“These are clearly Not Good People. We gotta get the fuck outta here!”

Genre: “Hillbilly” Horror With A Twist
Year Released: 2021
Pedigree: Remake/reimagining of the original 2003 gorefest.
Where I Watched: Showtime

Synopsis: Poor Scott. His college age daughter Jen has been missing for almost two months, ever since she and her friends decided to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail. But while Scott gets no help from the locals of the small Virginia town Jen last called him from, Jen and her friends have had it worse. Because they did the one thing locals warned against; they went off trail.

Fabulous or Frustrating?: Okay I’ll admit it; I’d put off watching this one, as the original was such a complete gorefest I figured I’d need to be in the right mood for it. But surprisingly, this Turn isn’t that gory. Like, around a five out of ten. The start of the film is the ookiest, with other bloody stuff either happening off screen, or in a wide shot that distances you from the blood.

The story goes in directions I didn’t see coming, and was a welcome change. I figured it would be more of the “run run run, chase chase chase, murder murder murder” kind of thing, as with the series so far. But this film digs into the “village” of wilderness folk, and how they exist. Think Midsommar meets The Ritual via Deliverance. I even found myself feeling a bit sorry for the folk, as things start as a bit of a Tucker and Dale vs. Evil mixup…until the survivors have to escape via the cave where the folk stash their “guilty”. Nope. NOPE.

Pretty damn good performances from the cast, especially Charlotte Vega as final girl Jen, Adain Bradley as Darius, and a “What are YOU doing here” Matthew Modine as Scott. Yes, the hikers do really stupid-ass stuff, and a few skew heavily into the annoying hipster who hates everyone who isn’t exactly like him. But it’s amazing that my emotions were able to swing back and forth between the hikers and the folk. (Modine’s Scott seems to serve only as a hint at the Townsfolk Ex Machina and epilogue than any real subplot.)

Be sure to watch through the end credits for continuation of the final scene; it’s definitely worth the extra few minutes. Plus, there’s a really creepy yet Strangely Beautiful rendition of “This Land is Your Land” as the credits play.

Freak-O-Meter: 3.5 out of 5 Freaks