PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I went into Black Cab thinking it was going to be similar to a locked-room thriller/horror with a side of comedy because of what the synopsis implied and also because it’s starring Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead). Well, I was half right. Black Cab, directed by Bruce Goodison and written by Virginia Gilbert, is really a semi-locked-room thriller/horror as the majority of the film takes place in the car, however, it is most definitely not a comedy and absolutely is supernatural. Which is totally okay because I like more horror with my horror than I do comedy but given Nick Frost’s ability to add a certain comedic flair to his movies, I have to say that I really enjoyed him dark and visceral role as the very broken, disturbed, and mentally unstable Ian.
A couple who finds their jovial cab driver diverts them to a remote, haunted road, revealing disturbing motives and his true intentions.
To celebrate the release of the film on Shudder, I chatted with Nick and Bruce about how they both became attached to the film, horror with a heart, siding with the villain, and more!
PopHorror: I really enjoyed Black Cab. I’m super excited to talk to you guys about it today. My first question is for you, Bruce. What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
Bruce Goodison: I don’t normally do genre work, as in ghost stories, etc. But what I look for in everything I do is the humanity, even in really bad people, and even more so in really bad people. I find people who do bad things more interesting than the people they do them to, in many ways because you learn more about human nature by looking at what bad people do. When I read the first 20 pages and could see that Nick’s character has a strong moral core in the way he’s behaving towards Patrick, who is a horror. I mean he really is a nasty, nasty, nasty, nasty man. I love what Nick’s character was doing so he has this moral core, but then obviously goes on to do something so horrendous for very good reasons because something very horrendous has happened to him in his life with his child and with his wife. And the fact that it has ghosts didn’t really fill me full of horror, which I know it should have done because it’s a horror film but it was more that they were an extension of the madness. And because it’s a road movie is another gift, isn’t it? You’re going from this illuminated city into this very, very scary countryside where there’s this folkloric story, this ghost story. For me, I wanted it to be rooted in something that felt coming from character. AMC, Shudder, Nick’s company, were all happy for me to do that with it. But obviously, it could have been taken in a different direction, but for me, horror is always in us. It’s not outside of us. That was my starting point.
PopHorror: I agree that horror is in us. I like that you said you don’t normally do genre films. I love it when someone not known for horror makes horror. Nick, I know you’re known for your horror movies, but you’re also known for your comedic relief in those, and this one was really lacking a lot of comedy, so I really liked seeing you in this type of role. This question is for you, Nick. You starred in it, but you also wrote a portion of it as well. How did you become involved with the project?
Nick Frost: Yes. Stolen Picture is my film company, and we produced it with Sony, so I got a chance to look at the script very early on. Being a producer but also being in it, you get a kind of voice, and you’d say, “Oh, I’d love to have a little polish.” It was just about taking a script which was pretty great anyway and just… As a writer I’m a big fan of actors saying dialogue that human beings say. We’ve all watched something, and you just turn to your partner and say, “Fuck off! They’d never say that!” You know what I mean? I just wanted it to be real because when you’re doing something like a ghost story, which kind of becomes a “slasher pic becomes a ghost story,” you want everything else to be as human and real and normal as possible. I think for me, my touchstones for this film would definitely be like the main – I think his name is Remy – in Man Bites Dog and that Dutch/French film, The Vanishing, where you can see the killer, and you realize he’s a bit of an idiot. He’s an oaf. He’s fallible. He’s human. I think with that, it becomes a lot more threatening because he’s someone that any of us could meet and not realize that oh, you know what? There’s also this inside him. And I loved that. I loved that about the character. You shouldn’t really feel sorry for him or feel bad for him, but he’s also similarly, as Bruce had said, awful things have happened to him, and I love the fact that you can walk out of the cinema and potentially not have the right answer. I think there’s five or six potential answers. We never talked about an answer on set. We were always fairly ambiguous in terms of, “Is he alive? Did he kill his wife and child?” You know what I mean? I really liked that. I love that about the film. That’s probably a lot of the reason why I wanted to do it.
Bruce Goodison: There were those questions though. Patrick particularly – Luke – was very like, “What happened?” It’s interesting how it divides people who want everything sewn up and other people are very happy to understand, well, you’re in the territory of ghosts. The kind of logic you might apply to regular drama doesn’t really apply here because you can have a number of different outcomes. We had a few discussions, but I think as soon as you go, it’s one thing or the other with a ghost story, it’s dead, and I think you have to keep things alive with ghost stories.
PopHorror: I agree. And Nick, you had said we really shouldn’t feel sorry for him because of the things that he’s done, but the thing about horror is that a lot of times there is something underneath about why they’re doing what they’re doing that kind of does tug at your heartstrings a little bit and kind of does make you feel bad for the villain or the bad person that you’re not supposed to be feeling bad for. A lot of times, horror has heart, and I think that it’s kind of skewed for us sometimes a little bit with the genre because we do sometimes end up siding with that villain because of the backstory or what’s underneath.
Nick Frost: Yeah, agreed. It also makes it easier that Patrick is a monster too. He’s a real monster. He’s a gaslighting, coercive monster. I think we all cheer for the Black Cab driver at the beginning when he’s there to protect her. I love the fact that you can be a character, and you can murder people and people will feel sorry for you. I think that’s really a joy of this genre, the “Well, Patrick was kind of a dick, so he deserves it.” Have either of you seen The Vanishing?
Bruce Goodison: Yeah, yeah. The early one or the new one?
Nick Frost: No, the Dutch one. The proper one. But you can see that he’s fallible and he’s not good at his job. I love that. I love the fact that you can… I mentioned to someone earlier, Chopper. That film is like, I really like him! I’d love to go and have a pint with Chopper but he’s also a murder! It’s really confusing, and I love it.
Bruce Goodison: Kathy Bates in Misery, because you said that earlier.
Nick Frost: Yes, right!
Bruce Goodison: Kathy Bates is a good one.
Nick Frost: Yeah, Kathy Bates in Misery. She’s silly and she’s fun and she’s cute and she’s nice. But you know what? I’m also going to break your legs with this piece of wood and this massive hammer. And I think it’s great! I love that.
Bruce Goodison: Tiffany, I’m going to take something that you said there as well, which is horror with a heart. I’m going to run with that. It’s brilliant.
PopHorror: Yes, please!
Thank you so much to Bruce and Nick for taking the time to chat with us. Black Cab is available now exclusively on Shudder.
