Can
you imagine anything more terrifying than getting picked up by a ride-share
driver who happens to be an aspiring open-mic-night comedian? Roger the
demon-hunter will also have to contend with dark supernatural forces, but his
driver’s jokes will be far scarier. Yet, somehow, he and the recently-dumped-and-still-bitter-about-it
Emerson Graham will work together to save mankind, sort of, in Glenn Payne’s Driven,
which screens during this year’s Dances With Films, in Hollywood, USA.
Graham
and her roommate have plumbing issues, so she would like to catch a lot of
trips this fateful night, as a driver for the Ferry ride service. Despite his
rudeness, Roger would seem like a promising fare. He will be making multiple
stops, having her wait while he takes care of his mysterious business. It turns
out he is out to kill demons and lift an infernal curse that has plagued his
family for years. Graham briefly assumes he is a dangerous psycho, until she
sees enough scary demonic shenanigans to convince her otherwise.
Even
though Graham is the would-be comic, Roger scores most of the laughs. Frankly, Driven
is not exactly a horror-comedy that will have you rolling in the aisles.
Yet, weirdly enough, the straight demon-hunting storyline is sufficiently
interesting to keep viewers invested. Arguably, the film would have been more
effective if Casey Dillard had cranked down Graham’s insecurity-based humor a
notch or two, both as screenwriter and co-lead. However, she falls into a nice
bickering-and-bantering rhythm with Richard Speight Jr., as Roger. They each
play off the other quite well.
At
the helm, Payne navigates the horror-comedy line with respectable dexterity. He
capitalizes on the claustrophobic setting—mostly Graham’s car—building tension
organically. He and Dillard also give viewers a vivid sense of the town, which we
come to understand is surprisingly violent, given its modest size. You could
almost think of Driven as Locke with demons and bathroom jokes,
but that would be overstating matters.
Driven
is
a small film that doesn’t always land its bits, but it is still a pleasantly
enjoyable viewing experience. There is just a scrappy underdog spirit to the
proceedings, which is appealing. Plus, it deserves credit for being a
horror-comedy that takes the horror side of the equation relatively seriously.
Recommended for fans of lighter midnight movies, Driven screens tomorrow
night (6/15), as part of Dances With Films.
