'Wrong Turn' Remake Officially in Development

Exploring the aftermath of travelers inadvertently wandering off their route has been a popular [...]

Exploring the aftermath of travelers inadvertently wandering off their route has been a popular format for horror films, with the Wrong Turn franchise utilizing the concept for six films. Franchise creator Alan McElroy is returning to the series with a reboot, with the creator having written the script and The Domestics director Mike P. Nelson directing.

The original film depicted a group of friends who were diverted from their path due to a chemical spill, with their detour putting them in the crosshairs of a mutated and cannibalistic clan. As far as this new approach is concerned, Deadline described the film "as a timely and topical meditation on society and its issues. A cross-country hiking expedition puts a group of friends in the land of an inclusive society, where they soon discover they are under a different rule of law, and may not be the victims they thought they were."

Sequels in the series went on to explore a number of different reimaginings of the core concept, with the film always utilizing backwoods killers. After the initial film, the series leaned into the absurdity of the premise and delivered laughs alongside its scares. This new reboot sounds like it will be a more straightforward approach to the concept and likely stray aware from humor.

Producer Robert Kulzer shared, "Alan's re -interpretation of his own work and Mike's vision are a frightening reflection of our world today: one person's American dream is another's worst nightmare."

Horror films undergoing the reboot treatment comes as no surprise, though what makes this new project interesting is that the original creator doesn't often return to a series to revive it. Previously, filmmaker Michael Haneke wrote and directed Funny Games, which focused on a family who was targetted by local teens for torment and abuse. In 2007, the filmmaker shot an English-language version of the film with a nearly identical script.

Other iconic films in this subgenre include The Hills Have Eyes and House of 1000 Corpses, but the concept dates back decades prior. In 1932, Frankenstein director James Whale delivered audiences The Old Dark House, which saw three weary travelers seeking shelter in the middle of a terrible storm at a nearby mansion. The residents of the house would have been better off alone, with the film helping create the concept of all the things that can go wrong when you veer off of your path.

In recent years, this premise has struggled, as the abundance of smartphones have made the concept of someone becoming stranded nearly impossibly, unless someone loses service or their battery dies.

Stay tuned for details on this new iteration of Wrong Turn.

Are you looking forward to this new reboot? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Deadline]

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