Passenger

Jeff Darko & Beth Graves: Welcome to Two Souls, One Crypt. I'm Jeff Darko. And I'm Beth Graves. This week's episode, we are talking Passenger. Yes, Passenger. We just got out of watching it. The newly released fresh out this weekend, Passenger, opening weekend. Yes. think. Yes. And we finally made it on the first weekend. Yes. Not opening night, but opening weekend at least. We never make it opening night. No. ⁓ open on Thursdays now. They don't do... We cannot go out that late. We're... We are no, we can't do it. we can, but used to it was like midnight releases. Yes. Remember the midnight releases? Yes, I do. The Thursday night midnight release because the first time they could show it now they're just showing up like six o'clock in the evening. Even when I was a youngster, I never went to a midnight release. Oh, I did. I never did. I went to a couple. I went to I think me and my brother Dave went to the midnight release of the 3D version of Nightmare Before Christmas. No way. Yeah. I didn't know they do a 3D version of that. Yeah, it wasn't much different really. What? And I went to a couple other midnight releases, but anyways. just found that out today. Let's dive into Passenger, not the Passenger. Not the Passenger, just Passenger. So Passenger, of course, I got to give you the stats. First of all, 43 % on Rotten Tomatoes, which I was a little surprised. and then 51 % on the popcorn, which I was like, okay, that's not much better. I didn't think it was that bad. Well, after watching it, I could see. Well, yeah, but I mean, it's not that bad, I've seen worse, but we'll get into that. So, Passenger is a 2026 American supernatural war film directed by, and I don't know if I'm going to say this name right, Andre, I think it's Overdale and written by T.W. Burgess and Zachary Donahue. The film stars Jacob Ski. Yeah, I'm probably pronouncing these wrong Lou Anyway, Melissa Leo. She's been in lots of movies Melissa Lee she was in I looked her up and she's been a lot of movies a lot of movies but one that really stood out to me the main actress in the movie Yeah, the one that ⁓ them to you know, the red ⁓ redheaded lady Donna or whatever name was yeah We've already forgotten, but she was actually... call her Donna because she reminded me from Donna from From. Yes, she does. She does. If you watch From. If you watch From, she is like so her. She got her. I was first saw her and I was like, this is Donna from From. She is her doppelganger for sure. But she was actually in Dead Tom's Stories, which I don't know. Did we ever end up watching it? It scared me to death as a kid. Scared me to death. We might have watched it. Did George Romero do that? I think George Romero done dead time stories. was kind of like tales but like a scary version and it scared me half to death. Yeah, it's like the witch was reading from the book, right? No, no, no, no. There was a kid in the bed and his uncle or whoever was babysitting him and he came in to read him these stories and then then he would leave the room and he was like ⁓ Yeah, yeah, I think we watch it. I think it's still George Romero. Okay. But anyway. But anyway. ⁓ so the movie, basically like in the film, a young couple there at the beginning of the movie, they're packing up their apartment they're their stuff in a van. And we're like, obviously they're moving somewhere, but they're not moving somewhere. They're just going on this like road trip. They are moving, but they're moving into a van. Yeah, they're moving and it's a nice van. It's a very nice. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn't mind living. of watched it. was like, it wouldn't be a bad life, but I was kept wondering like, what are they going to do about money? I wonder the same thing. was like, how are they going to survive? And what are they going to do? And then they were like, well, we could stop here and take a shower. And I'm like, I don't know how I feel about all that. You know, it just kind of, I mean, it'd be fun for a little bit. Kind of like the chick in the movie. was like, yeah, this is okay for now. But what are we going to do to sustain? Right. And then it was just. It was, yeah, I don't know, but... Before we get too far into it, you feel like watching the trailer and then watching the movie that they gave almost too much away in the trailer? ⁓ honestly, no. What? No. I feel like they hit all the points in the trailer. Like if you've seen the trailer. All I remember from the trailer was the, the beginning part where they got stopped to use the bathroom and then the doors are open and that's all I watched because I refused to watch any more of it. Yeah. But they show. I didn't watch anything else. So I, I refuse to watch anything else because I want to mess it up. We saw it in other movies. they showed the part where. She's in the van and something grabs her neck. I must have blocked all that out because I don't remember. They showed all the bodies in the trailer, like not to give too much away. Like if you watch the trailer, like to me. I didn't see any of that. All I seen was the beginning You must have been paying attention. That's not surprising. much to me, my biggest gripe, which is with trailers. They showed too much. Well, I just watched that one part and then I must have just. They showed too much. But anyways, back to passenger. I just, I kinda felt like, I'm gonna give you this. Jump Scare City. I mean, I literally, and I don't jump This movie is loaded with jump scares. Scared the living shit out of me. Which there was one part and I even said Jesus Christ and the lady said in the movie and I was like and I know like two seconds after you said it the ladies of Jesus Christ I mean like I literally don't like to take Jesus Christ, but it just it just came out of my mouth and then she said it and I was like, yeah I feel you lady because it's a jump scare me to death spoiler warning jump scare galore jump scare and I was prepared I mean usually, you know when a jump scares cam and you're like, it's the music or the vibe or whatever but I had no idea and I'm watching and I'm like, no, no. feel like this one, they'd kind of did jump scares better than some of This was the best jump scare I have ever seen. Because it would be kind of quiet and then all of sudden a jump scare would come out of nowhere. Yes, it would Like you wouldn't really expect it. Whoever did the jump scare, I'm gonna give you a hundred percent on That's what, in this movie, to me, this is what had the best thing going for it was the jump Yes, the jump scare was a hundred percent. The movie, not so much. But anyway, we're not gonna get into that. They're packing up, they're moving, they're not moving. They're giving up their apartment, they're living in a van. They're living in a van, not down by the river. Back to the details. living in a van down by the river. sidetracked there. Yeah, we always do. But yeah, so they're packing up, living in a van, and then they stop at some, ⁓ can't remember, some kind of retreat, and some famous guy, like, ⁓ It's like Burning Man, but it's called Burning Van, which I thought was kinda cool. Cause it's like all these different. Burning Man is. Yeah, there's a Burning Man celebration out in the desert. I Arizona or Nevada. think it's Nevada. And they got this big huge wood man. They burn him off, him on fire. How have I never known this? I thought you knew about the Burning Man celebration. Of course I never It's out in Nevada desert somewhere. It's like way I want to go to the Burning Man Festival. So now they have, I don't know if it may be real. I don't know. I didn't look it up, but they go to this. definitely Googling that after They went to this like festival. which they didn't really call it a festival. They just said they're going to this RV thing. Uh huh. And there's all these vans and campers and shit around everywhere. Yeah. And they call it the burning van in this movie. I never knew about the burning man though. So it's kind of the thing. They have this like they didn't, it's not huge, but they have this fire pit with wood and they have this wooden van sitting on top of it and they light it up and it says burning van. And I was like, Oh, it's kind of cool. It's kind of like burning man. See, I didn't know that. I don't know if it's real burning man Israel, but I don't know if burning van is real. We're also going to find out a lot about that too. But anyways, yeah, they're going, they start off, they're going to go, they're going to go to hot Springs, North Carolina. Yeah. It was just crazy because we're from East Tennessee. We're like, Hey, they're not far out of our territory. They up the GPS that shows Gatlinburg. And I guess they're mapping it from Gatlinburg to the hot springs. Chimney Rock. And we were going to go to Chimney Rock, which is up near Asheville. But then they end up, yeah, somewhere's in there. Yeah, because I wanted to go there before all the flooding and stuff. end up not going to, because they don't make the reservation because of traffic or whatever. So I think they end up going from there to Burning Van, right? Is that right? Yes, yes. Yeah. If I remember correctly. I think so. So yeah, there's some some YouTuber dude that's like big into van living. the main guy was like, ⁓ my God, it's so and so. And he's like, dude, I've watched all your videos like a thousand times. And he like shows me his van and all shit. But before that, yeah, before they go on the, they're going on back road. they show this, they this in the trailer, not them particularly, but they show the other dude in the trailer, right. Going the back road. And then like they stopped the ⁓ And then something happens and he jumps in the car and drives off and he keeps seeing the same dude standing beside the road and all of a sudden the dude's in the car with him. like freaks you the fuck out. ⁓ and he's when he starts to, so it's him and his buddy driving and then, when stops ⁓ to he gets out and then he's blowing the horn and he's like, okay, I'm coming, I'm coming. And he comes back to the car and all the doors are open. But you see all this in the trailer. Right. You see all this in the trailer. Right. But, So you see, was shutting all the doors. gets in the car and he's getting, he's like, okay, he's getting ready to drive off and all of sudden his baby. Boom. Boom. comes through the windshield. You see that on the trailer and then he's like driving away and he keeps seeing the same person. Yeah. This is kind of a play on like one of those folklore haunted road kind of things, which I did love that. love the, oh, you know, like the, the woman in white standing in the curve or whatever kind of folklore everybody's heard around all these back roads like somebody got the lady with the ribbon around her neck and the sew and sew on the bridge. you don't know who this guy is at first. No, you don't. I ⁓ stuff that because I love spooky folk or whatever. I don't what got me first in this movie. They go they're gonna go to hot springs and they can't go to hot springs. So then they're like, oh, there's a hotel It's like an hour away. We'll go there and they start driving and then all of sudden they're on this back road where this Haunted road is right and I'm like that the hotel was only an hour away and then they're driving on his back road and all this shit happens, of course, and then they finally make it to the hotel I'm like, how do that? I don't understand that get kind of threw me off there a little bit because like it's only an hour drive and I was said they're on this backwood going through the National Forest. we ever make a movie they'll be very detailed and very technical. be like obsession. ⁓ be worse than that. ⁓ be worse than that. And finally make it. I'm like where the fuck's this hotel at? And then they finally make it of course. But yeah. So ⁓ it's the little details that don't make sense. Yeah, and there's some other stuff in this movie. Yeah, there's a lot of weird stuff. Anyways, so the they see a wreck and they get their car marked or whatever. Are we going to spoil this too much? No, we are not. But you already are. lot of this gives away in the trailer because I've seen the the claw marks in the trunk. I see that in the trailer. It shows it in the trailer. I didn't see it. They gave too much away. If you watch a trailer, you've seen the movie. But anyway, so not exactly. If you are a jump scare person, which I usually am not, but it literally made me jump at least five, maybe six times. And I am like, I'm usually like, I'm on guard. I'm like, nothing's scaring me. I literally like jumped. I don't know. It got me at least five times and I'm like, what the heck? How are they doing this to me? I was like, I'm a pro. How they scared me. How they jumped scared me. Cause I'm not scared of nothing. No. No, they got jump scares were good in this movie. They got I'll have to admit, the jump scares were good. If you like a good jump scare movie, this is probably going to be your movie. But this is like, what I'm going to tell you is this is like a haunted house movie because if you go in a haunted house, I always jump through my skin because they always surprise me. always get me. And this is how this movie was like a haunted house movie. They got away from the, the, uh, the guide going. And it's right here and beating a stick against the floor kind of thing in the eighties and signaling to everybody. I'm telling you, like, if they could make a haunted house, they would be like golden. Cause it literally like the jumpscares. If you went to a house in the eighties, you know, cause he always had the guy who's like, Oh, and this old woman's right here and beating a stick against the floor. And then everybody comes up and jumps you, scares you and you know it's Nowadays they don't do that. No, but I'm telling you, like, I was prepared for. But you usually like the creepy music leads up to it. There was no nothing you just and then the way they filmed it with the dark and then the lights and then like the way they did it. that one part where they on side of road which they showed in the trailer. The tail lights flickering and they did it slow motion. That was pretty cool. I did like that part. And I tell you I'm going to tell you this part because this part just really freaked me out. It's a little bit of a spoiler but this part freaked me out. was when they, cause some of them was like, we'll stop at a 24 hour gym. You can take a shower or whatever. the- was the main, the big van dude that he was obsessed with. He's like, they were like, ⁓ we're going to camp on the street. And we had to leave. He's like, The 24-hour gyms is your friend. But you think it went to Walmart. I mean, you can't take a shower, but you can park in a Walmart parking Yes, you can take a shower. Have you not seen that movie? at Walmart. Yeah, have you not seen that movie with Natalie Portman where she lives in Walmart for like five days? You can take a shower. You can live there. You can't. Where is a shower in Walmart? I don't know, but it was on that movie. can take a horse bath in the sink, but that's it. Yeah, that's true. But they let people camp overnight in Walmart parking lots, but they went to a 24-hour gym, which Right like Planet Fitness they have showers so he's like the 24-hour gyms are your are your friend because they got showers so right continue So so they go to the 24-hour gym and the girl and the guy he's running on trail. Yeah, they work out take a shower she ⁓ like I'm go on to the van So she's coming outside. She's hearing these noises and stuff and she keeps getting closer to the van But then she hears something she stops and then she's like I don't know if you've ever watched an Austin Power movie, but like it's like And the thing is like far away. And then it's like, and then it's like, like all of a sudden right there in your face, it was almost like, what the heck? Like it was like there. And then she kind of opposite of that. Well, yeah, it was kind of, was like, she was okay. I'm almost at the van and then the scene changed and she was far away again. Then the scene changed and she was far away again. I was like, how can she not get to the van? against it. And then like almost to the van. Here's somebody walking up behind her. Yeah. So then she would turn around and the camera would pan around to show her view and nobody of course would be behind her. And then she'd turn back around and the van would be like four parking spots over again. Yes. And I was like, what the And it repeated like five times. I'm like, what the hell? We kept going, what is going on? Which that part was cool. It was freaky. Yeah, that was pretty cool. I had to mention. did have some cool parts in the movie. Yeah, it did. I mean, did we love it? Well, we'll get to that. How much more do you want to go into the story of it? don't want to ruin it for anybody because ⁓ just I want you to know. Basically, there's a lot of jump scares. They're traveling. It's called the passenger. If you've seen the trailer, you know they're driving on the road. ⁓ said it's not the it's just passenger anyway. Anyway, is kind of a folklorish kind of. Haunted road kind of movie. If you like haunted, creepy, ghosty kind of things, you'll like this. Which I do. And that's what I enjoyed about it. Yeah, it was kind of almost Final Destination-ish. I did pick up on the Final Destination by... Paranormal Activity. Yes. Kind of combined in a way. Yes. To me. That's just me. And then maybe a little bit urban legend-y too. Yeah, because of... The ⁓ yeah, cause it's kind of a urban legend. I love urban legends. I'm assuming it's somewhere around here. I don't know. know they end up in Arizona. Yes. But like going to hot springs and then I don't know exactly where the road is, ⁓ being from this area in Appalachia and all ⁓ folklore road kind of bullshit that we have around here that we don't know if it's true or not true. Yeah. It kind of from that kind of thing. So that's kind of cool in a way. So it's kind of ghosty with paranormal activity. It's kind of a destination. A couple of things kind of reminded me of final destination. It happens. then what was the other one you said? Legend. Urban Legend because of the folklorish haunted road kind of thing. Yes. I did. And I like... I like stuff like that. like creepy, folky, weird stories. Yeah, it wasn't a bad movie. No, it wasn't bad. Is it my favorite? No, but I've seen worse. They've definitely seen worse. But like, like I'm telling you the jump scares is what got it for me. was not expecting that at all. was not like, this movie's not good. And listen to this before you go watch it. If you're not going to expect them, I'm going to go and tell you. There's a lot of jump scares, but you're not gonna know when they come. No, I'm telling you, cause we watch a lot of stuff and we don't get scared easily and we don't jump very much at all. And I'm telling you, jumped out of my skin at least five times. And that's big for me. Cause I do not do that. As far as the overall story, did you like it? I liked, liked the part about the folklore. and the backstory and them talking to that lady and all that part. But then as it went on, it got a little bit overkill for me. That's just my opinion. I agree with that. Yeah. There's some ridiculous parts. Like I'm like, come on, man. I it was a little over the top. And I'm going tell you one part when they were almost out of gas and then they kept driving and driving and driving and driving and driving. I'm like, seriously, how much gas do you have in that big van? The the gas light came on yes, and they drove for like 40 minutes after that and I was like that's bull crap. And then you want to touch on that a minute runs out of gas right at the exact point right at exact I'm like seriously right at that exact time you run out of gas like you didn't run out of gas before that and when you watch the movie You'll see it and you'll be like you'll think the same thing like seriously. I was like how convenient is that? Exactly. I was like that's Come on man Shit right there. is bull. You had just enough gas to do exactly what you want to do and then you're dead. Yeah, I was like, yeah, okay. That would never happen. You'd run out, in real life they'd run out and half the way through the desert to take a look. ⁓ absolutely. I was like- The fucking gas light came on. Yeah. And then it would kill me. It was like- And they kept going. And how did they never get gas until that one point? They were like, driving, driving, driving, driving. ⁓ we better fill up. I'm like, well, that van must hold like a- a lot of gas. Well, they didn't get into that much detail of it. Well, I know, but still. did show gas up at one time, but then something weird happened and then we're out of gas all of sudden. I don't know. like, I don't know. That's I guess the passenger drained your gas tank. I guess. I did like I told you, I know beforehand before he watched it, I said, I hope they play the passenger from Michael Hutchins or Iggy Pop or something along that lines, which Michael Hutchins does the cover of Passenger. Batman Forever, the most sensitive of all the Batmans. And Pop done it originally. I was like, they got to play the passenger. They got to play that song. It's like I didn't get obsession in obsession, but ⁓ I was me passenger in passenger. I wish we would have gotten obsessed. it at the end credits. They did play it. ⁓ there's that. wasn't the original version. No, it was Susie and somebody. But it was a good version. Yeah, it was good. was like, hell yeah. At least they play a version of the passenger. And I'm going to tell you, I'm a big music person and I didn't even know that song, which is shocking for me. was like, it's kind of like the remake of Pet Sematary. And I was like, they got to play Pet Sematary, which they did. But it was somebody else doing it, which was a good version. It's no Ramones. It's not going to touch the Ramones version version. And this is a good version. It's not as cool as Michael Hutchins cover of it, but. It was still I was like at least they played passenger I'm gonna have to listen to the other versions after this because I played you Michael Hutchins, but I'll replay it and more or less diggy pop as well. other details on the story? No, I don't want to ruin it for anybody I feel like you need to go in and like we did in try to go in blind and see your thoughts Like I said, if you watch the trailer you've seen too much already in this movie ⁓ I mean, you've seen some, but I just kinda, I just kinda thought the story was going in a way different direction in my opinion. was thinking like Like I don't know how to say without spooling it. felt like there was my first thought was like somebody was out there like a killed somebody in the way. But then I was like, no, because then kept seeing the same person over and over. So was like, well, it's got to be something ghostly spooky. But then I didn't think the other couple was going to tie. I thought it was going to be, I thought it was going to go a different direction. ⁓ you thought it was like the original people that got... Yeah. ...saw the passenger at first? Yeah, I thought it was gonna kind of be more like... More their story? Yeah. Instead of the other couple? Right. That's what kind of... I thought that maybe that guy... Maybe it's like his... I don't know, his family... They did show that one guy again, but then it's like very brief and then it's over with. Yeah, I just didn't think it was going in that direction, which was fine. But it's not... It's just not what I expected. So, you want to rate it? I'm gonna give it two and a half. Two and a half? Do you recommend watching it? I think so. you like, if you are ghostly and you like the jump scare, I say give it a chance. You don't have to run out to the theater and watch it necessarily. Um, but when being in the theater and it being quiet and everything, I think that maybe jump a little bit more. you had to do the jump scares. It did. If you really want to enjoy the jump scares, I say go watch it in theater. But if you want to watch it at home, Turn the lights out, make everything quiet. Don't let anybody I think the jump scares still be good at home. I think they would. If turn your sound up. Turn your sound up. the lights off. Turn the lights out. Cause you know it's going to be quiet. Stay off your phone. Don't let anybody talk. And I think you'll enjoy it. Cause had another couple in the theater with us and they were like, which it was at the beginning, but I was like, they do that shit again and I'm say something. I guess they dropped something. I don't know. They turned the flashlight on on their phone. Somebody always drops a phone every time we go dude, come on. And then it come on again. I'm like, they do it one more time. I'm gonna say something. And I could hear him talk a couple of times, but it wasn't nothing like is when the movie was really like dead silent. Yeah, but I'm like, so we away drop their phone. We go to the theater. Just sit in the couple or like I do and leave it alone. Yeah. Just drop your phone. They have dropped something else. I don't know. It sounds like a phone. Every time we go, somebody drops a freaking phone. But yeah, while I was watching this, I was thinking two or two and a half. I won't give it two and a half as well. Just for the jump scares. We agree. Yeah the story I Like the the ghostly part like the haunted road kind of thing I love the haunted road. I love the area And all the haunted tales and folklore shit that we've I like that some of the stuff was kind of stupid Yeah, some of it was a little and I was like really come on Yeah, but the jump scares I was just really impressed kids like I'm saying nothing Yeah, you like a good jump scare and you just want to be freaked the fuck out for like two seconds when it happens in the thing in the film or movie or whatever then watch it ⁓ don't have to go to the theater. I say Whatever there's nothing else on Check it out, but Yeah, kill yourself to go out and watch it. mean, yeah, watch it. If you want to watch it at home, make sure it's at night. Make sure it's at night. Dark. Unless you're just to get to just experience the jump scares. If you really want to, if you really want to experience it more than go to the theater. Right. If you want to experience the full effect and you're not chicken, turn the lights out and do all that and then really experience it. But if you're one of these people that are like some people we know like to watch horror movies during the daytime. Yeah, Jenna. But it's not a super recommend high on my list to me. No, it's not one of our favorites. We still like, we still like obsession better. Obsession is the best movie I've seen so far this year. Yes. I wish I rated higher on the last episode. I should have went like four and a half or five. The more I think about it, I'm thinking five on that movie. did four and a half, but five is like a big, big jump for me, but four and a half. Yeah. I went four, I should have went at least four and a half, maybe five because the more I read on it. was just so like. He made that movie on $750,000. Like that's amazing to me. And to me, Obsession is the movie of the year so far. Yeah. But that's, that's a different, this is all about. I'm going to say Obsession, Mummy and this so far on my list as far as what we watched lately. Yeah. This is the last of the list. Yeah. I don't, I mean. If you want, if you've seen those two and you want to see the next horror movie of the year so far, then go watch Passenger. Yeah. Uh, it's not a must see to me. No, you don't have to run out and watch it. But like I said, if you're at home, there's some plot holes. There's some, yeah. What the hell's going on in this thing? Uh, the story is kind of good. That's kind of creepy. It's got some super, super good jump scares. I'm telling you here lately, I've been more impressed with. The horror movies have been coming out lately because they yeah, we've been getting some good shit so far this year. We've finally getting some good stuff because it's like the 80s we had some really good slashers and then we went through a dry spell with no good horror and now we're finally getting some decent horror. like there's somebody out there finally killing it. This year is the year for horror because we got Evil Dead and ⁓ my gosh. Dead and Burn still coming out. This has been the year for the horror. It's been great. can't remember the rest of right off the top of my head but yeah there's some good. good movies coming out. We're finally getting our fix. So anyways, final thoughts. Anything that you want to add on Passenger? No, I'm just like- Don't rush out and watch it. Don't rush out and watch it if you want to it. Yeah, don't care yourself to watch it, but- But be ready to get jump scared. Be ready to get jump scared to death. me and like I said, I'm not a jump scare person and I was, yeah. I was jumping and screaming. So we agree on this. We're not arguing on this. We're not arguing. All right. All right. Until next time creeps, I'm Jeff Darko I'm Beth Graves.