Triangle

In this UK/Australian co-production, a group of acquaintances Down Under set out for a day’s sailing at sea. The trip is cut short when a violent storm materialises out of the blue, wrecking their yacht. Salvation comes in the shape of the SS Aeolus, a passing ocean liner. They manage to clamber aboard… at first finding it seemingly deserted. However, a presence soon makes itself felt, picking off the party one by one. Can single mother Jess (Melissa George), foil the assailant, and why does she find the boat unnervingly familiar?

That short synopsis may make this sound like a generic one-by-one slasher. However, Brit director Christopher Smith has created an altogether more spooky and intriguing offering; one that strays much further in to Twilight Zone territory. Without wanting to give too much away, imagine Ghost Ship with a dash of The Shining and… um, Groundhog Day. Smith has worked hard on a plot that slowly falls into place to reveal its secrets, and there are a couple of particularly arresting visual scenes – the pile of corpses that have dragged themselves in to one corner of the deck offer a particularly grisly image. Lead actor Melissa George also turns in a decent performance as the terrorised and confused Jess.

On the downside, some of CGI looks surprisingly cheap, and Smith can’t quite pull off a truly satisfying ending. We realise what’s happening but not why, which may leave some viewers feeling a little short-changed. However, this remains a better than average and entertaining little shocker – particularly for those who like their horror served up with a good dose of mystery.

Last edited: 14th October 2009

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