Triangle Review (2009)

	Triangle
Year:	2009
Director:	Christopher Smith
Stars:	Melissa George, Michael Dorman, Liam Hemsworth, Rachael Carpani, Emma Lung, Henry Nixon, Joshua McIvor
Genre:	Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction, Weirdo, Fantasy
Rating:	7 (from 1 vote)
Review:	Following on from his abysmal 2004 debut Creep and the cheap and cheerful if somewhat tonally inconsistent Severance, director Christopher Smith has delivered his most accomplished work to date in the form of Triangle - a film which thankfully doesn’t stink. Rather it’s a breath of fresh air in the fetid psychological horror subgenre that post-Shyamalan has increasingly relied upon “big twist” final act revelations to compensate for poor structure and a dearth of characterisation. What makes Triangle stand out from the crowd however is its thoughtful construction; Smith has crafted a fiendish Matyroshka doll of a horror flick worthy of repeat viewings to appreciate just how splendidly it all fits together. Melissa George plays Jess, the jaded single mother of an autistic child who embarks on yachting trip with potential paramour Greg (Michael Dorman) and his friends. However the fun in the sun comes to an abrupt end when a freak storm erupts and overturns their vessel. Now stranded, the group has no other choice but to board the sinister 1930’s ocean liner that fortuitously materialises from behind a fog bank. Once aboard Jess experiences an intense bout of déjà vu. Shes utterly convinced she’s been on the ship before and that something sinister is afoot. At first Jess is greeted with incredulity by her companions but this swiftly changes when a shotgun-toting masked maniac begins to brutally murder members of the party... To divulge any more would be to rob the piece of its impact entirely, let’s just say what ensues is akin to a homicidal Groundhog Day with Twilight Zone-inspired supernatural trappings. George delivers an admirable turn in a role that demands little more than sustained histrionics whilst the performances of the supporting cast are at best perfunctory; although to be fair their characters are little more than sketchily drawn meat puppets to blasted and slashed by the killer. God loves a trier. Smith has shown consistent signs of improvement as a filmmaker and overall Triangle is an enjoyable addition to the genre that ticks along nicely and rivets your attention till its satisfying denouement.
Reviewer:	Rónán Doyle
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Christopher Smith (1970 - )

British writer and director with a penchant for the macabre. After making short films at film school, it was seven years before his first feature was released, the London Underground-set chiller Creep. He followed it with well-received comedy horror Severance and shipboard puzzle Triangle, then the medieval horror quest Black Death. As a change of pace, he next directed his own spin on Christmas, family fantasy Get Santa, and was also responsible for one of the Borley Rectory horrors, The Banishing.

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