Black Cab, 2024.
Directed by Bruce Goodison.
Starring Nick Frost, Synnøve Karlsen, George Bukhari, Luke Norris, Tessa Parr and Tilly Woodward.
SYNOPSIS:
Couple Anne (Karlsen) and Patrick (Bukhari) are experiencing a volatile patch in their relationship. Hailing a black cab after a taught night out, the two start to experience nightmarish apparitions across a haunted road, all under control of cab driver (Frost) and his sinister intentions…
From the opening few minutes of this low-budget British horror, you’ve got a couple of mild jump-scares and in your face assaults on senses – sight and sound – to get you in the creepy mood. But that doesn’t last as we explore the rather dull and frosty relationship between young couple Anne and Patrick. There’s no real explanation why, but both are not easy to side with in their introductions, but it’s clear Anne, played by fragile Synnøve Karlsen, is the one we have to side with more. Patrick has a rather irritating attitude, conversation style and bullying aura. So what better couple to be with for 85 minutes! Very surface level characters, as are the minimal supporting artists.
Karlsen does her best to add some meat to the bones of her character, hinting at those little cracks and doubts that appear in a volatile relationship. They are here to keep you guessing about means and motive, clearly trapped in world she doesn’t want to be in but can’t find a way out of. This could have been a steady dramatic exploration through a psychological drama, but once our black cab arrives, it turns into something else. “I feel like something bad’s gonna happen,” Karlsen whispers before getting into the cab. It’s like she knows the drill.
Cue Nick Frost taking a very unlikeable couple home in his black cab with automatic locking doors and tinted windows. With Frost’s back catalogue of charming comedy such as Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End or Fighting With My Family, it’s hard not to immediately feel at home with him, the sort of cabby you’d happily drive home with. It’s even better he takes an instant dislike to Patrick and his controlling attitude to Anne, acting as a catalyst for more tension between the couple as some hidden truths come to light.
But thanks to Frost always pushing his acting ability and not setting for the obvious, it’s not long before his more sinister, imposing and rather intimidating side comes out. Armed with an A-Z and a taser, Frost continues a cab ride nobody will forget anytime soon. As the main draw for the film amidst a cast of lesser-known actors, Frost hooks you in with that loveable jovial persona but turns rotten quick enough. He’s a very capable talent, playing the unhinged cabby chillingly well with that inimitable dark comedy he evokes so naturally, dropping breadcrumbs to his motivation throughout.
Set across the quiet roads in London and descending into the desolate countryside at night, the on-set locations help lift the overarching claustrophobic and often gloomy mood. Tight-knit camera shots, inside and out of the cab, keep you in the action and forces you to pay attention and invest, like a good single-location pieces do.
It’s just a shame the wider story seems muddled. From what we started off with teasing a creepy horror, to what we flow into as a survival thriller, it’s two ideas stitched together, not knowing what it wants to be. It’s far more a character driven psychological thriller than a horror – those few and far-reaching aspects could have been cut from the story. These elements don’t make the film any more sinister than it needs to be.
Not the most memorable effort, but one that works on another level to what is initially marketed. It’s a kidnap/survival thriller, not a horror. Chilling in places, muddled in others, and light on overall shocks, it’s ultimately held together by an unpredictable, sinister Frost who clearly shines away from just doing comedy.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Chris Gelderd
