130 million people take road trips every year. 15,400 of them are never seen again. Passenger, the upcoming horror film from Paramount Pictures, takes that statistic and builds a story around it, one in which the road itself has always been dangerous, and not by accident.

Paramount Pictures sets May 29 India release for road horror film Passenger

The film is co-written by American screenwriter Zachary Donohue (The Den, 2013) and British writer T.W. Burgess, known for the graphic novels and stories Malevolent and Early Haunts. The two had separately been developing ideas for a haunted highway film before deciding to combine them into a single project.

“Usually these haunted road stories are about someone who died on that road,” said Donohue. “We wanted to make it broader, where every road is haunted and they’ve always been haunted.”

Burgess adds that the film draws on the everyday anxieties of driving: getting lost, losing track of time, a flat tyre on a dark stretch of highway. “It’s not just a ghost of a road,” he said, “but something more all-encompassing. What does that look like as a scare?”

The story follows a young couple who witness a gruesome highway accident, only to realise they did not leave the crash scene alone. A demonic entity known as the ‘Passenger’ pursues them relentlessly, turning their van life adventure into something far more threatening.

The film is directed by André Øvredal and stars Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, and Melissa Leo. Passenger opens in Indian cinemas on May 29, 2026.

Also Read: The Boys prequel Vought Rising to premiere in 2027; first teaser out!