Satan's Triangle

Eerie tale on the open sea with Doug McClure and Kim Novak

Two Coast Guardsmen (Doug McClure and Michael Conrad) fly out to investigate a derelict schooner in the Bermuda Triangle. The former finds a survivor (Kim Novak) wherein the truth of the ghastly scenario is explained. Alejandro Rey is on hand as a minister while Ed Lauter plays a sailor.

"Satan’s Triangle" (1975) debuted on TV as a Movie of the Week. The 70s produced some really good or even great television films, like "Tribes" (1970), "Duel" (1971), "The Night Stalker" (1972), "Kung Fu" (1972), "Short Walk to Daylight" (1972), "Go Ask Alice" (1973), "Pray for the Wildcats" (1974), “Scream of the Wolf” (1974,) "Dracula" with Jack Palance (1974), "Trilogy of Terror" (1975) and many more. You can add this to the list.

I honestly wasn’t expecting much and was only interested because I wanted to see how a TV flick from the 70s with its limited budget could possibly tackle the topic of the infamous ‘Devil’s Triangle’ and be remotely effective. All I can say is it won me over by the end.

McClure always makes for a likable protagonist and Novak was still beautiful at the age of 41 during shooting (her eyes & face are sublime). The bulk of the movie logically explains the extraordinary tragedy through flashbacks and you think the story’s over. Everything comes down to the last act, which cleverly delivers the ‘goods.’

Sure, it’s not on the level of “Dead Calm” (1989) but, if you’re in the mood for a chilling sailing drama/adventure that’s short ‘n’ sweet, look no further.

The film runs about 1 hour, 12 minutes, and was shot at Channel Islands, California (the yacht scenes), with aerial shots of Oxnard, California (helicopter flying out to sea) and Nauset Beach Light, Eastham, Massachusetts (lighthouse).

GRADE B/B-