Triangle (2009)

Triangle (2009)

Christopher Smith is a partial newcomer to cinema, at least quantity wise. He's been making films since 1997 however this is only his 5th movie to date. This one though has made me want to see where he is going as a filmmaker and excited about his 6th film which comes out next year. While I can't claim that this was the best horror film that I've seen this year the unique way it was presented with such a very underused premise was brilliant to watch.

The story involves a group of 'friends' who are going out to sea on a yacht for the day. By group of friends I of course mean they all know the owner of the yacht but really don't know each other for the most part making it hard for them to easily interact with one another. It's a great reason on bringing a group of strangers together that makes sense without having to try to bring up a long and drawn out back story. All you need to do is focus on the potential love interest of the owner of the yacht - Jess. A single mother and clearly out of it Jess is the major character to follow throughout this story as she is the first to realize something is out of the norm.

While at sea there is a flash storm of epic proportions that destroys the yacht and we see the group survive and picked up by a passing ocean liner. I use picked up rather loosely as it pulls up right next to them and they hop on without it stopping. It's not every day where you see an ocean liner that is apparently empty of passengers and crew alike. While it appears deserted you know as well as I that while watching a horror movie a deserted area is never truly deserted and soon after the killing starts. Someone is hunting this group of friends.

Now when you have such a small group of people that been rescued you would wonder how they can all be killed rather quickly and still allow the movie to easily go forward? Without realistically spoiling a single thing they are quickly removed and it quickly becomes clear that "Jess" is both the main character and the only one that matters. However, this is quickly shown how it is possible though the explanation isn't readily apparent until further into the movie. There is a twist that comes up that reminds me of a few science fiction plots I have seen in my day though never put into such a fun horror themed world. It's hard to go into great detail with the story line without touching on what the twist is or how it plays out, which is a shame because said twist is what will make or break the movie for you.

The film itself carries through to the end and has a strong finish that makes you truly feel that you finally see what is actually going on. It's not a 'unique' idea in horror but one that is rarely used and never quite like this. If you want something that is mostly original and not your everyday horror movie (yet still a slasher flick at heart) this one is a great one to pick up or rent.