The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

65% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 74% 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.

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The Hitcher

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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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Critics Reviews

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The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Paul Attanasio Washington Post This set-up is intriguing, and you wish director Robert Harmon had made more of it. Jan 4, 2018 Full Review The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Simon Abrams House Next Door 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. Mar 29, 2011 Full Review The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Variety Staff Variety A highly unimaginative slasher that keeps the tension going with a massacre about every 15 minutes. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Christian Jones Starburst Harmon’s tightly controlled direction generates an increasingly taut atmosphere as the body count rises, and Halsey futilely tries to extricate himself from the madness. Rated: 4/5 Sep 24, 2024 Full Review The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast An exhausting (in a good way) ride of a film. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 7, 2023 Full Review The Hitcher | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast As much action film as horror film, this sexy, sweaty homoerotic thriller features a great, unnerving performance by Hauer and an extremely twinky Howell. A classic gay panic film of the 80s! Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 5, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Michel T I could watch that movie over and over again. To see Rutger Hauer do a perfect job is amazing. I loved it since i first saw it got an upgrade (4K) i re-watched the remake. Love Sean Bean but he doesn't have the presence that RH had. This one has great work all around. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/04/24 Full Review IrateTyrant C Barely okay for about 90% of the runtimeThis is a cut and clear case of one of those movies that starts out as a horror and devolves into action. It's marginally entertaining as it begins, and gains traction with the appearance of Jennifer Jason Leigh, before it falls apart because of Rutger Hauer. Hauer is basically a b-level actor, and he isn't bringing the Robert Englund level of authenticity that this movie needs. C Thomas Howell is kind of interesting and doesn't fall apart until the script does, much later than you'd think. Then, Leigh is used for some plot devices but is generally underappreciated. Some of the action is tense, but other parts are bogus. The way the movie ends is basically stupid. I wouldn't call it a horrible movie, at all, and it held my attention, but it could have been so much better in so many ways. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Tim M The Hitcher is completely ludicrous and often without purpose, but it remains a stylish ride all the same. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Elvis D En los años ochenta como en toda época se han hecho muchas películas y The Hitcher es una de las propuestas más originales que se han hecho y que han pasado muy desapercibidas. Es un thriller bastante original que no es muy conocido, pero tiene una intrigante historia que vale la pena ver. No se trata realmente de una película de terror como se la suele catalogar, pero tiene un ambiente intrigante de suspenso que gira al rededor de Jim Harley en su lucha para probar su inocencia mientras es acechado por John Ryder. Aunque no suena algo muy nuevo lo de ser culpado por un crimen y tratar de probar la inocencia, la película sabe darle un muy buen giro para que la historia sea atrapante y se sienta diferente a otras películas. El desierto y la carretera son los escenarios principales y combinados con las escenas de acción, la película llega a tener una vibra de western. John Ryder no es un villano conocido, pero es bastante original por su estrategia de lograr hacer que los policías depositen sus ojos sobre Jim como el verdadero culpable. Las motivaciones de Ryder no son del todo claras, pero por la forma en que provoca a Jim, parece que lo que está buscando es un rival que lo enfrente. Rutger Hauer ofrece una estupenda actuación en la piel de este personaje. The Hitcher es un estupendo thriller que forma parte de la lista de películas muy poco conocidas que merecen ser vistas. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 9/10. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/03/24 Full Review Spencer P Prepare for a fast paced action thriller, that will entertain you from beginning to end. This film is definitely of the era in its style, sound and acting which adds to the overall quality of the film. Worth the watch, don't leave this film on the backburner. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/25/24 Full Review Tom X The Hitcher is one of the best, if not the best, small-time terror movies of the 1980's. I struggle to even classify it. It's not horror specifically, not really a crime drama either, and certainly has suspense in spades but to call it a "suspense" movie would sell short the brutality involved both psychologically and physically. It's maddening, unsettling, and horrifying all at the same time. This movie will pin you to your couch, force you to watch it, and then leave you baffled at the end. Both Howell and Hauer's performances are stellar. As unlikely a pair as you will find, that's by design and makes the story that much more compelling. I struggle to understand anyone who doesn't recognize this film's greatness, to be honest. There's never been anything quite like it before or since. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Robert Harmon Director Rutger Hauer John Ryder C. Thomas Howell Jim Halsey Jennifer Jason Leigh Nash Jeffrey DeMunn Captain Esteridge John M. Jackson Sergeant Starr
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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
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