The Hitcher [1986] (DVD)

My name is Adrian, and I'm a movieholic. In recent years I have managed to cope with my addiction, not by giving up films completely (as the shelves currently straining under my DVD collection will attest to) but just by slowing my consumption down somewhat. There was a period back in the mists of time when, as a student, I had way too much free time on my hands and, looking for some cheap entertainment, I started to frequent a number of local video hire establishments. This addiction grew and soon the new releases section was not enough. I'd venture further into the stores until I discovered what I was after. Call them what you will - bottom shelf, straight ...  Read the complete review

One of the great things about the Christmas break is that the tv schedules are choc full of decent movies providing a great chance to re-visit old favorites and hopefully encounter new movie experiences. "The Hitcher" is a horror classic released in 1986, directed by Robert Harmon, written by Eric Red and starring Rutger Hauer and C.Thomas Howell which was eventually re-made in 2007. With it being shown on digital channels right now, I gleefully sat through it again the other night. Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) is driving on the open highway, transporting a car to San Diego. Suffering with fatigue from the journey and having narrowly avoided a ...  Read the complete review

On his way to California, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker in the form of John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), after some awkward and forced conversation things take a turn for the worst. John pulls out a knife, he orders Jim to say 'I want to die', Jim manages to push John out of the car before speeding off however what Jim doesn't know is that the nightmare is only just beginning. Jim tries to forget about the incident and continues to drive the way to California but it's not long before John has catches up with him, this time he's in another car with a family. Jim then finds himself being arrested for the horrific crimes that John has been ...  Read the complete review

...she's always right. That is advice I have never really followed (many times to my cost). The hero of this movie didn't either... £1 was all it cost at our local fleapit on a Monday night to see whatever film was on. (This stopped after Rocky IV when the crowds blocked the ring-road, and eventually broke down the glass doors). Without fail myself and a couple of friends would go every week and see whatever was showing. This was how I saw Eraserhead, and for that reason, there were many occasions when I was very apprehensive about the unknown films we were about to see. It was 1986, and I wasn't quite 16. The Hitcher was an 18 rated ...  Read the complete review

The only film post-'Blade Runner' to exploit the unique psychopathic charm of Rutger Hauer, this has a lot in common with Steven Spielberg's classic 'Duel'. A young chap on a long drive (C. Thomas Howell) makes the simple mistake of picking up a hitcher (Hauer). From then on, his life is a long succession of psychotic episodes, as the hitcher determines to draw him into a game of death from which only one of them will emerge alive. There's no real explanation for why Hauer decides to menace Howell so maniacally, or who (or even what) he is, and the film toys with the idea that Hauer might indeed be something more than human. But a series ...  Read the complete review