Did you know the original working title for Wrong Turn was Deadly Detour? Actually, I’m lying, but wouldn’t that be cool? Both films, however, share kind of the same plot. Two cars full of people head into a dense wood only to find themselves fighting for survival against some…mutated…guy. Both films also have the cast filled with horror stereotypes including the stoner, the guy you WANT to die, the hot girl, the whore, etc. But, at this point can you really put anyone in a horror film and they’re not a stereotype? Really, think about it…
Deadly Detour is the feature film debut by the guys over at Maniac Films. Now, I have seen a lot of indie horror films in my time, especially after working for HorrorSociety. While Deadly Detour isn’t a cinematic masterpiece, it does contain a few better qualities than other indie films. I won’t mention any films specificially…*coughHells Highwaycough* So, let’s go over some of the things this film did correctly. Firstly, gore fans will love it. The kills are twice as long as they should be and most involve at least a bucket of fake blood. There are a few interesting kill-related points to mention such as – my favorite weapon of choice being a baseball bat with a nail in the end; and my favorite kill being the killer stomping on a pregnant woman’s belly so hard that her fetus pops out and he strangles her with the umbilical cord.
Also, the acting is pretty decent for a low-budget film. I really thought Julie-Ann Hamolko was going to be the survivor girl based off the first twenty minutes of the movie. Her fate in the film was almost as shocking to me as another two characters actually killing each other. Kind of silly, but still shocking. Speaking of silly, there’s a lot of dirty/potty play in the film that some horror fans will find to be hilarious. I didn’t enjoy it, but I know certain viewers do. Deadly Detour has tons of pissing, shitting, vomiting, fat man ass, and sexual activity. What makes this all even better is the fact that the score during the sex parts is literally porno music!
Now we have to cover the bad. And there’s not too much to talk about. The audio quality does the normal increase for screams, dip for talk volume that we see with a lot of indie films; nothing too disastrous there. I would recommend that the post production team find a new way to transition scenes than just fading to black for three seconds. And that’s really about it. I don’t recall having anything really bad to say about Deadly Detour while watching it besides those two points.
At the end of the film, though… There is one scene that is either extremely brilliant or extremely demented. As soon as the remaining character stumbles upon…something…I immediately said, “Oh, no!” in a half chuckle. I knew exactly what was coming and didn’t know if I should be insulted or delighted as a horror fan. This scene is definitely what I think is the defining moment of the film. Mike O’Mahony is either going to be shunned from all humans with a soul or rendered one of the most grotesque up and coming horror directors. Watch Deadly Detour to decide which side you will fall into!
