Black Cab   Starring: Nick Frost and Synnøve Karlsen Distributor: Acorn Media International RRP: £29.99 AB2098 5 036193 020988 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 07 April 2025

Anne and Patrick are a couple with a rocky relationship. At a party with a couple of friends, Patrick is manipulative and domineering, shutting her down and talking for her. When he attempts to propose to her, she runs away. They leave early together and are picked-up by a black cab outside. The driver, Ian, chats away jovially to them but, when Patrick is rude and sarcastic and attempts to shut him down, too, Ian gives Patrick a taste of his own medicine, whilst remaining convivial with Anne. When the passengers realise they are being taken well out of their way, he is obliged to pull over, taser Patrick, and cable tie their hands to the high handles. He leaves the city, driving them to a remote location where he has been staying since the split with his wife. But there is more to his story than meets the eye. The ultimate destination is Mabel Hill. Ian has been regularly haunted on this road by a female ghost in white. It turns out that the ghost had lost her child. Ian plans to give her Anne’s unborn child, as he had previously driven her to the maternity hospital. However, events don’t always pan-out as intended...

This is a tricky one. It’s a good enough initial concept that, unfortunately, doesn’t really go anywhere and so, consequently, peters-out rather that finishing with any kind of climax or dénouement. At least, none that makes complete sense. Nick Frost (of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced, the new Harry Potter, and more) is effective in the role of Ian, the taxi driver. He is one of a number of actors who have recently been cast against-type (Hugh Grant being another). The early scenes work well. We learn, succinctly, that Patrick is controlling and that Anne could be pregnant, whilst realising she is not in a healthy relationship. The early conversations in the cab – including the first moments when we realise Ian has a dark side to his personality – are edgy and well-handled. After that the structure somewhat loses its way. This, I believe, is the fault of the script and a thin, unsustaining, plotline. A feature length time of 87 minutes is too long to stretch-out what is essentially a one-hour anthology story, at best. Therefore, there are some superfluous moments: the stay at the remote house, only to drive away again a short time later; the fact that Patrick is unconscious most of the time, means he could have been disposed of early on to ramp-up the tension; and planting the seeds of the ghost and her backstory would have been advantageous.

It's nice to review another Shudder Original film from Acorn; their releases have been suitably eclectic. However, I’m sad to come to the conclusion Black Cab is an average film for thriller afficionados and an outright disappointment for lovers of horror fiction. I would suggest the film is carefully edited-down to around 40 or 50 minutes to tighten the script and to create a more claustrophobic atmosphere. And just what is happening to the special features lately? The only extras on this one is a Behind-the-Scenes Picture Gallery.

5

Ty Power