Wrong Turn Remake Director Reveals Scene That Landed NC-17 Rating

Wrong Turn got a very different remake this year–moving away from cannibal hillbillies to focus on a more civilized people who live off-the-grid in the Appalachian mountains called The Foundation. However, there was one scene cut from the movie that landed it the infamous NC-17 rating.

During the Wrong Turn audio commentary from director Mike P. Nelson, he explained the exact moment where the MPAA slapped the naughty rating on it. “[The] execution scene with Adam here was the moment in the movie in which we got an NC-17 from the MPAA,” Nelson explained during the movie.

The scene in question features travelling city-boy Adam about to be executed in a bizarre court of law by The Foundation after Adam is found guilty of murdering another member of the hermit tribe.

“Originally, this scene played straight through, in which you saw Adam get his head bashed in, and it did not cut away, like it’s going to do there,” Nelson continued. “It keeps going and going, and you see his head break apart. But it was a little too much, I guess, so we had to cut that back.”

Nelson hoped there’s an uncut version of the movie that will be released in the future. As of this writing, there isn’t one. However, this ultra-gruesome moment was an important point for the movie. “Originally, my intention for that moment there was that we really haven’t seen that much violence on screen up into that point,” Nelson continued. “A lot of it’s off screen or hidden. And that was sort of the moment where you are supposed to be confronted with the most brutal form of violence in the movie yet. It’s probably still the most brutal piece of violence in the film, but the idea was to not cut away and to show it in its full glory.”

As the director mentioned, the execution sequence is still in the movie, but during the violence, it cuts to reactions from the cast. Nevertheless, it’s still effective at confronting the audience with pure brutality. This year’s Wrong Turn remake is quite a bit better than its 2003 counterpart, which is more a traditional early 2000s horror romp. The 2021 version has a bit more to say about morality, and there is a bit more ambiguity between “good” and “evil.”

Currently, Wrong Turn is for sale on Amazon for $17. The movie is also available at Best Buy for $17 as well. Additionally, digital versions are available at various retailers for purchase or rental.