The Wrong Turn franchise may not be one of the biggest in the horror community, but despite most of its entries being released direct-to-video, it has persisted since its start in 2003, and has developed a strong fanbase. The fifth installment, Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines, was notable for a couple reasons, including a unique opportunity for a fan.
First, the director and writer of the third and fourth installments, Declan O'Brien, returned to continue with this film. Second, beloved horror icon Doug Bradley, who had a cult following all his own for originating the role of Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise, played the lead role. Bradley is known for his villainous characters in horror and played serial killer Maynard Odets, who massacred college students at a music festival alongside the trio of hillbilly cannibals that this film features.
While the first Wrong Turn movie was the only one to get major recognition and a theatrical release, an upcoming seventh film, entitled Wrong Turn: The Foundation, could potentially result in a second theatrical release for the franchise. While most of the movies have been poorly rated and panned by critics, associated crew have tried to reward their fanbase by not only continuing to provide the bloodshed they desire, but in a way that gave one particular individual the experience of a lifetime.
In 2012, the popular horror site Bloody Disgusting established a contest that would offer the lucky winner an opportunity to travel to Sofia, Bulgaria, stay at a hotel that was built over an ancient Roman theater, and have a small speaking part in the film. The majority of Wrong Turn 5 was made at UFO Film and Television Studios in Dolna Malina, a village outside of Sofia. The village countryside was transformed to emulate the West Virginia forests that the franchise is known for using as a setting.
The winner of the contest was Renee Johnson, who traveled 18 hours each way to get to Bulgaria, and was credited in the film as "Girl." In discussing her experience, Johnson talked about renting Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, and enjoying it. Johnson described her experience in Bulgaria as largely positive, stating that the director, producer, crew, and actors were all very welcoming to her. Johnson enjoyed speaking to and spending time with the actors, who were primarily English. It was also unique, in her opinion, to get a behind-the-scenes take of the production, make-up, costuming, props, and special effects that all contribute to the making of a film.
Johnson also stated that the majority of the extras on set were locals. Post filming, everyone enjoyed a large, catered, authentic Bulgarian dinner in the production studio. Overall, the movie was not well regarded, though this had little to do with Johnson, who played a very minor role. While the franchise has embraced some subversive elements in the past, the last sequence of the film implies a very dark ending for the final girl, who is subjected to sexual violence from all the film's villains. Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines is typically considered to be the worst installment because of poorly written characters, bad acting, cheap CGI, and an inferior storyline to the others.
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