The Hitcher

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The Hitcher

R

1986

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), 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 (Jennifer Jason Leigh), pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.

Critics Consensus

Its journey is never quite as revelatory as it could be, but The Hitcher stands as a white-knuckle vision of horror, bolstered by Rutger Hauer's menacing performance.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jan 30

3/10

The leap of logic necessary to get involved in the excitement is accepting that Howell is a world-class idiot who keeps putting himself in jeopardy, at times intentionally.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

01/04/2018

This set-up is intriguing, and you wish director Robert Harmon had made more of it.

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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

03/29/2011

That kind of nonstop self-seriousness should wear thin after a while but director Robert Harmon makes the screenplay's unabashed cruelty more potent than churlish.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Apr 8

4/5

‘…a classic 80’s action-driven B movie that’s utterly remorseless in chasing down thrills….while the initial reaction in cinemas was muted, The Hitcher went on to be a cult film and no wonder; it’s the gnarliest thing out there…’

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Richard Martin

Ottawa Citizen

Jan 30

The Hitcher seems to be trying hard to be more than just another splatter movie.

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Maitland McDonagh

MaitlandOnMovies (Substack)

12/25/2024

I first saw "The Hitcher" (1986) in a theater and it was a crowd-pleaser in the sense that it hit every note and played the squirm inducers with bell-like clarity. But it was also exquisitely anxiety-producing.

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Romas M

@Romas May 8

Greetings from Lithuania. "The Hitcher" (1986) is an action suspense thriller that reminded me of "Duel". It is very well made thriller that I was engaged from beginning till end. Story is simple yet effective - an innocent man it put under pressure by a mysterious hijacker - and I will leave it at that. I enjoyed performances by C. Thomas Howell and the late great Rutger Hauer. Cinematography was pretty amazing in this movie. Editing is also very good. This is not a conventional action film in any way and I liked that it had this mystery surrounding main villain and even more his motivations. If nothing else this is a thriller that does what it has to do - thrill and in a good way.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Apr 6

Honestly such a thrill ride and teaches a hard lesson about hitchhikers!

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Casey N

@digdsgs Jan 27

Underrated masterpiece.

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Niall H

@RT39479170 Nov 18

Yes I have given this movie 4 stars as I really did like it and the acting from everybody is very good , always bear in mind it is 1986 and that’s 40 years now since the making. The only thing that really annoyed on multiple occasions throughout the movie was the very bad timing as events happened, ill just give one example, the Volkswagen Beetle which Rutger has got a lift in at the very beginning passes the young man Jim Halseys car and within an extremely short time has now murdered the driver of the Volkswagen cut off his arms and legs and head and walked at least a mile if not two back in the direction he’d just come from and gets picked up by Jim Halsey. There’s a few instances like this throughout the movie but I still enjoyed it.

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Matt S

@RT13776533 Nov 5

Really interesting premise. Doesn’t answer all the questions but a real thrill ride. If you enjoyed the film Break down you’ll enjoy this. Action packed original horror movie. Haters going to hate but can’t see why.

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tucker s

@tucker83014 Oct 27

Apparently this film has become a cult classic. Not sure what kind of cult would consider this a classic, but it is a monumental waste of time, poorly written, and just all around magnificently stupid.

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Robert Harmon

Director

Rutger Hauer

John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell

Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Nash

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Synopsis

While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), 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 (Jennifer Jason Leigh), pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.

Director: Robert Harmon
Producer: David Bombyk, Kip Ohman
Screenwriter: Eric Red
Production Co: HBO Films, Silver Screen Partners IV
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround