Passenger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Passenger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 20, 2026

Van living is the setting for “Passenger,” which is a generic title for what becomes a generic film. Screenwriters Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess are endeavoring to create a ghost story of some shape with the feature, and they want to establish the horror of a new movie maniac in the Passenger, who haunts the roads, becoming more of a curse as his malevolence is passed from driver to driver. Director Andre Ovredal has a history of genre employment (including “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and his last effort, 2023’s “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”), but his veteran status doesn’t come into play in “Passenger.” Instead of sneaky, sinister work, there’s the usual in jump scares and labored characterization, keeping the offering underwhelming when it isn’t hellbent on trying to jolt viewers into submission.

Tyler (Jacob Scipio) is a young man who’s had it with life in New York City. The grind has become too much, pulling his girlfriend, Maddie (Lou Llobell), into a plan to give up their apartment and take to the road in a van, going on an extended road trip to add some adventure to their lives. Late one night, the couple encounters an erratic driver who crashes ahead of them, and they’re unable to help, witnessing something strange while Maddie catches a glimpse of a ghostly figure she can’t forget easily. As the trip continues, additional visions occur, and they find three slash marks on the vehicle, inspiring Maddie to start researching what’s going on, also finding help from fellow traveler, Diane (Melissa Leo). Learning more about the slash marks, Maddie begins to accept the couple is being haunted by The Passenger, a malevolent spirit who attaches itself to drivers, terrorizing people on the road, with the woman trying to grasp how real the threat is to her and Tyler.

If you’ve seen the trailer for “Passenger,” you’ve seen the opening scene of the feature. There are two bros on the road, and while one of them swears he can handle his large beverage, he quickly needs to relieve himself, asking his pal to pull over. Bathroom man soon encounters the dead body of his friend, inspiring him to take off in the car, suddenly meeting The Passenger. This character returns to make life messy for Tyler and Maddie, and the screenplay takes a few moments to understand what the couple is up to, giving up NYC living for a van, making their way across America with all their possessions, including a Bob Ross bobblehead and a St. Christopher medal, trying to soak up protection from the patron saint of travelers.

Maddie and Tyler are soon confronted by an accident scene, and they collect The Passenger in the process. However, Maddie is only aware of ghostly visions, trying to remain sane as evidence of trouble emerges with the three slash marks. There really isn’t much more to “Passenger” than that, with long stretches of the picture invested in the central relationship, as Tyler proposes to his girlfriend, preparing for a great life of wandering, including a stop at “Burning Van” to meet with others in the lifestyle. She has doubts, which aren’t terribly interesting to follow, and “Passenger” perks up some when Maddie goes into detective mode, learning more about “hobo code” and the meaning of the slash marks. It takes quite a bit of time to actually reach the wrath of The Passenger, with Ovredal attempting to hold viewer attention with an assortment of loud noises and jump scares, and that kind of uninspired horror gets old in a hurry.

Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation for "Passenger" deals with a very dark feature at times. Delineation struggles during a few sequences, losing some frame information to solidification. Detail is largely intact, maintaining a clear look at skin particulars, and the creased face of the ghostly threat is defined. Interiors around the van maintain a sharp look at decorative additions, and exteriors deliver depth, preserving the vastness of the road trip locations. Color is defined, with rich primaries on style choices and lighting designs, and orange paint is distinct on the van. Skin tones are natural. Cooler visits to evil experiences and road events are preserved, along with orangey fire displays.

Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"Passenger" offers a Dolby Atmos mix, which is put to good use during the listening event. The low-budget feature puts a lot of effort into the aural experience, leading with dialogue exchanges that maintain sharpness and balance, following emotional moments with the lead characters and their battle with love and sanity, and louder argumentative situations. Scoring maintains crisp instrumentation, emphasizing horror action and dramatic entanglements, and soundtrack selections preserve defined vocals. Surrounds are wonderfully active, using a lot of panning and separation effects to help bring the movie's concepts of danger to life. Ghostly events are especially active, along with vehicle movement and position. Musical moods also play around the soundstage. Sound effects are distinct, joined by atmospherics, which examine various community and weather events. Low-end handles harder hits of violence and heavier beats.

Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The poltergeist plays a more prominent part in the final act of "Passenger," and the helmer tries to get things going with a little gore. Blasts of physical torment are welcome, but they don't save the picture from dullness, and the writing slides into ridiculousness in the end, examining the power of religion as a weapon to attack The Passenger, with the feature adding a touch of faith-based cinema to its serving of torment. Performances from Llobell and Scipio are appealing, but the actors are left with limp writing and a central battle with evil that doesn't provide a commanding viewing experience, unable to generate a terrifying sit with an antagonist that offers very little threat.