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As far as slasher films go, Wrong Turn was a little better than your average film. Certainly better than Anaconda, despite it's awesome B movie ensemble cast. The Seven inspired credit sequence and tree chop chase scene were nice touches.
It seems to be a staple of a lot of modern horror films to lighten up on the nudity (there was none in Anaconda or Wrong Turn) and go for the implied sex rather than the blatant nudity of the Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street films. It was a big part of the justification for the killings. You did bad things, and you were punished. Now it's just implied that you do bad things; shouldn't your punishment happen off screen too? Perhaps this is a new trend in horror films: bad things happen to you, whether your are virginal or a slut, straight edge or pot head. Or, maybe you just shouldn't go into the woods.
All of the traditional Stupid Human scenes are in Wrong Turn. They leave their friends behind, alone, in the woods. They don't bring any weapons (not even a hatchet or pocketknife) when they go camping. They stick around far too long in the creepy house. They stare at their dying friends rather than run for their lives. And they never, ever, finish off the bad guy. Never just stab someone, when you can cut their head off. Even zombies don't like that. Even the new, super fast zombies.
Then it dawned on me. Wrong Turn, and most horror films, offer a great template for running a role-playing game. You present your players with a host of scenes, straight out of a horror movie. Give them a common sense rating. They have to roll against their common sense when presented with stereotypical movie scenarios. Do you go into the abandoned creepy house? *rolls dice* "Despite your better instincts, you think they might have a phone. and you REALLY have to go to the bathroom. You go inside."
Me: "You stab the villain, he falls through a hole in the floor."
Player: "Great! I run like hell for the door, jump in his car, and get the hell out of here*"
Me: *rolls dice* Nope. Actually, you decide to wander into the basement, to make sure he's dead.
Player: "Oh, crap."
Now that would be a lot of fun.
It seems to be a staple of a lot of modern horror films to lighten up on the nudity (there was none in Anaconda or Wrong Turn) and go for the implied sex rather than the blatant nudity of the Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street films. It was a big part of the justification for the killings. You did bad things, and you were punished. Now it's just implied that you do bad things; shouldn't your punishment happen off screen too? Perhaps this is a new trend in horror films: bad things happen to you, whether your are virginal or a slut, straight edge or pot head. Or, maybe you just shouldn't go into the woods.
All of the traditional Stupid Human scenes are in Wrong Turn. They leave their friends behind, alone, in the woods. They don't bring any weapons (not even a hatchet or pocketknife) when they go camping. They stick around far too long in the creepy house. They stare at their dying friends rather than run for their lives. And they never, ever, finish off the bad guy. Never just stab someone, when you can cut their head off. Even zombies don't like that. Even the new, super fast zombies.
Then it dawned on me. Wrong Turn, and most horror films, offer a great template for running a role-playing game. You present your players with a host of scenes, straight out of a horror movie. Give them a common sense rating. They have to roll against their common sense when presented with stereotypical movie scenarios. Do you go into the abandoned creepy house? *rolls dice* "Despite your better instincts, you think they might have a phone. and you REALLY have to go to the bathroom. You go inside."
Me: "You stab the villain, he falls through a hole in the floor."
Player: "Great! I run like hell for the door, jump in his car, and get the hell out of here*"
Me: *rolls dice* Nope. Actually, you decide to wander into the basement, to make sure he's dead.
Player: "Oh, crap."
Now that would be a lot of fun.
