Title – Passenger (2026)

Director – André Øvredal (Troll Hunter)

Cast – Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo

Plot – Loved up couple Tyler (Scipio) and Maddie (Llobell) are enjoying their new life as nomads on the road, but when they witness a gruesome crash, their idyllic lifestyle turns into a battle of survival due to a nefarious force.

“People don’t take trips. Trips take people”

Review by Eddie on 27/07/2026

Gathering significant early momentum thanks to an early teaser trailer that played exclusively in theatres then went viral once it was released online, André Øvredal’s Passenger ended up sandwiched between fellow horror films and box office sensations Obsession and Backrooms, coming and going with little fanfare despite the initial hype.

Having previously helmed cult favourite genre affairs Troll Hunter, the shockingly effective The Autopsy of Jane Doe and the could’ve been great The Last Voyage of the Demeter, there was good reason for enthusiastic potential viewers to be excited about Øvredal’s newest venture but sadly despite a great start (that was the basis of the films trailers) and some signs of life throughout, Passenger is a direct to streaming feeling offering that fails to do anything of note.

Centred around Jacob Scipio and Lou Llobell’s loved up couple Tyler and Maddie, who have started a new life on the road forgoing 9 to 5 jobs and the horrors of living in a home, Passenger has some initial wins creating an ominous mood and sense of foreboding dread but after some strange happenings start to become prominent following Tyler and Maddie’s chance encounter of a deadly crash, Passenger forgoes its starting promise to give way to trite storytelling, unlikable characters and a distinct lack of scares that halt it in its tracks.

The more Passenger gives us in the way of information the less we are interested in where it’s going and how it’s going to do it and when a pivotal moment comes in the film where a major side character explains some key rules to Tyler and Maddie to help them overcome their current predicament then proceeds to do the exact opposite in front of our very eyes, you quickly and assuredly come to the conclusion that no one involved in Passenger really cared about the end goal or quality control in what ends up amounting to a quick-fire film with little to get excited about.

In a year that has so far showcased a large amount of creativity and hype in the horror space with numerous original offerings striking a chord financially and critically, Passenger feels like a step backwards for high-profile efforts, happy to reach for the low hanging fruit and doing little to invoke much in the way of creativity or excitement, making this affair one that is a step backwards for Øvredal who has previously shown a knack to do things differently.

Final Say –

Expertly marketed as something it ends up failing to be, Passenger shows early promise and has a few brief segments that make us see the vision for a film that might’ve been but overall, this is a lacklustre offering that gets lost amongst the crowded marketplace.

2 neighbourhood watchers out of 5