Black Cab Blu-ray Review

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Misguided Casting and Mismatched Performances

While Nick Frost’s departure from his usual comedic roles is bold, his turn as “creepy cabbie Ian” feels more like a gimmick than a genuine reinvention. His performance teeters between campy and unconvincing, lacking the subtle menace required to make the character truly terrifying. Synnøve Karlsen’s portrayal of Anne, though occasionally emotive, drowns in overwrought hysterics. Her character’s trauma feels like a checklist of damsel-in-distress clichés, and her chemistry with Luke Norris’s one-note, abusive fiancé is nonexistent. The trio’s dynamic never clicks, leaving their interactions awkward rather than intense. 

A Plot Stuck in First Gear

The premise—a couple kidnapped by a deranged cab driver—should be a recipe for tension, but Black Cab stalls out early. The abduction unfolds with predictable beats, relying on tired horror tropes instead of fresh ideas. The inclusion of “ghostly visions” feels tacked on, as if the film can’t decide whether it’s a psychological thriller or a supernatural haunt. Anne’s “dark secrets” are revealed through clunky exposition, robbing the story of genuine intrigue. By the time Ian’s “true motive” surfaces, the script has already exhausted patience with its shallow twists and contrived connections to Anne’s past. 

Horror Without Bite

For a film billed as a “spine tingler,” Black Cab delivers more yawns than chills. The scares rely heavily on jump-scare sound effects and dim lighting, failing to craft a sustained atmosphere of dread. The ghostly apparitions lack creativity, resembling bargain-bin CGI from early 2000s horror flicks. Even the cab itself—a potential character in its own right—is underutilized, reduced to a generic backdrop for poorly staged confrontations. The climax, which pits the couple against both their captor and the haunting presence, collapses into a messy blur of half-baked ideas and anticlimactic resolutions. 

Twists? More Like Twisted Logic 

The film’s “shocking revelations” are neither shocking nor revelatory. Ian’s backstory and motives are telegraphed early, making the final “twist” feel like a foregone conclusion. Anne’s past trauma, meant to add depth, instead feels exploitative, reducing her character to a hollow vessel for suffering. The supernatural elements, meanwhile, are abandoned as quickly as they’re introduced, leaving viewers to wonder why they were included at all. The finale’s attempt to merge psychological and paranormal horror results in a muddled mess that satisfies neither genre. 

The Video

Acorn inexplicably issued Black Cab on Blu-ray with a 1080i/50 AVC encodement. This results in some slight motion artifacts and the film not looking as crisp as it could. Otherwise, the black levels, shadow details and flesh tones all present well.

The Audio

Just as with the video, Acorn drops the ball with the audio for this disc release, providing a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and LPCM 2.0 stereo mix. It seems quite perplexing that someone would release a film on Blu-ray in 2025 with lossy Dolby Digital, but here we are. The clarity is not there and the mix in underwhelming for the sort of film this is. The LPCM 2.0 mix has a decent amount of stereo imaging and dynamics.

The Supplements

The only bonus is a gallery.

• Behind-the-Scenes Picture Gallery (1080i/50; 00:02:11)

The Final Assessment

Black Cab squanders its potential with lazy writing, uneven performances, and a lack of originality. Nick Frost’s casting distracts more than it impresses, while the film’s horror elements lack cohesion or creativity. By the time the credits roll, the only thing “bone-chilling” is the realization that you’ve wasted 90 minutes on a ride this bumpy. Skip this cab—your socks (and sanity) will thank you.  The lackluster quality of the Blu-ray from Acorn doesn’t help matters either.

Black Cab is out on Blu-ray April 7, 2025 from Acorn Media

• Rating Certificate: UK: 15
• Studios & Distributors: Sony Pictures Television Production UK | Stolen Pictures | Shudder | Acorn Media
• Director: Bruce Goodison
• Written By: Virginia Gilbert
• Run Time: 88 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Format: AVC 1080i/50
• Primary Audio: English DD 5.1
• Secondary Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH