5 Star

Hell on Wheels.

From Second Sight Films and Aim Publicity comes the 4K UHD definitive version of the cult classic that is The Hitcher. Ninety-seven minutes of nail-biting and nerve-shredding tension. From the pen of Eric Red (Cohen and Tate, Body Parts), and directed by Robert Harmon (Nowhere to Run, They) and beautifully shot by D.O.P. John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road, The English Patient), with talent like this you know you are in for a thrill ride of a lifetime.

It’s 4 am and Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell, The Amazing Spider-Man, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) is delivering a car from Chicago to San Diego. The weather turns nasty and through the windscreen wipers a dark soaked figure appears with his thumb out hoping to hitch a lift. Jim, seeing this sodden figure, does the good-Samaritan thing and pulls over.

My mother told me to never do this.

Jim introduces himself and the hitcher says his name is John Ryder (Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner, Sin City) and the viewer gets to see straight away there is something totally dodgy about John, especially when Jim passes an abandoned VW Beetle at the side of the road. John stops Jim from stopping by pressing down on his leg so he powers past it. He also confesses to murdering and dismembering the occupants of the Beetle, and he is going to do the same to him, unless Jim can stop him. His mother did warn him.

At knife point, Jim continues to drive, until he notices the door ajar light on his dashboard and John isn’t belted in, he quickly pushes John out of the speeding car and continues on his way.

The sun comes up and Jim is feeling relieved to have John long behind him, that is until a family in a station-wagon come past him, with happy kids playing in the back waving at Jim. But then a familiar face appears in the back and Jim’s life changes forever. He frantically tries to warn them, to no avail.

John has set his sights on Jim and one way or another Jim has to find a way to stop this murderous hitcher before the death toll skyrockets. Even the people that try to help Jim (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Single White Female, The Hateful Eight) are all fair game for John.

The Hitcher is a classic chiller from 1986, if you’re a fan you will want to own this Limited Edition, and if you have never heard of it and you are a thriller fan you really need to check out this never shredding thrill ride with explosive content. Awesome stuff.

Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set

&

Standard Edition 4K UHD & Blu-ray

arrive

30 September 2024

Special Features:

Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
A new 4k restoration by Second Sight Films from the original camera negative supervised and approved by Director Robert Harmon
UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
Features Dolby Atmos and original stereo audio mixes
New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Audio commentary with Robert Harmon and Writer Eric Red
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
The Projection Booth Podcast: featuring Robert Harmon and Rutger Hauer
Bullseye: a new interview with Robert Harmon
Penning the Ripper: a new interview with Eric Red
Doomed to Live: a new interview with C Thomas Howell
The Man from Oz: a new interview with John Seale
A Very Formative Score: a new interview with Mark Isham
Duel Runner: Leigh Singer on the evolution of The Hitcher and Rutger Hauer
China Lake: a short film by Robert Harmon newly restored
The Calling Card: Robert Harmon on China Lake
Telephone: a short film by Eric Red
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
Trailers
Limited Edition Contents:

Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Adam Stothard
200-page hardback book with exclusive Robert Harmon interview by Lou Thomas, exclusive Eric Red interview by Matt Thrift, new essays by Heather Drain, David Kittredge, Craig Ian Mann, Rebecca McCallum, Meagan Navarro and Jon Towlson, archival Fangoria article and Behind-the-Scenes photo gallery
Soft cover book of Eric Red’s original screenplay for The Hitcher
6 collectors’ art cards