I make no apologies: This flick is a whole lot of good, gory fun. A follow-up to the 2003 Rob Schmidt movie Wrong Turn -- which focused on a bunch of young adults who stumble across some vicious mutant cannibals in the woods of West Virginia -- Wrong Turn 2: Dead End provides a really amusing way for our latest victims to end up in trouble: They're the contestants on a Survivor-style reality series -- and let's just say the program's location scouts were rrrrreally stupid. Because our six contestants (and a few poor producers) are actually tramping around Mutant Cannibal Country ... and things are about to get splattery.

From the opening kill, first-timer Joe Lynch sets the pace quite slickly: This is going to be a fast-paced and energetic hack-'em-up, one that's not even remotely afraid of doling out big buckets of gooey gore. No, it's not a "bleak and disturbing" sort of horror flick, but one that approaches the violence (and the viscera) with a wink, an arched eyebrow, and a solid little elbow in the ribs. Indeed, if there's one major difference between Wrong Turn 2 and its predecessor, it's that the original was pretty darn stone-faced, while the sequel hits the screen with tongue planted firmly in cheek. (But yes, it's still pretty creepy on occasion.)

If you're a hardcore horror fan who spends a lot of time watching the flicks, then you'll recognize practically everyone in the cast. Standouts include the luminous Erica Leerhsen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) as a bad girl with a thawing heart, Aleksa Palladino (The Ring 2) as producer-turned-unwilling contestant, and Daniella Alonso (Hills Have Eyes 2) as a tough-gal lesbian who kicks some serious butt. Special props go out to American Idol star Kimberly Caldwell for providing some laughs (and one stunningly memorable moment), the mega-sexy Crystal Lowe (and her pair of (ahem) stunners), and the rock-solid madman known as Henry Rollins. As the gung-ho host of the reality show, Rollins is all kinds of fun here. And just wait till you see ol' Hank battling down with the mutated freak-faces. (It's just too bad you'll have to enjoy Rollins' enthusiastic ass-kickery with a small audience in your own living room instead of with the raucously receptive crowd like the one at Fantastic Fest.)

If the pacing drags just a bit near the opening of Act III, Lynch makes up for the slack by presenting an impressively pulse-pounding Bear McCreary score. And let's throw a little praise towards screenwriters Turi Meyer and Al Septien for fleshing out the characters just enough that we care about who gets hacked and who might just survive. You're given a nice dose of "rooting interest" just to keep things moving -- and it really does help when you want some of the characters to survive.

It's a simple enough bottom line: If you grew up on the myriad slasher sequels that hit the scene between 1981 and (let's say) 1987, then there's very little chance you won't enjoy Wrong Turn 2. So while nobody's going to mistake the scrappy little flick for "high art," it's a surprisingly well-made love letter to the old-school adventures of Jason, Michael and nasty ol' Leatherface. Plus with its snarky-yet-spooky approach, it works as a very solid counter-point to the first Wrong Turn. I hate to sound like a Fox advertising executive, but I'd say the pair makes for one helluva Friday night double feature. Just be sure to bring beer and pizza.

Special note: Although it's been screened at two rather prestigious genre festivals -- UK Frightest and Austin's Fantastic Fest -- Wrong Turn 2 was produced by Fox Home Entertainment. And it might be the first direct-to-video horror sequel that's actually worth the price of the DVD. Give it a rental and tell me I'm wrong, gorehounds.