10 Horror Movies That Keep Tricking Viewers
4. Triangle
Back in 2009, Christopher Smith helmed a trippy time-travel thriller called Triangle.
Due to stress in her personal life, single mom Jessica is looking forward to having a relaxing boat trip with her friends. When the vessel capsizes, though, the group is forced to seek refuge on an ocean liner.
To their surprise, there's nobody on the ship, save for a mysterious sack-headed maniac. When Jessica discovers the area is affected by a space-time anomaly, things go from bad to nightmarish in the blink of an eye.
On a first watch, it's pretty blatant who the killer is, making the inevitable unmasking pretty anticlimactic. But once Jess finds herself caught in a timeloop, Triangle becomes so unpredictable, it's surprisingly hard to follow.
When Jessica sees different versions of her friends, she needs to figure out which of them are from the past, present, or future, knowing her actions can create or destroy specific timelines. Sometimes, Jessica does the opposite of her past self, suggesting she can change the timeline. Other times, her actions seem locked into place, indicating her destiny is predetermined.
By the time all's said and done, it becomes painfully obvious the audience was looking at Triangle's overarching narrative from the wrong angle.