“Passenger” is the latest feature from Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal. It’s the follow-up to his criminally underrated 2023 film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”, which was a narratively crafty and visually stunning adaptation of “The Captain’s Log”, a chapter from Bram Stoker’s 1987 classic novel “Dracula”. Without question, “Passenger” is a much different movie, yet it shows some of the same verve that made “Demeter” such a gem. If only it all came together as intended.

“Passenger” is a road-trip horror movie about a young couple who are pursued by a terrorizing supernatural entity. Written by Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess, the story follows the newly engaged Tyler (Jacon Scipio) and Maddie (Lou Llobell), who sell their Brooklyn apartment and leave the city for a life on the road. Six weeks into traveling the country and living out of their decked out van is everything Tyler had hoped it would be. But for Maddie, adjusting has been difficult.

While driving down a dark rural road in Colorado (I think it was Colorado), they pull over to help a stranger who has crashed his car into a tree. But little do they know, by stopping they attract a malevolent entity that latches onto them. The first sign that something is amiss are the three parallel scratches carved deep into the side of their van – the same scratches that Maddie saw on the crash victim’s car. But this is a horror movie, so scratches are minor compared to what’s to come.

Maddie is first to begin seeing visions of a creepy old man with thin stringy hair, white pasty skin, and black hollowed eyes. But before long, so does Tyler. They learn the figure is an entity known as The Passenger, and it has stalked, haunted, and murdered a number of unfortunate travelers who dared to stop on the road at night. After surviving the demonic being’s first few attacks, Tyler and Maddie will need to find a way to kill it, before it adds them to its long list of victims.

Despite its feeling of familiarity, the story sets itself up nicely. The van-life angle is interesting, as is the clever way Øvredal, Donohue, and Burgess incorporate The Hobo Code into their tale of terrified travelers. Visually, Øvredal pulls off a number of cool tricks that I’m not sure I’ve seen before. One involves a rotating camera in a genuinely chilling parking lot sequence. Another makes wicked use of light from an outdoor movie projector.

At the same time, the movie hits a wall past the midway point. It’s where the clichés begin to mount and the over-reliance on jump scares becomes too much. Melissa Leo is underused playing a kindly yet mysterious older woman who warns Tyler and Maddie to stay off “the quieter roads” after it’s too late. She vanishes as quickly as she came, only to briefly appear near the end of the movie to steer the desperate young couple towards a finish that just doesn’t generate the kind of tension or terror it needs to.

Ultimately “The Passenger” is a competently made and at times visually inspired horror film that simply runs out of original ideas before the final credits roll. Sharp direction and solid performances keeps us riding along with the film’s promising start. But over time we begin to feel the miles, as the journey we’re on runs out of interesting sites to see. There’s some good craftsmanship on display and a couple of gnarly scenes to enjoy. But in the end, “The Passenger” needs more to set itself apart.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS