The Last Voyage Of The Demeter director André Øvredal warns us not too pick up hitchhikers in the first trailer for Passenger.
Norwegian director André Øvredal has been a reliable dispenser of fun frights for a while now, with 2010’s Trollhunter, 2016’s The Autopsy Of Jane Doe, 2019’s Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and 2023’s The Last Voyage Of The Demeter under his belt. To that we can now add the upcoming horror flick Passenger, which looks like a darker than usual riff on the old “vanishing hitchhiker” urban legend to me.
Passenger Trailer
What’s the plot?
As the official synopsis loess than helpfully tells us:
A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witnesses a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they’re being pursued by a demonic stalker who’s impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go.
Ah, I guess that’s enough. You know, at first Passenger reminded me of Jonathan Mostow’s superb Breakdown, with Kurt Russell and JT Walsh, before it canted into decidedly supernatural territory.
Who’s in it?
Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent) and Lou Llobell (Voyagers, Foundation) are our most likely doomed lead couple, while Melissa Leo is on hand as the mysterious old woman who clearly Knows Too Much.
When’s it out?
Passenger is hitching a ride to a cinema near you on May 21.
What’s the vibe?
I dig André Øvredal’s stuff on the whole – The Autopsy Of Jane Doe is an underrated gem, IMHO, and The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is huge fun even if it falls short of fulling committing to the bit offered by its premise. Passenger looks like it’ll be a solid little slice of horror at minimum, and there’s always a chance Øvredal will knock it right out of the park once again.
