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The Hitcher (1986)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Eric Red (written by)
Release Date:
21 February 1986 (USA)
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Tagline:
The terror starts the moment he stops. more
Plot:
A young man who escaped the clutches of a murderous hitch-hiker is subsequently stalked, framed for the hitcher's crimes, and has his life made into hell by the same man he escaped. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Murder
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Police
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Road
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Serial Killer
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Truck Stop
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Awards:
3 wins
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NewsDesk:
(24 articles)
50 Influential Scream Queens: Part 1
(From Fangoria. 27 October 2009, 5:54 AM, PDT)
This Week In DVD: October 20th
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 20 October 2009, 9:01 AM, PDT)
(From Fangoria. 27 October 2009, 5:54 AM, PDT)
This Week In DVD: October 20th
(From FilmSchoolRejects. 20 October 2009, 9:01 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
an intense, nihilistic take on the 'predator/prey' theme
more (199 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Rutger Hauer | ... | John Ryder |
 | C. Thomas Howell | ... | Jim Halsey |
 | Jennifer Jason Leigh | ... | Nash |
 | Jeffrey DeMunn | ... | Captain Esteridge |
 | John M. Jackson | ... | Sergeant Starr (as John Jackson) |
| Billy Green Bush | ... | Trooper Donner (as Billy Greenbush) |
| Jack Thibeau | ... | Trooper Prestone |
 | Armin Shimerman | ... | Interrogation Sergeant |
| Gene Davis | ... | Trooper Dodge (as Eugene Davis) |
 | Jon Van Ness | ... | Trooper Hapscomb |
| Henry Darrow | ... | Trooper Hancock |
| Tony Epper | ... | Trooper Conners |
| Tom Spratley | ... | Proprietor |
 | Colin Campbell | ... | Construction Man |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
97 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
South Korea:18 |
Australia:MA (re-rating) |
Ireland:18 |
Australia:R |
Canada:R |
France:-12 |
Italy:VM14 |
New Zealand:R16 |
Norway:18 |
Portugal:M/18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18 |
USA:R |
West Germany:18 |
Finland:K-18 (1986) (uncut version) |
Finland:K-16 (1993) (cut version) |
Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The shotgun that the hitcher takes from the cops at the climax of the film is a spas-12 automatic tactical combat shotgun.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: A bus changes from a two rear axles to one.
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Quotes:
Proprietor:
Well, what happened to you?
Jim Halsey: Nothing.
Proprietor: Nothing?
Jim Halsey: Nothing happened.
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Jim Halsey: Nothing.
Proprietor: Nothing?
Jim Halsey: Nothing happened.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Far Out Man (1990)
more
Soundtrack:
DON'T STOP LOVIN' ME
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FAQ
The Gal that Jim Halsey met on the bus, why did she help him?Who is John Ryder?
Why does Ryder place the coins on Halsey's eyes and under his tongue in the diner?
more
more (199 total)
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A cat spends the day chasing a mouse. When he finally corners the mouse, he takes sadistic delight in batting it around, playing with it before it goes in for the kill. The cat wishes to savor the look of fear on its prey, instead of merely indulging the reward it's worked so hard to catch. This is the predator/prey relationship evidenced in "The Hitcher," one of the most relentlessly intense and mean-spirited horror films ever made.
Since the setting is the desert, I suppose it would make more sense to call John Ryder (played by Rutger Hauer) a vicious coyote, who is picked up one rainy night by a stray lamb named Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell). Ryder, who's apparently been murdering people all over the desert, is looking to do the same with Halsey, who cheats death only to be tormented for the rest of the film by this savage predator. The coyote craves a challenge--in fact, he seems to live for it.
Nothing else needs to be said. "The Hitcher" relies so heavily on a plot that weaves in and out of 'the expected' that any further description would spoil the fun. The two leads are excellent--Rutger Hauer has created one of the great villains of modern cinema, and C. Thomas Howell is a sympathetic and believable victim driven to madness. While the film isn't necessarily deep, the high-energy cast, moody desert settings and twisty script fuel this effort for 98 intense minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.