The Hitcher

1986 98 min ★ 7.0 Horror, Action, Thriller

On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to deliver it to its owner, feeling tired and sleepy, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who has appeared out of nowhere, thinking that a good conversation will help him not to fall asleep. He will have enough time to deeply regret such an unmeditated decision.

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Cast

Rutger Hauer

John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell

Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Nash

Jeffrey DeMunn

Captain Esteridge

Billy Green Bush

Trooper Donner

John M. Jackson

Sergeant Starr

Henry Darrow

Trooper Hancock

Jon Van Ness

Trooper Hapscomb

Jack Thibeau

Trooper Prestone

Armin Shimerman

Interrogation Sergeant

Details

Director

Robert Harmon

Tagline

"The terror starts the moment he stops."

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Budget

$6,000,000

Revenue

$5,844,868

Production

Feldman/Meeker Productions

Reviews

J

JPV852

December 6, 2024

★ 7/10

Solid enough suspense-thriller with great action and menacing performance from Rutger Hauer, a few moments in the story felt a bit clunky, mainly how Jennifer Jason Leigh's character gets involved, which I will say the 2007 remake at least improved upon. Just a highly entertaining flick. **3.5/5**

W

Wuchak

December 19, 2025

★ 4/10

**_Thrilling desert road flick ruined by an implausible villain_** This is an action-packed thriller with the milieu of the remote Southwest à la Eastwood’s “The Gauntlet” mixed with psychological horror, even slasher. So, it’s reminiscent in ways of “Duel,” “The Getaway” and "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry," but the enigmatic antagonist’s twistedness and powers add a goofy slasher vibe. The writ...

S

specimenb

August 10, 2026

★ 8/10

*The Hitcher* is a tense, brutal road thriller that turns a simple drive through the desert into a full-blown nightmare. I loved how lean and relentless it is: it wastes almost no time explaining itself, instead building dread through empty highways, eerie silences, and the sense that danger could appear anywhere. Rutger Hauer is phenomenal as John Ryder—calm, charismatic, and genuinely terrify...