André Øvredal's Passenger delivers well-placed jump scares and an impressive Dolby Atmos track, but a pedestrian script and lack of backstory keep the horror film from reaching its potential.
As long as there have been people traveling at night, there have been variations of the folklore known as the passenger. Some believe the passenger is an inversion of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, who is a demonic spirit that preys upon and feeds on the fear of the people he torments and kills. According to legend, he marks his victims' vehicles with three diagonal slashes, which is an old hobo symbol meaning "not safe." This past May, Passenger, a horror film directed by André Øvredal based on this folklore, was released in theaters, and now it has gotten the retail Blu-ray and Digital treatment.
Maddie (Lou Llobell; Foundation) and Tyler (Jacob Scipio; Bad Boys for Life) have decided to give up city apartment living and lead the "van life" for a while. One night, about six weeks into their trip, they stop at the scene of an accident where the driver is killed. The next morning, their van has three diagonal scratches on it, and at a meet-up, Maddie meets Diana (Melissa Leo; The Fighter), who tells her the rules of the road: never drive at night and never stop at an accident. However, unbeknownst to Diana, it is already too late for Maddie and Tyler, as the passenger (Joseph Lopez; Insidious: Out of the Further) has "attached" itself to them.
While not employing too much gore and blood, Øvredal does utilize jump scares quite a bit, which are well placed and serve their purpose. He also uses close-ups strategically and offers the audience some interesting camera angles. He brings out some good performances from his actors, but for the most part, Llobell and Scipio don't give anything special. Part of the reason for their lackluster performances has to do with the script, which is pedestrian at best. Perhaps the film would have been more interesting with better dialogue and more descriptive moments, as we learn very little about the demon and its past.
The 1080p resolution and 2.39:1 aspect ratio are very good and make you wonder what a 4K version of the film might look like. The black hues have depth, even though most of the color palette is muted, except for Maddie and Tyler's van, which is a deep orange color. The details are sharp, especially when the passenger is ripping off Diana's head (one of the gorier scenes in the film).
However, the star of this release is the Dolby Atmos audio. The ambient sounds are layered and come through the surround speakers exactly as they should. It really feels as if you are in the rain, which becomes more muted as Maddie and Tyler enter the van and shut the door. The audio mix is extremely well done, with each bump and bang being well documented. Also incredible is the scene where the passenger is running around Maddie and Tyler in the forest, and you can hear the footsteps running from one speaker to the other, from front to back and side to side. The audio is the most impressive thing about the Blu-ray and deserves to be heard on an Atmos surround sound system to truly enjoy the full effect.
Sadly, there aren't any extras on the Blu-ray, and the combo pack only comes with the one disc and the digital download. I'm not sure why they didn't add anything, but it is rather disappointing.
Passenger starts off pretty well and quickly establishes what is happening in the story, but, as previously mentioned, there really isn't much of a backstory to any of the characters or the lore, so it becomes difficult to invest in any of them. The third act also falls apart, with Maddie and Tyler trying to locate St. Christopher's Church that isn't on any map. It becomes a little too far-fetched and makes the viewer wonder if the writers just ran out of ideas.
While I think this movie could have been better with a different script, it isn't the worst horror movie I have ever seen in my life.
Grade: C-
