Buckle up, because the Passenger isn’t offering snacks, legroom, or any chance of making it to your destination in one piece.

Horror ringmaster André Øvredal is back behind the wheel, and this time he’s trading haunted ships and small-town nightmares for a road trip that goes straight through Hell’s dodgiest postcode. His latest film, Passenger, is set to tear into cinemas on May 22nd, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

A couple are living that carefree van life dream (sunsets, open roads, probably some acoustic guitar nonsense) until they witness a brutal highway accident. And because horror movies operate on the strict rule of things can always get worse, they quickly realise they didn’t leave the crash scene alone.

Enter: the Passenger. Not a hitchhiker. Not a drifter. Something far, far worse.

The newly released trailer spills its guts online, and it wastes no time setting the tone. It kicks off with a cold open that feels ripped straight out of John Carpenter’s playbook, echoing the creeping dread of In the Mouth of Madness before slamming the accelerator into a full-throttle supernatural pursuit. From there, it’s all screeching tyres, panic, and a whole lot of ‘why did we not just stay home?’

The film stars Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, and Melissa Leo, forming a trio that will presumably spend most of the runtime trying not to get brutally murdered in unique and horrific ways. As for the official synopsis, it keeps things simple and nasty: after witnessing the gruesome accident, the couple find themselves hunted by a demonic presence that won’t stop until it claims them both.

So, you know. Light entertainment.

Øvredal’s been quietly building a killer résumé over the years, starting with Trollhunter and really sinking his teeth into the genre with The Autopsy of Jane Doe. So, the guy knows horror, and Passenger looks like it might be his meanest ride yet.

Because let’s be honest, there are only so many places you can run on an open road. And if something’s already in the vehicle with you, then where do you go?