Despite the simple premise that may seem nearly impossible to execute poorly, Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort was the cannibal horror movie franchise's biggest mistake.

Beginning in 2003 with Wrong Turn, the franchise's only theatrical release, the following five installments did variations of the same theme, for better or worse: a group of inbred cannibals, all within the same family, hunt and eat hapless travelers in the West Virginia wilderness. As Wrong Turn was the only theatrical release, it is the most well-known and often the most well-liked. Starring a cast of young actors, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Eliza Dushku and later Dexter cast member Desmond Harrington, Wrong Turn took a simple premise and employed much of what made '70s and '80s slasher movies great alongside incredible practical effects from the legendary Stan Winston. However, the direct to video sequels were all over the place in terms of quality, with Wrong Turn 2: Dead End often cited as the only one that can go toe to toe—or sometimes, even improve on—the original.

Related: Why Wrong Turn 6 Was Completely Recalled (But Now Is Back)

Director Declan O'Brien took the helm for Wrong Turn 3, 4, and 5, but parted ways with the franchise for Wrong Turn 6. This was the franchise's first mistake because while O'Brien didn't produce the best entries in the series, he did try to create a more cohesive backstory to the cannibal brothers and expand on the family tree. Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings was a prequel movie that also served as an origin story for the brothers, Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead was a direct sequel to Wrong Turn 2, and Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines was meant to bring everything full circle. Really, Wrong Turn 6 never needed to happen — Wrong Turn 5 effectively completed the story. Under a new director, Valeri Milev, the franchise reached an all-time low.

Wrong Turn 6 Three Finger

The primary antagonists of the Wrong Turn movie franchise are Three Finger, Saw Tooth, and One Eye — brothers who are in the Odets family. However, this background—which was established by O'Brien—was changed, along with the family's last name in Wrong Turn 6. In many ways, Wrong Turn 6 could standalone as a completely separate entry, despite the fact that it includes the cannibals who are a hallmark of the franchise. Instead of focusing on the cannibal family directly, the movie picks up with a "lost family member" storyline, when Danny (Anthony Ilott) and his friends go to stay at a secluded resort, known as Hobbs Springs. Not only is this a difference in how the family operates, as the ones who don't look like deformed mutants run the resort, but it brings the existing three cannibals into the tourism industry, where they work and live alongside their completely normal looking relatives. In previous movies, everyone except Maynard—their father—has some degree of mutation, and since they're inbred, it doesn't seem like anyone wouldn't have these mutations.

While not as strange of a change of scenery as Jason X and Jason Takes Manhattan, which brought Friday the 13th villain Jason Voorhees into deep space and New York City, respectively, the socialized element of the family in Wrong Turn 6 is a strange departure. It does hit a plot point involving very human-looking monsters who are essentially hiding and killing in plain sight, and the franchise has always been about twisted family dynamics to some extent, but the rest of the movies were so beautifully simple that this much background and exposition not only doesn't make sense, given the existing canon information, but it just doesn't work.

After a six year gap, another Wrong Turn movie was announced — this time, a complete reboot. Original writer Alan B. McElroy is returning to pen another installment, which seems like a good move for the franchise. If nothing else, Wrong Turn 7 will be able to depart from the existing sequels in a way that makes sense, given that it's a reboot, not a continuation in name only, which is very much how Wrong Turn 6 feels from beginning to end.

Next: Wrong Turn's Full Movie Timeline Explained