Triggered is a fun battle royale flick that pays homage to the classic slasher/survival horror movies that have come before it while offering a fresh take on these frequently visited genres. When nine friends from high school reunite after college for a night of camping, wild partying, and reminiscing, their night of good times is interrupted when a person from their past returns to rectify a dark secret from their past. The friends are then forced into a sinister game where they must turn on each other and only the last person standing will make it out alive.

I enjoyed this movie but the first thing to know about this film is that you cannot go into watching it with the expectation that it is going to be serious. It was intentionally made to be campy, using several movie tropes and common character archetypes (e.g. the jock, the nerd, the promiscuous girl, the final girl). This movie was a “wink and a nod” to classic movies within this genre and there is an overarching silliness to the whole movie that I think works really well for it. If you do enjoy campy horror movies like Evil Dead, Cabin in the Woods, and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, then you will most likely enjoy this movie.

This movie had a lot of things that worked really well. First, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was similar to some other movies that I have seen while adding a new fresh take. It ended up being a really fun watch for me because of this. Next, I thought that there was a lot of dark humor that was really appealing to me. I also thought that the special effects were exceptional. For being a smaller production this movie does have a lot going for it.

Despite my enjoyment of this film there were some issues with it. One thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was that there was some significant homophobic jokes and references. There were only a couple of these but I think that it is super important to treat people from the LGBTQ+ community with dignity and respect. I don’t know the intent and heart behind these jokes but they were out of touch and disappointing. Another, less concerning issue for me was the dialogue. Where I thought several performances, especially the performances of Sean Cameron Michael as Peterson, Russell Crous as Kato, and Cameron Scott as PJ. But besides these three performances, most of the dialogue was quite clunky and exhausting. I would have liked to see less of a reliance on dialogue and more time with running around in the woods and stabbing. Besides these two flaws I do think this film has a lot of merit to it especially if you go into it with the right frame of mind. I think this movie will draw some attention to Alastair Orr, the director, who I am excited to see more from. 

RORSCHACH RATING:

*Spoilers*

Mental Health Moment (somewhat adult content): Overall this movie was quite silly and intentionally did not have a lot of heavy content. However, it does have some messaging around tragedy, grief, and suicide. Early on in the movie the group is knocked unconscious with gas. When they wake up they find that they have explosive devices with timers strapped to their chests. They are then confronted by Peterson who was one of their high school teachers and the father of one of their old highschool friends who had passed away due to an overdose at a senior party. Peterson, who has been stricken with grief due to the loss of his son and the suicide of his wife, reveals that the death was suspicious and one of the group was to blame, since they were the ones with his son when he died. This suicide was not inteneded to have a message but it was used as a tool to help the story and keep Peterson from being the antagonist that the group fought against. Despite the lack of overall message I think that there is still something to be learned from it. We don’t really get a lot of insight on Peterson’s life, the friends and family he had. But I can’t help but wonder if he did not receive the support he needed after experiencing tragedy. It is so important to have support in times of grief when we are experiencing the lowest lows. When our mental health is suffering, having additional support in our life can make the difference.

If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!

Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Triggered is property of Samuel Goldwyn Films. We do not own nor claim any rights. Triggered is available in theaters, VOD & digital beginning November 6th, 2020.

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