting social themes. The ending deflates much of the built-up tension with a rushed and unsatisfying resolution that undermines the film's better instincts.