VFX Legion served as the primary visual effects studio on The Passenger, the new hostage thriller helmed by directed by Carter Smith (Swallowed). The film is one of a package of eight horror genre films developed and produced by Blumhouse Television exclusively for MGM+.
Written by Jack Stanley (Lou), the story centers around two employees at a seedy burger joint – tightly wound Benson (Kyle Gallner; Smile) and timid, submissive Randy (Johnny Berchtold; Dog Gone). Benson snaps when persistent bullying of Randy by fellow employees goes too far. The protagonist gets a shotgun from his car, massacres the tormentors, and flees – taking Randy as his passenger/hostage on a violent rampage.
Legion created a mix of digital effects to achieve a spectacle of carnage with the intensity that the director envisioned for the gruesome scenes that play out in the restaurant and during the killing spree that follows.
Digitally rendered muzzle flashes, bullet hits, blood splatters and other brutal imagery deliver high-impact visceral violence throughout the film. One of the most challenging effects – tracking a long, continuous shot – achieved a perfect lock on camera moves in SynthEyes. The uninterrupted take heightens the ferocity of the bloody slaughter of the two employees in the pivotal scene.
