'Wrong Turn' has few right moves

As if the world needed another reason to be terrified of inbred hillbilly psychos, Hollywood gives us "Wrong Turn." Flowing strongly in the vein of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Deliver-ance," it's the touching tale of a group of privileged, pretty youngsters stranded in the middle of nowhere, subject to the warpath of freaky mountain men who for no apparent reason like to cut up campers. \n Basically, the kids are trying to find a phone and end up trying to stay alive, both to no avail. I was stoked about this flick. I went in expecting loads of gore and sadistic dismemberment, and I was disappointed. There's a good reason you might not have heard of this film at all. There are only TV spots and internet trailers circulating, since the MPAA denied approval of a theatrical trailer despite several subsequent re-cuttings. They're saying that the promo was "too intense." This just added a stroke of exoticism to the film for me. Too hot for theaters! All right! Only, the violence was heavily watered down. True, some parts were sorta sick, but nothing shocking. \n Rob Schmidt apparently traded in the tactics used in his stylish, angst-ridden "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia" and went with a more cookie-cutter method of directing. Effects legend Stan Winston's inbred psychos look and sound creepy, but there's no development of their history. The characters are way too shallow. Everyone is killed off before you can begin to care about them. Two characters are killed the second we meet them, and right after smoking a joint and partaking in some woodland nookie, nonetheless -- way too formulaic. You know from the beginning who's going to live and die. And let's not forget the gimmicky ending that screams "Give me a sequel!" I can see it now: "Wronger Turn."\n Despite the criticism, I found the movie entertaining. It's a good way to kill time. So I leave you with this advice. If you want to freak your significant other out with a creepy popcorn flick, take him or her to this movie. If you ever want him or her to go camping with you again, don't.