The supernatural horror film "Passenger," directed by Andre Ovredal, is now available on VOD platforms, including Prime Video. The movie, which features Lou Llobell and Jacob Scipio as a couple embarking on a cross-country van trip, has been described as a generic and uninspired genre exercise.
"Passenger" opens with two unnamed men on a desolate road who encounter a mysterious figure. One of the men disappears after stopping to relieve himself, and the other witnesses him being thrown through the car's windshield. The figure, characterized by straggly hair, exhibits random malevolence, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
The narrative then shifts to Maddie (Llobell) and Ty (Scipio), who are moving out of their Brooklyn apartment to embrace a nomadic lifestyle in a custom van. Despite Maddie's initial uncertainty, she accompanies Ty on his dream of living the "van life." Their journey takes a turn when they encounter a similar desolate road and witness a car crash involving a figure resembling the one from the opening scene.
Encounters on the Road
Upon reaching a gathering of van dwellers, Maddie notices scratches on their van and encounters Diana (Melissa Leo), a seasoned van lifer who offers an ominous warning: "People don't take trips, trips take people." The film employs a series of jump scares, often featuring the sudden appearance of the mysterious, malevolent entity.
Critics have noted that "Passenger" struggles to differentiate itself, especially in a contemporary genre landscape that has seen innovative low-budget horror films like "The Backrooms" and "Obsession." The film's attempts at developing its characters and domestic drama are described as haphazard and dull, interwoven with a bland supernatural horror scenario. While Ovredal's direction shows some competence, particularly in sequences designed to build paranoia, the overall effect is diminished by the film's reliance on predictable scares and a lack of originality.
Comparisons have been drawn to "The Amityville Nomadland," with the film also invoking elements of the Hobo Code through the depiction of scratches on the van, marking the couple as targets. The narrative's pacing and plot have been criticized for being uninspired, with the film's most effective moments often being those with minimal supernatural intrusion, such as a scene set in a Big Lots parking lot.
"Passenger" has been met with a largely negative reception, with critics advising to "skip it" due to its derivative nature and uninspired execution.