Shudder Secrets: Black Cab

Horror fans know Nick Frost best for his iconic performance as Ed, Shaun’s (Simon Pegg) slacker best friend in Shaun of the Dead. Frost went on to star in several other films, many of them comedies, including Hot Fuzz, where he again acted alongside Pegg. Frost’s career has also included lots of voice work in cartoons.

As diverse as Frost’s career has been since that unforgettable role in Shaun of the Dead, it’s great to see him return to the horror genre in the British film Black Cab. If you’re expecting another comedic role, think again. While not all of the plot points quite connect in Black Cab, Frost chills in his performance as a taxi driver hiding sinister intentions. This film, directed by Bruce Goodison, with a script by Virginia Gilbert, is also an unconventional ghost story, heavy on tone, mood, and atmosphere.

Frost Shines in an Unlikely Role

At first, the plot of Black Cab seems simple enough. Frost stars as a taxi driver who picks up Anne (
Synnove Karlsen). She’s not exactly having a great night. She continually fights and argues with her domineering husband, Patrick (Luke Norris). It’s obvious, and Anne’s friends seem to think so, that she should bail on that relationship. However, Patrick literally shoves her into the taxi, which is locked and has tinted windows. Talk about major warning signs.

To complicate matters, Anne may or may not be pregnant, though she hasn’t told Patrick what she plans to do. Likely, he wouldn’t want her to have a say. Motherhood and children loom over a majority of the runtime, not only because of Anne’s own bodily autonomy, but because of the role of the taxi driver as a parent.

Initially, Frost’s character is chatty and jovial, but soon, Anne and Patrick learn that his kid is sick and his wife left him. The full circumstances of the situation really aren’t revealed until the last act. Still, the driver comes across as a guy down on his luck, who also senses that motherhood is imminent for Anne.

I can’t understate how good Frost is in this film and it salvages some of the questionable and confusing plot choices. His character comes across as kind and welcoming at first, but more and more threatening as the film unwinds. It’s unclear what deranged actions his character will take next, after essentially kidnapping Anne and Patrick.

Black Cab Is a Unique Ghost Story That Sometimes Falters

Other than Frost’s performance, the film deserves accolades for its unconventional means of telling a ghost story. The driver takes Patrick and Anne to a creepy, darkened road apparently haunted by a woman who lost her child and seeks another, hence why the driver is so interested in Anne. He wants to make a trade of sorts. Just consider the woman a ghastly hitchhiker.

The ghost appears in drips and drabs, before a more fully realized reveal in about the last ten minutes. Though the film is set in modern England, tonally, it feels like a 19th Century Gothic story. This is enhanced by the gloomy setting, the quiet and winding roads the taxi travels, and Adam Etherington’s cinematography.

The film falters in its closing, botching the ghost’s story a bit, building to a rather muddled ending that’s a true head-scratcher. It brings down an otherwise entertaining horror movie with some strong performances.

Despite a shaky last act, Black Cab deserves a watch for Frost’s performance alone. We haven’t seen him in a role this surprising, where he plays a villain with shades of sympathy. At its best moments, Black Cab serves up a unique ghost story, enhanced by the gloomy atmosphere and claustrophobic cab.

Black Cab lands on Shudder on November 8. Keep updated on the streaming service’s latest releases by following my Shudder Secrets column.