Title: Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)
Director: Valeri Malev
Runtime: 91 minutes

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The original Wrong Turn was a mediocre film, made solely to capitalize on Eliza Dushku, who wasn’t anything special in it or any other failed project she was placed into (excluding Buffy, of course). Somehow, though, we have received five sequels to that mediocre film, all direct-to-video, and all, strangely enough, better than the original film. I’ll be honest, however, and say that Wrong Turn 3 and Wrong Turn 5 really aren’t very good, and miss the mark that the other sequels hit, so I was a little worried when I heard about a sixth entry.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort opens with a couple skinny-dipping and getting it on in a hot spring. After some full female nudity, the inbred boys show up and mayhem ensues. The film’s second kill is one of the best kills I have seen in a horror film, but to ruin it for you wouldn’t be fair. I spoke a few shocked words of its awesomeness aloud to myself while watching it, that’s how sweet it was, in a gory, bloodshed kind of way.

There are a few things that will make or break a horror film. If your cast isn’t likeable at all then the viewer isn’t going to care about them. Yeah, we love seeing the detestable characters die, but if everyone is that way you’re just waiting for everyone to die, which misses the point of a story. This leads to the second aspect of a horror film that is required for it to be called “good”: the kills must be unique. This doesn’t require buckets of blood or gross-out moments, but they need to be interesting and thrilling.

In Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, Danny inherits a resort in the backwoods of West Virginia. He brings along his girlfriend and a couple of other friends to see what it’s all about. When they arrive they find a beautiful facility that is being kept up by Jackson and Sally, who happen to be related to Danny. Jackson takes Danny out hunting and slowly shows him the family ways. Things quickly fall into place as our boys and girls goof off, get naked, and die.

Outside of the film’s opening scene there are only a few kills sprinkled throughout until the finale. It’s enough to keep the gore hounds happy, and those looking for more “depth” in their horror films will be pleased to know that the cast is fairly likable all around, and that they have enough backstory to make them feel human. They also rarely do anything completely stupid, which is a plus.

There are no weak links in the casting. The inbred boys are crazy and creepy, as they have been in all of the films. Anthony Ilott is fantastic as Danny. His acting skills are put to the test in the finale, and I love every moment where you can see in his face that his character does not know what to do. I also love how Chris Jarvis becomes the character of Jackson: a little off-kilter, but likable when you know he shouldn’t be. Then, of course, all of the ladies give solid scream queen performances, and show off their bodies every chance they get. I really enjoy Sadie Katz as Sally; she has a couple demented scenes in the middle of the film that are especially notable.

Wrong Turn 6 offers two excellent kills. The first is in the opening, and the second is in the finale. Both shocked and thrilled me, and I was very pleased to see that the camera didn’t cut away when things came to a head. That’s my problem with some of these recent direct-to-video horror films. There is no reason to be rated, so there is no reason to be shy about your gore and kills. Not everything needs to be in your face, but in the next breath, when 95% of your kills are off-screen, you’re missing the point of the very genre and fanbase you’re striving to get money from. Thankfully, Wrong Turn 6 rolled out with an unrated version that offers a ton of nudity and lots of sweet, sweet gore.

In no way shape or form is Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort a masterpiece, or the next Oscar winner. However, it’s easily one of the best horror films we’ve gotten all year. It’s bloody and filled to the brim with beautiful actresses showing their goods. It’s clear that the cast had fun making the film, and the audience gets to have a great time watching it. I’m glad to see that director Valeri Milev is in talks to direct the 7th installment because he definitely knows what he’s doing in this genre.

Chris Ranson

Chris was raised on horror films, which gave him a deep love for the genre, especially its most quirky and offbeat titles (like A Nightmare on Elm Street 2). This love quickly turned into an obsession for cinema in 1997, when he decided he needed to see every major theatrical release. Video games (JRPGs), reading (anything but fantasy), and reality television (Survivor) are just some of his other passions. He’s been with Cinefessions since 2013, and has been writing reviews all over the internet for the past twelve years.