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The Hitcher

The Hitcher

Horror · Action · Thriller · 1986

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.

Movie details

The Hitcher

“The terror starts the moment he stops.”

1986 Horror · Action · Thriller 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Hitcher?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Harmon

Written by

Eric Red

Rutger Hauer

Rutger Hauer

John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell

C. Thomas Howell

Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Nash

Jeffrey DeMunn

Jeffrey DeMunn

Captain Esteridge

Billy Green Bush

Billy Green Bush

Trooper Donner

John M. Jackson

John M. Jackson

Sergeant Starr

Henry Darrow

Henry Darrow

Trooper Hancock

Court is in session

Put The Hitcher on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.