Jacob Scipio and Lou Llobell star as Tyler and his fiancee Maddie. On a road trip in their van, they witness a horrific car accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they’re being pursued by a demonic stalker who is impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go.
Passenger will not go down as an all time classic but it is one of the more effective horror movies this year so far. Recently, there has been a tendency amongst horror movie makers to set up a premise and then ignore it so that they can throw anything scary they can think of at the screen. But here, writers T.W. Burgess and Zachary Donohue keep the narrative simple and its all the better for it.
Director André Øvredal peppers the film with three outstanding set pieces, one in a car park, one when they change a tyre, and one as Tyler and Maddie watch Roman Holiday. He shows a lot of flair with all of those. The leads are fine, but it is Melissa Leo as a fellow traveller who steals the acting honours.
There are a couple of moments towards the end that do not work as well, but Passenger is frequently creepy and quite effective.
Rating: 7 out of 10