Movie · 2026 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 34m · R · English
Curator score: 0.7/10 (151.3K ratings)
130 million people take road trips every year. 15,400 of them are never seen again.
Overview
After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger that won't stop until it claims them both turns their van life adventure into a nightmare.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.7/10
IMDb: 7.8/10
Letterboxd: 2.31/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
André Øvredal
Production
18Hz Productions, Coin Operated, Paramount Pictures, Domain Entertainment
Cast
Lou Llobell, Jacob Scipio, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez, Tony Doupe, Bonni Dichone, Devielle Johnson, Jessica Cruz, Miles Fowler, Alan Trong
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, road-trip horror setup with a strong hook and some thematic mileage, but the response suggests more style than sustained scares. It looks best as a tense, mid-tier genre watch rather than a must-see nightmare.
Best for
viewers who like supernatural road horror
fans of relationship-under-pressure thrillers
people in the mood for a compact, pulpy creature-demon premise
audiences who enjoy atmospheric horror more than relentless gore
Skip if
you want top-tier horror innovation
you’re tired of possession/demon road-movie setups
you need consistently high scares or a very polished script
you dislike movies that lean on mood and camera movement over payoff
Overview
Passenger takes a simple nightmare premise and gives it a travel-worn, end-of-the-road unease: a couple, a van, a bad accident, and a demonic hitchhiker that turns motion into entrapment. The setup is immediately legible and commercially strong, which is part of the appeal; it promises a horror movie built on isolation, guilt, and the sense that escape is no longer possible.
Worth noting
The Letterboxd response points to a film that lands more as a decent genre ride than a breakout scare machine. The most useful clues are the recurring complaints about overactive camera work and a trailer that may have sold the movie harder than the movie itself. That usually means atmosphere, concept, and a few memorable images do the heavy lifting while the script and escalation stay in familiar territory.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough here to recommend it to viewers who like supernatural horror with a relationship angle and a strong road-movie identity. If you want a compact, moody possession-adjacent thriller that treats the highway as a trap, this should scratch that itch. If you’re looking for a truly terrifying or especially original entry in the genre, it may feel like a competent detour rather than a destination.
Top Letterboxd reviews
blair 💕 (2★) · 4285 likes
watching this right after a masterpiece that is obsession felt like a cinematic equivalent of drinking an orange juice right after brushing your teeth
Billy (2.5★) · 2601 likes
the trailer is way better than the whole movie :/
Rohit Reghunath (2★) · 2405 likes
Spin the camera one more time.
Nicholas Zaczek (1.5★) · 2114 likes
knee deep in the passenger seat while you’re eating me out is it casual now
𝐉 (3★) · 2057 likes
Its okay not every horror movie can be the scariest movie of the year
1974 · Horror · 1h 23m · R · Curator 7.2/10 (937.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A foundational road-adjacent nightmare about a trip gone wrong and the collapse of safety in transit.