How does Wrong Turn 2021 end, and does it set up a sequel? Instead of complete reboots, horror franchises have increasingly opted for legacy sequels in recent years. One prominent example is David Gordon Green's Halloween, which followed on from the events of the 1978 original while ignoring the sequels. While other franchises like the upcoming Candyman are following a similar formula, Wrong Turn 2021 dared to completely hit the reset switch.
This new entry keeps the Wrong Turn title and the basic concept, but it otherwise has no direct links to the previous movies. The reboot has an unusual structure too, opening with Matthew Modine's Scott as he travels to a small town asking for information on his missing daughter Jen (Charlotte Vega). Jen and her friends - including boyfriend Darius, nurse Milla and her partner Adam and couple Luis and Gary - went missing six weeks prior while hiking the Appalachian Trail. The locals warn Scott from looking for her, and the movie then flashbacks to what happened.
Wrong Turn 2021 reveals the group went looking for an old Civil War fort, only for a rolling tree log to suddenly appear and crush Gary. The survivors become lost in the woods and suspect they're being stalked; soon Milla goes missing and Adam is caught in a trap. The major turning point is when the group finds Adam being carried off by mysterious figures in robes wearing animal skulls. Adam beats one to death in revenge for Milla's supposed death - only for Milla to suddenly reappear unharmed. The group is then captured one by one by The Foundation, while Milla is killed in a trap.
The Foundation is a cult that retreated into the mountains in 1859 as they feared the collapse of America, and they would be the "foundation" the new society would be built from. The survivors are taken to the Foundation's hidden settlement and put on trial; Adam is found guilty of murder and beaten to death while Luis is sentenced to "darkness" and has his eyes burned. Jen makes the group an offer, stating Darius can help with infrastructure and maintaining their settlement. She offers herself as a healthy partner to the group's leader Venable (Bill Sage), who accepts.
Wrong Turn then catches up with Scott, who hires a guide to lead him to find The Foundation. His guide is swiftly killed and Scott is captured, with Jen having shot him with an arrow. It turns out this was a ploy for her survival, and she later helps her father escape while killing several cult members who try to stop them. Darius - who has fully converted to the cult's way of life - refuses to escape with them. The story then jumps ahead again, with the now pregnant Jen back to her old life and working with her dad.
The finale sees Jen visit her stepmother, only to see Venable and Ruthie - a young girl Jen befriended in the camp - sitting at the table. Despite The Foundation's isolation from society, Venable does a nice job fitting in as a "new neighbor" and he requests Jen come back with him or he'll kill her family. Wrong Turn 2021 seems like it will end on a dark note as she leaves with him and enters an RV with several cult members, but as it drives away, it can be seen swerving and it crashes. Jen then kills the fleeing Venable before walking away hand in hand with Ruthie.
Wrong Turn 2021 ends on a conclusive note, but there are threads a sequel could pick up. The ending showed the cult can blend into society if they choose, so there's nothing to stop them from seeking revenge on Jen. She's also pregnant with the child of their dead leader, which might be more incentive for them to chase her; a sequel could even see Jen take the fight to The Foundation. A follow-up has yet to be confirmed, but Charlotte Vega's Jen is such a compelling character it would be interesting to see where she goes in another Wrong Turn movie.