Black Cab

A white robed figure running across a gloomy landscape that segues into a pregnant woman in the back of a car. She’s lit up by the red tail lights as the car travels down a lonely country road, the colours are a ghastly hue. She wakes up and it’s a nightmare. And so opens director Bruce Goodson’s Black Cab.

Ann (Synnøve Karlsen) is having a meal with friends and her partner Patrick (Luke Norris). It’s clear that Ann is not enjoying it; Patrick’s boorish attitude dominating plus the announcement that they are getting back together. With the evening falling apart Ann calls a black cab to take her home into which Patrick leaps to, bundling Ann in.

Ian (Nick Frost) is a garrulous driver who quickly winds up Patrick and then goes on to mention he recognises Ann from a pick-up and proceeds to give away her secret. Stopping off to make a call he tasers Patrick, ties up Ann and effectively kidnaps them.

Now being driven into what appears to be nowhere, Ann experiences flashbacks to the earlier journey and also sees a white phantom face in the car.

Working with a tight, solid script by Virginia Gilbert the actors do well with the material. Frost is terrifying as the initially jovial cab driver who justifies to himself his actions and whose mood turns on a sixpence over almost nothing only to calm down as takes control of himself.

The film looks excellent with Goodson making effective use of the dark shadows and colours that illuminate the night and the unlit rural roads. He demonstrates some versatility with his handling of the enclosed driving scenes where much of the narrative unravels keeping it taught, as well as cat and mouse sequence later in the film.

The spectral element is key but used sparingly and is all the more effective when it becomes clear what it has to do with the players. The film does weave about with flashbacks but is by and large linear avoiding unnecessary complications.

Black Cab will premiere on Shudder on 8 November 2024.