Who doesn’t like Nick Frost? He’s a big, cuddly teddy bear. Which makes him an ideal antagonist in a horror flick like Black Cab, where Frost’s unnamed cab driver turns from being a part of society’s background, into a troubled couple’s torment.
From this past year, Black Cab comes to viewers via director Bruce Goodison, from a screenplay by David Michael Emerson. Frost and Virginia Gilbert are credited with additional dialogue.
Synnøve Karlsen plays Anne, a twenty-something urbanite who is engaged to Patrick (Luke Norris), a philandering shithead whom audiences will despise even before they pick up on the duo’s dynamic. After a dinner with another couple that runs well into the night, Anne and Patrick hail a cab and Nick Frost pulls up in his clanking, sputtering, stinking, diesel-powered UK black cab. The couple begin arguing in the car over whether or not they are still engaged, and whether or not Patrick is moving back in with Anne, when Frost mentions that he recognizes Anne from an earlier fare. He picked her up outside the maternity ward at a local hospital. Anne’s pregnancy is news to Patrick, who responds by being even more of a dick.
The cabbie is trying to elicit angered and bewildered responses from his passengers. It was no accident that he picked them up. He’s been targeting Anne, and is working himself up to some violence. A homemade cattle prod, some zip ties, and some nasty threats follow. Anne and Patrick have been kidnapped, with Patrick receiving the worst of the physical abuse.
Why is the cabbie doing this? Clues are scattered throughout the movie, and I won’t spoil them here. But, it involves a ghost. One that makes its first appearance to Anne before the fateful dinner. It appears as if the cabbie might not be a psychopathic serial killer, but someone trapped in a situation not of their own choosing. Which doesn’t excuse what he does to Anne and Patrick.
The film consists of two primary locations — the cab, and an abandoned motel. This is very much a low budget affair. In fact, one of the production companies involved was Sony Pictures Television Production UK, possibly pointing to this film’s original intent as a TV movie, 
rather than the limited theatrical release, followed by a premiere on Shudder, that it received. That makes sense, as this is exactly the kind of inexpensive thriller that would air on Channel 4 or ITV. It doesn’t look like the production spent much on anything, including the CGI for the ghost effects. These are so cheap that they look straight out of The X-Files circa 1995. That’s not good.
What is good are the performances. The limited scope of the film meant that they were carrying the same amount of story as would a stage actor. Frost has limited range and is known for his soft comedic timing. His character called for a more chaotic demeanor as he wrestled with his actions. Flying between outright evil, guilt, reluctance, acceptance, and much else in the gamut would have served the character well, and there are glimpses of that. But, Frost had a natural restraint that kept any extreme interpretation of the character at bay.
As for Karlsen, she was solid and professional. Any number of young actresses could have taken the role, as the character is a somewhat amorphous representation of a young woman. That’s not to say it was an easy part to perform, but there have to be hundreds of actresses out there at any time capable of it. That’s not Karlsen’s fault. That’s the filmmakers’.
Then there is Norris. He did so well playing a cad that the next time I see him in something, my first thought will be, “there’s that asshole from Black Cab.” Nice work.
Goodison didn’t have the resources to make anything but a small scale film, so the cast did most of the hard work. He kept the movie rolling along, with not many dead spots. Flaws with pacing could have been fixed with some more ruthless editing, as this story should not have taken 90 minutes to tell. He did well conveying tension to the viewer, in part using drone establishing shots and Holga-like lens effects (courtesy of cinematographer Adam Etherington). These establishing shots give viewers many chances to step back and contemplate Anne’s predicament, exactly as her character would have been doing in the back of the cab during those long, silent moments being driven over deserted roads at night.
The cheapness is apparent, but while Goodison didn’t work magic with what he had, what he delivered is a competent horror flick. It always feels as if there could be something more, though. All this is to say, Black Cab is middle of the road, yet worth a look on a chilly October eve.