Triangle

[kadee]

We really enjoyed this. I've pinched this review from Gareth Harding.

Triangle

Starring Melissa George

Horror on the high seas for Melissa George in new film Triangle. Who'd have thought a movie this repetitive could be interesting? Read a review below.

It’s difficult to remember the last time a genuinely scary or creative horror film was released. The first Saw movie back in 2004 maybe? Or regressing further, The Blair Witch Project? Regardless, they’re few and far between these days.

So, sitting down in front of Triangle, in which a group of pretty, flesh-baring American thirtysomethings set off on a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean, there doesn’t seem to be much chance of a buck in trend.

There’s not much in the way of a slow build up either. The film opens roughly at point of the groups departure. Melissa George – who most will recognise as Angel from Australian soap Home and Away – takes centre stage as Jess, a young single mum who’s been troubled by strange visions ever since she awoke on the morning of the boat trip. Slightly aloof, she joins friends Victor (Liam Hemsworth), Heather, Sally, Greg and Downey aboard a hired yacht as they sail out to sea on a relaxing break.

Triangle Exploits our Worst Fears

There’s something about the vastness of the ocean that lends itself brilliantly to horror. Whether it’s a legend about the Marie Celeste, the Bermuda triangle, or an ancient story of giant squid or a blockbuster about a killer great white shark, our fear of the sea’s unknown realms are raw and primal. Triangle taps into this uncertainty, creating an uncomfortable edge to the opening few scenes as the group head out into the unknown. When broken down, there are more than a few horror tales condensed into this little movie. Indeed, it is the emergence of a Marie Celeste-like ghost ship that signals the inevitable sense of doom that will prevail over the rest of the movie.

After experiencing a sudden change in weather conditions, Jess and her friends are thrown overboard by a series of freak waves, capsizing the boat and leaving its crew stranded. Out of the dense fog (there’s another maritime horror that Triangle consciously or unconsciously references) emerges our steel antagonist.

Familiar Surroundings.

Jumping aboard the ocean liner, the group find their rescue ship deserted, but there’s an eerie sense familiarity that follows Jess around as the four (having lost Heather in the storm) begin to search the decks for passengers. The ship’s antiquated maze of corridors have a loneliness that definitely gives Triangle a air of The Shining, and, in much the same way Jack Torrance was haunted by visions of the past, Jess suffers a similar change in character.

After splitting up to search the quarters the quartet begin to drop quicker than Paris Hilton’s underwear. A lone masked gunman has made himself known, picking off each character like sitting ducks. But there appears to be something a little too familiar about the assassin for Jess, who’s slowly, and to her horror, beginning to piece together the strange series of events plaguing her memory. However, just when it appears she might get out alive, another crew of lost yachtsmen turn up on the horizon, leading Jess to believe she might be on the ship a little longer than expected.

Triangle Proves to be a Surprisingly Original Film

What could quite easily have unfolded into 90 minutes of creaking doors, characters bumping into each other and hot-pant-wearing Melissa George screaming her way to a frantic finale, actually turns into quite an interesting series of twists which will challenge the most dedicated of viewers. Don’t even begin to try and explain to anybody what happens in the second half of this film, it’ll tie the most studious of cinema goers in knots.

Triangle isn’t likely to scare anyone, or leave them on the edge of their seats in suspense. It’s really not that kind of movie. It’s more of a thinking man’s horror, likely to leave you scratching your head rather than quivering, but this is certainly a welcome antidote to the usual Halloween tripe.

Viewers will find themselves challenged to uncover the loopholes within the plot, and there probably are a couple, but just be thankful of the mental stimulation that you’ll get from this movie as it doesn’t come often these days. To be talking about a movie's twists and turns during the journey home rather than mocking the stupidity of it all is something to behold these days. The relatively little known cast, and less than cliché-breaking opening act are without doubt deceptive. Triangle is a film definitely worthy of your attention. It’s clever, incredibly well edited and surprisingly satisfying.