Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)

Directed by: Declan O’Brien | 91 minutes | horror | Actors: Doug Bradley, Camilla Arfwedson, Simon Ginty, Roxanne McKee, Paul Luebke, Oliver Hoare, Kyle Redmond-Jones, Amy Lennox, Duncan Wisbey, Radoslav Parvanov, George Karlukovski, Borislav Iliev, Peter Brooke, Finn Jones, Andrew Bone, Rosie Holden

What started in 2003 as a promising start to a great horror series has been reduced to a laughably weak franchise in no time. This is about ‘Wrong Turn’. The fifteen-year-old original was still characterized by the gruesome atmosphere and the ruthless villains. There is nothing to see in the sequels. Part five doesn’t change that, despite the contribution of genre icon Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley.

In already the fifth wrong turn it revolves around a group of young people. This group wants to visit the Mountain Man Festival. The event is a wild party with sex, booze and mischief as the main ingredients. So far, so good. When our young friends get into a car accident, they end up in jail with one Maynard (Bradley). This paterfamilias is at the head of a gang of cannibals and these carnivores do everything they can to free the kingpin.

Well. The first ‘Wrong Turn’ can still use good special effects, brutal slaughter and convincing make-up. It’s different in the sequels. The only similarity between the original and the sequels is the name. You could also say that villain ‘Three fingers’ is a constant factor, but that’s not quite right. The ghastly ghoul from 2003 can’t be compared to the clown in no-budget party mask from the sequels. The grime is really horribly bad which is in line with most of the acting. Aw, how sad this is! The only bright spot is Bradley who with his natural charisma still provides some tension and entertainment.

The murders are not badly portrayed, but at the same time they look rather amateurish. Everything about ‘Wrong Turn 5’ screams ignorance. This film is characterized by lack of vision and budget. If you’re looking for any kind of quality then you’ve come to the wrong place. In fact: this is not a wrong turn, but a dead end.