When Anne and Patrick hail a black cab after a night out their driver is chatty, jovial even, but they are in no mood to talk. In fact, the couple is barely on speaking terms. That is, until they realize the driver has no intention of taking them home.
Bruce Goodison directs Black Cab, which stars the beloved Nick Frost (Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End), Synnøve Karlsen, and Luke Norris. David Michael Emerson wrote the film, which features additional material by Nick Frost and Virginia Gilbert. It premieres tomorrow, Friday, November 8th, on Shudder.
The film opens with Anne (Karlsen) and Patrick (Norris) having a no-so-romantic evening out with mutual friends. As the dinner goes sour, the pair disagreeably end up sharing a taxi home; a decision that will take the turbulent couple down a dark, twisted path.
Frost’s Cabbie is our enigmatic ferryman for this foray into vehicular abduction, urban legend, and metaphysical mystery. We are presented with a very possible and unsettling story juxtaposed with the haunted hitchhiker myth. You know, the one we all grew up with no matter where in the world you hail from? While they needed each other for the Cabbie’s reasoning to make sense, I felt that the ghost aspects of the film were its weakest points.
The place where Black Cab shines is in the hilarious and terrifying back and forth between the Cabbie and the couple—Anne in particular. Patrick is just a dick who gets what’s coming to him but we are made to sympathise with Anne and her self-deprecating life choices. Frost definitely steals the show though—his unhinged dialogue and natural charisma make for an enigmatic villain you will love to hate. He is just a joy to watch and his portrayal of the character was perfection.
The film’s first two acts take place—for the most part—within the confines of the cab itself. While the third act breaks free from the constraints of the car, it does not escape the occupants. There is a lot of unnecessary CGI and some janky special effects when it comes to our spectral hitchhiker. I have already admitted to not being the greatest fan of those moments, probably because the motivations behind the spectre’s actions didn’t really make sense to me. The film does manage to keep its pace though and the ending is satisfying, albeit a little convoluted.
The strangest part of this experience was that I usually enjoy a little supernatural flavour added to my feature films even if not completely necessary; gives them a bit of that eldritch kick to spice things up! Here, it came off a bit strong and kind of upset the balance. Was this an abduction horror with possession elements or was it a ghost story with abduction elements? The answer? Both. And having both was a bit much.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the film. No, that’s not entirely true. Overall, I very much enjoyed Nick Frost in the driving seat of a horror film where he shines as the BBEG. I could very easily enjoy a sequel as well. Catch Black Cab when it premieres tomorrow on Shudder. I have popped the poster and trailer for you down below. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid.
BLACK CAB – Poster
