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Rapid Fire DVD's: WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD, 100 FEET, SHORTCUT

This installment of Rapid Fire will focus on a trio of DVD’s that probably couldn’t differ any greater. We’ve got backwoods bodily trauma, a spine tingling haunter and a shortcut that should be avoided at all costs. Buckle up, let’s talk movies!

http://youtu.be/yYAyDmOjZi0

WRONG TURN 3 provided a bit of a surprise for me. I got just about what I (obviously) expected; group of hopeless victims stranded in the backwoods of Hell, getting picked off one by one by deformed cannibals. However, there're a few twists and a couple cool kills that save the picture (to an extent). First off, we're not dealing with a reckless group of horny booze chugging, weed smoking 20-something’s, rather we've got a group of shackled convicts and a prison guard or so on deck. There's a few pretty damn entertaining kills as well; there's no punches pulled in the gore department, and most of the key carnage scenes are better left watched, rather than read.

On the negative de of things, there just isn't much else new offered here. The would be hero(ine)s seem obvious from the jump. For a group of serious criminal offenders, there's only one genuinely menacing figure in the bunch (kudos to Tamer Hassan, who plays Chavez - that lone vile villain). Much like the SAW franchise, the repetitive surroundings and sets are becoming a bit tired, but perhaps my largest complaint is a lack of villainous flesh eaters. There's only a few on hand, and the largest, most intimidating of the bunch looks like he'd lose a fist fight with my ten year old daughter. Worst off, there isn't a ngle member of the cast I can call truly memorable. It's hard to invest too much in a film in which you really don't care about any of the characters, good or bad.

Just the same, weighing the good and the bad - WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD is entertaining. It's not the kind of picture you're going to add to your annual Halloween DVD lineup, but it's worth a chuckle and a grimace or so - at least once.

DVDetails

Bonus material includes a handful of entertaining featurettes and a pair of deleted scenes.

http://youtu.be/t-gBqiG_y0M

The true surprise of this batch was the Famke Janssen driven, 100 FEET. Janssen plays the role of Marnie Watson, who's been released from prison, but placed on house arrest for the murder (which she claims was self-defense) of her husband Mike (Michael Pare who, pretty much just appears in photographs). It's obviously an emotional time for Marnie, but being confined to your home for one year can become even more emotional when the ghost of the man you killed still invades the redence. Despite departing the flesh Mike's still exercing his dominance (now in ghostly fashion), pummeling Marnie on a daily bas. Marnie once again reaches out for help, but due to the fact that Mike was a police officer at the time of his death she isn't receiving much in the way of support. With a little help from the outde world Marnie believes she may have uncovered a means of escaping Mike's brutality. But that's a feat eaer said than done.

I could be crazy, but I'm fairly certain I caught a few minutes of this on the SyFy network not too long ago. Regardless, it's a fun movie that pushes forward at a very comfortable pace. The character development is great, and Famke Janssen is - as usual - a believable (and absolutely lust-worthy) lead. While we're not treated to a particularly large body count, there is one death scene that has to be one of the nastiest things I've seen in ages. I won't give too many details about that, but I'll say this: you'll without a doubt know it when you see it. If you're remotely near as twisted as me, you'll probably enjoy it thoroughly as well.

I will make one final note. The CGI almost worked. There are a few visuals that are truly chilling. But for every eerie moment, there're two hokey shots to negate the potives. I think Pare in some nifty makeup could have added a completely new dynamic to this film; this time around, the CGI serves as little more than a bone of contention.

DVDetails

Nothing to see here folks, a trailer is tossed in the mix, but that's the beginning and end of the supplements.

http://youtu.be/IxqT47jlAJE

Finally, it’s time to talk convenience, you know, THE SHORTCUT. Legend has it those who travel a local shortcut are rarely seen again. When a young boy stumbles upon a mutilated dog, he enlists the asstance of his brother and a few friends to investigate. But what lies beyond this shortcut is more menacing than initially believed. And this group of curious teens is about to run into the true evil that invades these forests. Of course, that true evil may be a lot closer to home than any of them realize.

Director Nicholaus Goossen does a damn fine job transferring Dan Hannon and Scott Sandler's script to film. What initially seems to be a straightforward backwoods hillbilly slasher flick takes a few plot detours (that are admittedly a bit predictable) that help the film to shine in areas where other films of milar nature do not. The cast is impresve, and though there isn't a wealth of character development put to work, each focal player earns enough screen time to merit remembrance. And hell, anytime you throw the grizzled Raymond J. Barry (who always creeps the hell out of me personally) in a pair of villainous shoes, you've got yourself a recipe for the eerie.

DVDetails

Unfortunately you're not going to find much in the way of bonus features; the disc contains some commentary and a ngle trailer.