The Hitcher — The Hitcher(UHD & Blu Ray boxset)
Taut and tense, yet equally atmospheric and mysterious The Hitcher is one of the great psychological-action thrillers of the 1980’s. Its premise is simply but effectively presented to great heart-pounding & intensely moody effect, a young man picks up a hitchhiker on a lonely-falling-asleep trip across the states- he turns out to be a seemingly unstoppable killer. Here from Second Sight Films is a deluxe limited edition of the film- taking in dual UHD & Blu Ray, loads of extras, and a two hundred-page book.
The Hitcher appeared in 1986- it was filmed on the rain lashed-to- dusty roadways of California. The film was directed by Robert Harmon, who had three other features and eighteen TV credits to his name. These went from the canine-focused drama with John Travolta in Eyes Of An Angel ( 1991), Van Damme action film Nowhere To Run (1993), Night terror-focused supernatural horror They (2002), and road-based thriller Highwaymen (2004).
The film opens with Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) a short ‘n’ curly mullted teenager, who driving a car for delivery from Chicago & California. It’s nighttime, and he keeps falling asleep at the wheel- just as rain washes in he sees a trenchcoated figure hitchhiking. He opens the passage car door, and so begins Jim’s traumatic endurance test
The Hitcher is played with wonderful uneasiness & unsettling glee by Rutger Hauer( Blade Runner, Blind Fury, and Hobo With A Shotgun ). He jumps from vehicle to vehicle killing all of those inside, but for some reason, he decides to keep Jim alive & panicked- surfacing ever so often to taut him as he tries to deliver the car he's driving
The one-hour and thirty-six-minute film is a perfect blend of tension and atmosphere- as Jim darts in & out of the clutches The Hitcher- from rain lashed to dust swirling roads, onto deserted gas stations, early morning dinners, through to small-town police station. There are subtle touches of both gore/ horror- but this side of things is largely implied or shown off screen- the focus here is to create a very taut thriller, with a killer who seems unstoppable.
It must be around twenty-five-plus years since I last saw The Hitcher, and I’ll have to admit I was slightly concerned it was going to seem dated/predictable. But it’s neither of these things- as it has a timeless feel, and the twist ‘n’ turns still surprise/ pile on the tension- and you really do wonder if Jim will make it, and if The Hitcher can truly be killed right up until the film's end.
Moving on to this new release, and I’m reviewing the Blu-ray version of the film. It features a new 4k scan of the film- this is full of wonderful clarity and depth, and at points, you feel like you can almost taste road grit/ sand at the back of your throat.
On the extras side, we get a nice selection of new and old things. First up on the new side, we have a commentary track from film writer/ former academic Alexandra Heller-Nichola- who some years ago wrote a book about The Hitcher- so she gives a well-observed, informed and well-researched track. She begins by debating whether the characters are in the same realm- or is Jim moving in & out of the hitches realm. She talks about how seemingly time and space doesn’t exist in the film, and how the violence often happens before or after Jim sleeps. She discusses the intense sexual tension between the lead characters. She talks about the work of cinematography John Seale, and how this helps sell the whole thing. She talks about hitcher-hiker films in general, as well as touching on true crimes regarding hitchers. Later on, she discusses masculinity powerplay & how it ties into the film's vehicles. She touches on the film's electronic soundtrack by Mark Isham, and how it adds a sad haunting edge to proceedings. She talks about Eric Red script- which was initially influenced by The Doors Song “Riders On The Storm”, and that it took a month to write it. On the whole, this is a worthy track- though on a few occasions, she did move towards academic lecture-like territory.
Otherwise, on the new side, we get a good selection of in-depth on-screen interviews. Bullseye ( 41.29) with director Robert Harmon. He starts off talking about how they developed The Hitcher character from the script- but still wanted to keep a sense of mystery about him. He talks about how only Hauer could have played the role, and how the actor often had a host of ideas for scenes. Moving he talks about the film's casting for both the actors and crew. Later on, he discusses filming key scenes/ issues they had. Next is Penning the Ripper (41.08) with the film's story writer Eric Red. He talks about his influences on the script, how they developed, and more. There’s Doomed to Live (24.05) with actor C Thomas Howel. He talks about him being just seventeen when he acted in the picture, and his interaction with the director & Hauer. We have The Man from Oz(9.40) with Cinematography John Seale, and lastly A Very Formative Score ( 15.30) with soundtrack composer Mark Isham. All of the interviews are excellent.
On the archive side, we have two other Audio commentaries one with director Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red, and the other with The Projection Booth Podcast: featuring Robert Harmon and Rutger. We have scene-specific audio commentary with Robert Harmon, Eric Red, Executive Producer Edward S Feldman, Composer Mark Isham, Director of Photography John Seale and Actors Rutger Hauer and C Thomas Howell. Duel Runner: Leigh Singer on the evolution of The Hitcher and Rutger Hauer. China Lake ( 34 mins) a newly restored print of Robert Harmon’s 1983 thriller. The Calling Card: Robert Harmon on China Lake .Telephone: a short film by Eric Red • The Hitcher: How do these movies get made?, and a trailer
The limited edition set comes presented in a stunning collector’s package with new artwork by Adam Stothard and a 200-page hardback book.
It is wonderful to see The Hitcher getting the Second Sight treatment- as it is truly one of the great/ timeless thrillers. The new release features a great bold & well-defined scan, and an excellent selection of extras- both new & old. If you’re after the Ltd boxset/ book release I’d act fast, as I’m sure these will disappear very quickly.