Satan’s Triangle

• Directed by Sutton Roley
• January 14, 1975
• ABC

A United States Coast Guard helicopter is sent to answer a distress call coming from inside the infamous Bermuda Triangle.

Satan’s Triangle came out when the Bermuda Triangle was strong in the public consciousness. It uses the mythology of the time built around the area (with some embellishment of their own) to tell the story but is strong enough on its own so that all these decades later it can be enjoyable without the concept resonating in the public mind. That is not to say it is perfect. It certainly has issues.

Doug McClure plays 70s guy’s guy Haig who even back then was probably a little creepy and not someone you would really trust as a friend especially if you’re a religious man like his copilot Pagnolini (Michael Conrad) was. Haig seemed to pull into any port in a storm while Pagnolini was written as almost a daily church goer. Twice on Sundays. These were two very different people yet were displayed as best buds.

Haig gets stuck on the mystery boat and encounters things that are just not right. They do a fine job of creating weirdness and an eerie feeling. Given what we get today on television let alone from theatrical releases this won’t frighten you, but it will let you know you’re watching a horror film. I wouldn’t call it unsettling akin to maybe an episode of the classic The Twilight Zone series.

Haig encounters Eva (Kim Novak) on the boat. She appears traumatized and relates events prior to Haig’s arrival in what makes this whole film a flashback. During the course of the story they imply that the Triangle is a place where Hell connects to Earth. And the fake out with Haig being able to offer scientific or logical explanations on what happened on the boat was great and helped improve the true ending of the movie.

Not to ruin too much but Satan takes over the body of someone in the Triangle who fails the test and uses that body to trick the next victims. Great idea. I did find that body hopping a bit reminiscent of the later Devil.

What is occurring in the Bermuda Triangle (though they refer to it almost exclusively as Satan’s Triangle) is revealed as a test for those that are going to die. The problem I have is that there’s no clear defining of what exactly the test is. I don’t need a clear set of rules explained but I do need the film to end with an understanding of what might have saved the victims. That just doesn’t happen. This was their one last chance to be spared or go to heaven but what were the rules?

The music is rather generic and not tailored to a scene but somehow it works. There’s just something about it that I really enjoy that helped improve the quality of this 70s television horror film. I was able to set myself in the era and the music was a good creepy music for the time.

Satan’s Triangle is not a great piece of television but it is an entertaining piece of television from some time ago. You won’t be scared but you will enjoy your time. I say locate this on YouTube and enjoy!