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The Hitcher (Hulu/Amazon Prime thru the Cinemax add-on)

  • Writer: Matt Palmer
    Matt Palmer
  • Oct 5, 2021
  • 2 min read


Initial release date: February 21, 1986


Studios: TriStar Pictures/HBO Pictures/Silver Screen Partners


Tagline: The terror starts the moment he stops

Never Pick Up A Stanger


Plot: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder, who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash, pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.




Cast

Rutger Hauer (The Sisters Brothers; Blade Runner) - John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell (Criminal Minds) - Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Netflix’s Woman in the Window) - Nash

Jeffrey DeMunn (Showtime’s Billions) -Captain Esteridge

John M. Jackson (NCIS: LA) - Sgt. Starr

Billy Green Bush (Jason Goes To Hell) - Trooper Donner

Jack Thibeau (Action Jackson) - Trooper Prestone

Gene Davis (The Relic) - Trooper Dodge

Jon VanNess - Trooper Hapscomb

Henry Darrow (Runaway Jury) - Trooper Hancock


Writer: Eric Reid


Director: Robert Harmon


Rated R (97 minutes)


The original 1986 thriller ‘The Hitcher’ is a very suspenseful, tense feature that will really have you at the very edge of your seat until the very end.

The tense moments begin at the start of the movie and the intensity never slows down. Sure, there are some arts that can be a bit over the top (like most horror-thrillers). But, ‘The Hitcher’ does a decent job keeping the suspense going.

Actor Rutger Hauer does an excellent job as the mysterious hitchhiker John Ryder. Hauer really does what it takes to bring the mystery and the intensity to his role. He can be quite menacing in most of his scenes.

‘The Hitcher’ can be really unpredictable and offers quite a few twists and turns throughout the movie. There are a couple parts that are unexplained. But, this underrated psychological thriller is worth a look!

You can check out this 1986 thriller on either Hulu or Amazon Prime via the Cinemax add-on.


FYI - This classic thriller is 35 years old!!!


Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘The Hitcher’:

  • Rutger Hauer did a lot of the stunt driving throughout the movie which amazed the crew and even the real stunt drivers.

  • C. Thomas Howell admitted that he was actually afraid of Rutger Hauer on and off the set because of Hauer’s general intensity.

  • Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has listed this as one of his favorite movies.

  • Sam Elliot and Terrence Stamp were offered the role of John Ryder.

  • Entertainment Weekly ranked this as the 19th scariest movie of all time.

  • 20th Century Fox ultimately rejected the project over the budget and saw it as a “straight out horror movie.”

  • Contractually, TriStar Pictures was obligated to distribute any film by HBO/Silver Screen. TriStar reps saw an early screening and then studio president David Matalon said, “It’s the best film we have in 1986.”

  • ‘The Hitcher’ opened in 800 theaters on February 21, 1986, and made $2.1 million during its opening weekend, going on to gross $5.8 million domestically.

  • The film spawned a DVD sequel in 2003 called ‘The Hitcher II: I’ve Been Waiting.’

  • A remake of the same name, produced by Michael Bay, was released in January 2017.





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