Film Review: Triggered (2020)

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SYNOPSIS:

Nine friends, all harboring a dark secret, go camping in the woods. After a wild night of partying, they wake up with SUICIDE BOMBS strapped to their chests, all with varying times on their countdown clocks. They decide to work out how to disarm the bombs or find help – until they discover they can ‘take’ one another’s time by killing each other.

REVIEW:

TRIGGERED stars Sean Cameron Michael (“Black Sails,” The Mummy), Liesl Ahlers (Friend Request, Daylight) and Reine Swart (The Lullaby, Detour). The film was directed by Alastair Orr (House on Willow Street, Indigenous) and written by David D. Jones,making his feature screenwriting debut.

Triggered is wild and brutal. Alastair Orr directed this movie and David D. Jones wrote it. It stars Sean Cameron Michael as Peterson, Reine Swart as Rian. Reine Swart appeared in The Lullaby and recently she wrote and directly the critically acclaimed film, Heks. Suraya Rose Santos, Steven John Ward, Craig Urbani and Cameron Scott.

Sean Cameron Michael plays Mr. Peterson. We meet him in the very beginning of Triggered. He has big plans for this group of friends.

Now, we meet the group of reunited friends camping in the woods, partying, having fun. (What could possibly go wrong? Right.) Erin (Liesl Ahlers) and her friends are chilling, drinking, and having fun. Well, some people are having more than others. During a phone interview with actor Sean Cameron Michael. He told me the film was filmed in a forest in Johannesburg. Triggered is wild. These nine friends played by Suraya Rose Santos, Reine Swart, Liesl Ahlers, Steven John Ward, Russell Crous, Cameron Scott, Michael Lawrence Potter, Kayla Privett, and Paige Bonnin.

Sean Michael Cameron is Mr. Peterson. Mr. Peterson is the former science teacher who lost his son. These nine friends have something to do with his death. This film reminds you of Saw. They also blatantly reference the Saw movies. There are quite a few films that have referenced or paid some kind of homage to the Saw movies. Triggered, specifically makes me think of Saw II with Shawnee Smith playing the leader to a group of people who freak out and go through a lot of chaos to survive.

The group in Triggered finds they are deep shit and they have bombs strapped to themselves. Mr. Peterson would be the ‘John Kramer/Jigsaw’ role in this film. Tobin Bell portrays John Kramer/Jigsaw in the Saw films. You cannot imagine the film without Tobin Bell. That is sort of what Sean Cameron Michael does with this role. A disturbed and saddened yet mad man. He obviously uses skills from his former life to make this complicated game of survival for this group of friends.

There is an interesting plot-twist with Mr. Peterson. This reunited group of friends have to go through all of this chaos in order to survive. They argue, get snappy, they have to decide if they will kill each other? A lot of times people panic in stressful situations. We have some cheating scandals, sex, partying. This movie has all the components that would meet Randy Meeks rules. (Randy from Scream). The group also learns once the bombs are activated, they get more time by killing someone. There is the battle with humanity and empathy. Do you kill your “friends” to survive?

It’s a crazy concept. Mr. Peterson gets an easy way out but not before all the madness and chaos he starts. They want to stick together and then they want to split up. Some of these friends are capable of killing the others. There is always a killer in the bunch. The special effects are excellent in Triggered. I have a feeling Reine Swart’s character Rian will be okay. She is a smart science character. She knows what she is talking about. (I’m rooting for you Reine Swart.)

The axe dragging scenes are always great. One of the best ones is from The Strangers: Prey at Night. Kato (Russell Crous) is playing his character with all the violent gusto he has. It’s great. Rian has a secret. This movie is a wild ride. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Make sure to check out Triggered.