Nick Frost is best known for his jovial comedic roles, such as his Cornetto Trilogy alongside regular co-star Simon Pegg.
Here, the Dagenham-born 52-year-old shifts to the dark side to play a terrifying taxi driver who takes couple Anne (Synnove Karlsen) and Patrick (Luke Norris) on a ride they will never forget.
Director Bruce Goodison and writer Virginia Gilbert don’t really seem to be able to settle on what type of film they are making.
Frost’s abduction of Anne and Patrick , and the creepily low-key way he goes about it, would probably have been enough to keep things ticking along nicely, however the filmmakers also decide to introduce a supernatural element.
This only muddies the waters and forces motivation upon the cabbie’s actions which was either totally unnecessary or could have been handled in a more human, realistic manner.
Couldn’t Frost have just gone postal after a personal tragedy or suffering a shift from hell?
It would have suited his character, and the way he plays it, better as the Shaun of the Dead favourite proves a dab hand at chilling behaviour without descending into histrionics and screaming at the moon.
Karlsen is an endearing presence as she already had to deal with her disintegrating relationship and a desire for something greater before Frost’s devilish driver compels her to enter survival mode.
Norris doesn’t fare so well as Patrick is basically an odious human being whose sole purpose is to evoke sympathy for Anne – and he spends much of the time passed out in the back of the taxi.
Pretty much everything takes place at night so darkness seeps into every shot but, again, this is more effective during the cramped cab scenes than when we venture outdoors and beyond to expand the ghostly goings-on.
Nothing is as scary or unsettling as Frost and the spooky similarities to The Curse of La Llorona are too plentiful to ignore.
● Pop me an email at [email protected] and I will pass on any movie or TV show recommendations you have to your fellow readers.
Lee Docherty got in touch to say: “The series Cross on Amazon Prime Video is so much better than the films based on the character.”
● Black Cab is streaming on Shudder now.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.