Passenger (2026) is directed by Andre Overdal, featuring a screenplay by Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess. It stars Lou Llobell, Jacob Scipio, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez, Miles Fowler, Alan Trong, James William, Devielle Johnson, Tony Doupe, and Charles Leggett. The film follows Tyler (Scipio) and Maddie (Llobell), a young couple who leave their corporate jobs and set out to live a life on the road. After stopping to help the victim of a brutal car accident, they realize they’re being followed by a malevolent spirit known as “The Passenger.” In order to ditch this ghost before it claims their lives, the terrified couple desperately searches for a way to send it back to Hell. 

The two leads bring little to the table in terms of acting, but they achieve a kind of sappy romantic chemistry that’s somewhat charming. This is a relief, considering we follow only these two throughout the entire runtime, but it’s also not something that, by any means, saves the experience. These are likable but safe characters whom we’ve seen countless times before. I’ll admit, they’re more palatable than most, but not memorable in the slightest.

The only supporting performance of note is Mellisa Leo as the cliché old-person character who conveniently gives the protagonists information about their supernatural enemy. She gives it her all in the few scenes she’s given, but is ultimately underutilized to a disappointing extent. She’s a great actress, but I can’t help but feel that her salary could’ve been spent more wisely. Anyone could’ve played her role, unfortunately. 

Although the film is mostly just another cliché-ridden, predictable jump-scare fest, it features a truly unique setting for the genre. It’s essentially a classic haunting story, but taken on the road, which gives it a nice variety of settings. This ability to move from place to place also gives the pacing some nice forward momentum. The hitchhiker/hobo lore is silly, but it provides dumb fun more than outright frustration. For the most part, however, this is pretty formulaic, soullessly safe entertainment. 

Overall, there’s nothing particularly memorable about Passenger other than its unique setting. Thankfully, Andre Overdal’s competent direction helps keep the experience from being a complete waste of time. This definitely isn’t something I’d recommend, but I also don’t think it’s particularly unpleasant. You probably won’t hate or remember it. C