‘Wrong Turn 6’ Recalled Indefinitely

Imagine this just happened to you:

You’re relaxing on your sofa, taking in some hillbilly-horror-bubblegum, when all of a sudden you see your Grandma’s face on a missing person’s flyer in the movie. You feel like you’ve been socked in the stomach. Not only is your Grandma dead, but she really had gone missing. In fact, what you’re looking at is your Grandma’s actual missing person poster—in a horror movie! Adding further insult to injury, you’re 66-year-old, dead Grandma is described as an 81-year-old man. What the fuck?

This isn’t an episode of The Twilight Zone—this is real-life. The film is Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, and the Grandmother in the poster is Stacia Purcell of Wexford County, Ireland. Purcell’s family has filed an invasion of privacy lawsuit and 20^th Century Fox has responded by taking Wrong Turn 6 off of streaming platforms and recalling all Blu-Rays and DVDs—indefinitely.

Image of Stacia Purcell’s missing person poster in Wrong Turn 6, her face is covered out of respect for her family.

What’s the big deal?

You might not personally think it’s a big deal, but, frankly, your opinion doesn’t matter. The only views that need to be considered are those of Stacia’s family; if they feel victimized and exploited, or that the memory of their matriarch has been maligned, then they deserve restitution.

The fact that Stacia’s image was used in a horror movie is especially heartbreaking for the family. This is not an episode of The Hunt with John Walsh or a film about missing persons; this is graphic, highly sexualized, hillbilly torture-porn. Stacia suffered from a massive heart-attack while out on her own; a few days later, her body was pulled from a local river. It’s a tragic accident, and foul-play was never suspected. Using Stacia’s image in Wrong Turn, however, implies that she is a murder victim and/or that her body has never been found. What a lousy way to honor a deceased woman’s memory.

I’d like to know how this even happened in the first place. Is the use of real crime scene paraphernalia in horror movies common? Was it someone in the art/production department who decided to Google some images of missing persons posters instead of creating them from scratch? I hope someone at least got fired!

Mixed Bag for 20^th Century Fox

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort had only been on the market for a month before it was pulled. And while reviews have been mixed, sales were actually pretty decent. So having the film recalled definitely puts a damper on its momentum, and going into the Holiday shopping season, this couldn’t come at a worse time for Fox.

Infamous banned Body Count album Cop Killer.

There are, of course, certain instances where bad press can actually gleam positive results, which is quite often the case with gangsta rap and horror movies. When Body Count’s album Cop Killer was banned in the early 90’s, its popularity soared. Nothing makes an item more desirable than being told: “You can’t have it!” No doubt, the controversial reception A Serbian Film received overseas had a lot to do with creating strong interest for the film in America.

The difference, of course, is that Wrong Turn 6 wasn’t recalled because it was too intense or graphic. It was recalled for causing real emotional pain. Still, being recalled dons the film in a mystique that will actually give it more staying power than it deserves. And I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Fox makes the edits, settles the suit, and rushes Wrong Turn 6 right back out—and probably with some misleading tag-line: “Banned and Recalled Worldwide”. Gee, doesn’t that sound exciting?

Many who already bought Wrong Turn 6 have started hocking their copies on eBay for many times their original worth.

To be fair, this isn’t a review of Wrong Turn 6; it may be fantastic, or it may be completely dismissible. But either way, the callous use of Stacia’s image leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What’s your opinion? Sound off in the comments.

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