One of the great joys of watching genre cinema is the amount of films where a bunch of suspiciously model-like and relentlessly annoying ‘teenagers’ come to a succession of bloody and brutal ends. There seems to be an almost infinite number of scenarios you can put a group of friends through before gleefully starting to slaughter them. In Alastair Orr’s new film, Triggered, he has great fun tormenting some particularly obnoxious youngsters.
An impromptu reunion results in nine former schoolfriends embarking on a camping trip to the middle of nowhere. Their fragile camaraderie is held together by a shared secret. The sudden death of one of their mutual friends, Caleb, at a party they all attended. Whilst the cause of death was unclear, they have all seemingly moved on with their lives. Unlike the deceased’s father (Sean Cameron Michael) who has a unique way of exacting revenge.
Triggered is an explosive horror which mixes the carnage of a film like Battle Royale with a teen melodrama. Whilst their bickering is all too familiar, Orr’s concept of strapping his victims into explosive vest is, to say the least, novel. After a slow start, he quickly cranks the story through the gears; going from nought to sixty in a matter of seconds. This fast pace then never relents. Making Triggered a wild and wacky rollercoaster ride.
Triggered screened at Grimmfest.
