Passenger is an upcoming horror film from Paramount Pictures that explores the idea of haunted roads in a completely different way. Instead of focusing on one cursed highway, the film imagines a world where every road carries something dark and dangerous.
The story begins with a chilling line that sets the tone for the movie: 130 million people take road trips every year. 15,400 of them are never seen again. The film asks a disturbing question about whether the roads themselves were ever truly safe.
Passenger is written by Zachary Donohue and T. W. Burgess. Donohue is known for the 2013 horror film The Den, while Burgess has written several horror stories and graphic novels, including Malevolent and Early Haunts. The two writers were fans of each other’s work before eventually coming together to develop the film.
Speaking about their collaboration, Donohue said, “We had a mutual affinity for each other’s work. Plus, Thom is from England, so stories of hauntings are in his genes.”
Both writers realised during their conversations that they had separately been working on ideas for a haunted road movie. Instead of making two different projects, they decided to combine their ideas into one story.
Burgess explained, “We both had affinity for films like The Hitcher, But we began to wonder, why has no one done something which was supernatural based?”
Donohue added, “Usually these haunted road stories are about someone who died on that road and is now haunting it about a specific haunted road. We wanted to make it broader, something scarier, and just demonic. Where every road is haunted, and they’ve always been haunted.”
The movie follows a young couple whose van life journey turns into a nightmare after they witness a horrific highway accident. Soon, they realise they have unknowingly brought back a demonic force called the Passenger, which refuses to leave them alone.
Directed by André Øvredal, the film stars Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell and Melissa Leo in key roles. Passenger will release in Indian cinemas on May 29, 2026.