The Passenger

If you go into this expecting a horror movie with suspense and scares you are going to be disappointed. I don't care for comedy-horror and this is more comedy than horror although it is poor at both. The lead actor is charming and appealing and is the best part of the film. It has character development so it takes a while to get going, but once the horror element finally kicks in it becomes obvious why the film makers didn't go for straight-up horror, they're no good at it. It is never suspenseful, thrilling or even remotely frightening. The pairing of the older lead actor with an actress who appears to be a young teen comes across as a bit inappropriate because it seems at times as if they are going for romantic. As a whole the movie just doesn't work.

La Pasajera (2021) deals with the story of a van shared by multiple passengers that hits an excursionist who was walking at a secondary road at night . After getting her into the vehicle to take her to the closest hospital, the occupants soon realize that they just have to follow a very simple rule : don't sit next to her. A group of people -Blasco (Ramiro Blasco), the driver; Mariela (Cecilia Suárez), the Mexican; Lidia (Cristina Alcázar) and her teenage daughter, Marta (Paula Gallego's feature film debut) - travel in a van to a town in the Spanish province, they don't know each other due to a travel app has linked their destinations . Along the way, they witness a freak car crash on the side of the road, and whatever was in the crashed vehicle is now intent on chasing them . Don't sit next to her (No te sientes a su lado).

This horrifying picture contains thrills , chills , graphic violence , action-filled with fierce fights and loads of gore and guts . The bizarre terror and action moments are fast moving and compactly realized . The plot is quite plain and simple : The occupants of a van transporting a wounded excursionist have to avoid sitting next to her during the trip . So a rudimentary roadtrip gives directors Cerezo and González the opportunity not only to show their cinematic tastes but also to portray the generational clash between Blasco and his fellow travelers , who, although they do not define themselves as radical feminists, do look at him as if he were a man of stone age , eccentric , macho and talkative . Blasco ends up being the most endearing character perhaps due to the fact that we all have a person like that in our lives . This is an effective and simple movie ; it results to be an acceptable horror picture , including functional special effects realized in traditional style adding some new techiques , but also some plot elements are downright stupid . Adequate make-up and decent special effects , in fact was used mechanical and make up and in-camera effects whenever it was possible. But the film still has more than 500 VFX shots. The creepy images of wide range from the genuinely terrifying to the bizarre along with scary and amazing frames . The disturbing and loathing aliens appearance deliver the goods , plenty of screams, shocks and tension . "La pasajera" is a distressing and disconcerting horror film supported primarily onto its outlandish roles and in which takes place a suffocating atmosphere .The directors add to this background their particular references .There are reminiscent of the creatures in Lamberto Bava's Demons (1985), its sequel Demons 2: The Nightmare Is Back (1986) or subsequent The Descent (2005), with the camera capturing the feverish journey of the entities and pursuits through the forest in the manner of The Evil Dead, (1981) -in addition to Sam Raimi's characteristic violent humor-, a couple of nods to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) , and even a chase which echoes the attack of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, 1993).

The Passenger works at times and is entertaining enough , it is because the references are not imposed, they are there without suffocating the story. The amusing but uneven original screenplay was written by Asier Guerricaechevarría and Javier Echániz but it was latter rewritten by Luis Sánchez Polack. Recognizing them a certain originality that enriches this bloody road trip, but the result does not depend on it because the work of Cerezo and González makes quite intelligent use of its environment and very particular details of the typical Spain. From the pasodoble that serves as the film's musical leitmotif, to the "adventures" of a bullfighter recounted by Blasco. More than one filmmaker has ended up failing by trying to carry out a similar task. The shooting lasted 30 days plus two additional days of visual effects cinematography. This is first feature film by Raúl Cerezo and the third by Fernando González Gómez (Stándar , Viejos , Zombie World 2) both of whom taking the path of reference, the metanarrative wink seeks to pay tribute to more than one classic and establish an attractive relation with the viewer, despite this game never absorbs the film at all , but they are used to tell a story with a very Spanish flavor.

Spanish thriller full of horror, humor and fine practical (and some CGI) effects. The monsters look like demonic zombies. There are splatter and some interesting comic shots which I really liked. The directors put a lot of emphasis on their characters, something that makes you care about them (surprisingly there is also heart). Even the 'annoying' snob teenager has managed to make her likable, which is not easy. You won't find bad performances. The driver in particular - a sharp, talkative guy - is a real delight. The film doesn't take itself entirely seriously, but it respects the rules of the genre. For example, when they wants to show a scene of suspense and horror, they won't ruin it by making humor, like in other movies.. An enjoyable hour and a half, I just think it deserved a better climax for the finale.

Needless to say that I hadn't heard about the 2021 Spanish horror movie "La Pasajera" (aka "The Passenger") prior to sitting down here in 2022 to watch it. But being a lifelong horror fan, of course I had to watch the movie, regardless of having heard about it or not.

Writers Luis Sánchez-Polack, Asier Guerricaechebarría, Javier Echániz and Raúl Cerezo managed to put together a fair enough script and storyline here, though I have to say that as the movie came to an end I was left with a feeling of 'was that really it?'. So yeah, while the movie is watchable, you're not in for anything outstanding here. It is a pretty generic horror movie actually.

The acting performances in "La Pasajera" were good. I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses here, but then again I am not overly familiar with Spanish cinema. But I will say that the cast did put on fair enough performances throughout the course of the movie.

Visually then "La Pasajera" was good. But it was a shame that they didn't go for adding more special effects into the storyline. You have to sit through about more than half of the movie before things start to escalate and happen. And by then, I think a handful or two in the audience might have gotten up and left their seats. The special effects were actually quite good for a movie such as this.

And while I did manage to sit through the entire movie, then I was only mildly entertained. It was an okay enough foray into the horror genre, although a somewhat generic one. I will not, however, return to watch "La Pasajera" a second time, simply because there wasn't enough entertainment to support a second viewing here.

My rating of "La Pasajera" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.

This movie was a bit of a breath of fresh air. It was different and quirky and possess a nice light hearted air to it.

Aesthetically this movie was a real pleasure. It looked amazing and it it was chock-full of interesting and dynamic shots that I really appreciated. While the quality of the picture was lovely, unfortunately the special effects didn't quite compete. What little CGI there was looked silly and the prosthetics didn't really read super well for me either. The acting seemed great as well coming from an English speaker, I quite enjoyed the main guy.

As far as the story went I felt like it was just barely enough, if not maybe not quite there. The pacing was a little bit slow which didn't help it out all too much. It just didn't really feel like there was much of a point or purpose behind the story other than just being a vehicle for a creature feature.

That being said this really was a pleasurable experience that felt fresh and unique. 6.5 rounding down to a 6, would recommend.