DVD review: Triangle

Long, deserted corridors, psychological tension and plenty of axe action.

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Ethereal, chiming music undercut by the faint drone of a nearby lawnmower opens Christopher Smith's psychological horror film, Triangle, set in a quiet American suburb. It's an apt beginning for a passable film that is Stephen King-like throughout - there's a good deal of axe-wielding, long deserted corridors and reference to the number 237 (that room in The Shining). Principal in the story is Jess (Melissa George), a pretty young mother to a small, autistic son Tommy. It's her day off, and she is going sailing on the boat of her friend Greg (Michael Dorman), along with four others. Off they merrily sail, straight into the driving rain and winds of a vicious squall. Greg should, perhaps, have paid more attention in sailing school, because the boat - called Triangle - has soon capsized and the crew are one member down. The remainder bob on the upturned hull of the Triangle (the storm having disappeared as swiftly as it arrived), until they're rescued by a 1930s passenger liner that looks remarkably like the Titanic. But, ooh, spooky - there appears to be nobody on this enormous ship. Only endless corridors, a buffet that looks like a decaying still life and strange, clanging noises all around them. Stick with it through the first 40 or so minutes, because the second half is more intriguing and captures well the inescapable sense of a bad nightmare. Just don't expect a gore-fest, although we snatch a glimpse of brain at one point. Possibly best just to think of it as a psychological, vaguely scary version of Groundhog Day.