Film Review: Passenger
Nomadland meets It Follows in André Øvredal's gripping and effective horror
Another week, another review praising a newly released horror film. Given that I’ve raved about at least four over the past month or so (Hokum, Undertone, Exit 8, and especially Obsession), it seems ludicrous to do so again. Well, perhaps I won’t rave to quite the same degree. Passenger, directed by Trollhunter (2010) helmer André Øvredal and written by Zachary Donohue and TW Burgess, arguably isn’t in quite the same league as that lot. Nonetheless, it’s still immensely effective as an imaginative and frightening piece of cinema.
The film begins at night with a pair of pals on a road trip (played by Miles Fowler and Alan Trong). When they pull over briefly, something attacks them. I won’t spoil exactly how that plays out (even though the trailers have) because it’s a strong, scary opener. However, I will say that the folkloric rules of the story, concerning how you should never pull over at night when on a road trip in the US, are immediately apparent. Subsequently, a young couple, Tyler (Jacob Scipio) and Maddie (Lou Llobell), who recently decided to travel and live in a van, happen upon the aftermath. Whatever demonic evil attacked the two blokes at the start attaches itself to them, and alarming developments ensue.
It’s best to keep further details vague, because whatever is stalking these travellers proves more unsettling the less is known about it. The film gradually reveals the nature of the menace, and when it does, it becomes a bit less nerve-shredding. However, the strong Judeo-Christian ethic inherent throughout is dramatically satisfying, and the suspense set pieces are nail-biting. They often take place at night, amid blinking headlights, so you perhaps think you see a figure in the woods by the road. Then it’s gone. Then it’s closer. Or is it even there at all? Another particularly unnerving moment takes place in an empty car park. I should add that, like the films mentioned in the first paragraph, this knows how to use jump scares effectively. Surround sound is also deployed to great effect, so that’s another reason for horror fans to see this one at the cinema.
A welcome Melissa Leo pops up in the supporting cast to provide some suitably terrifying exposition. As for our leads, Scipio and Llobell make Tyler and Maddie easy to root for. They’ve left their apartment and are engaging in a nomadic lifestyle as drifters. Tyler is in his element, but Maddie is less sure and secretly craves stability. Of course, whatever relationship challenges they have get interrupted by all the scariness.
In some ways, this film could be summed up as Nomadland (2020) meets It Follows (2014). Given that I’m somewhat agnostic on the former but love the latter, Passenger proved to be right up my street. However, a part of me slightly resents it for using one of my favourite romantic films, Roman Holiday (1953), as a prop in a notably disturbing but admittedly innovative sequence. I just hope the effect isn’t permanent. I really don’t want to start imagining evil figures lurking in the background when I next feel like wallowing in the company of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck as they fall in love with one another in Rome.
Will the current unbroken run of good horror films continue? Next week sees the release of Backrooms, so I’ll review that soon and keep you posted. In the meantime, horror remains a buyer’s market at the cinema, with Passenger another sterling addition to the current scariness menu.
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