Horror 101 – Episode 86: The Hitcher (1986) April 30th, 2019

Never Pick Up A Stranger.

Welcome back to the Horror 101 Podcast. For our 86th show we’re spotlighting one of the greatest road thrillers ever made. At the 11th hour we switched our plans of covering Vamp, which would have continued our vampire campaign. We decided to go a different route to focus on a hidden gem. A little HBO film that wasn’t a huge commercial success and flew under the radar when it was released. Undoubtedly, one of the best cast films. Brilliant performances and a smart script makes this film a must see. Some may argue this isn’t a horror film but with the amount of dread it dishes out, I say differently. Plus, Rutger Hauer plays one of the best villains ever. It is our pleasure to give the Horror 101 treatment to Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher (1986). Join us!

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

01:00 Prelude to Terror…
04:00 Switching from Vamp to Hitcher…
09:00 “My Mother told me never to do this…”
12:00 Becoming ‘The One”
13:10 Family Massacre…
18:00 Framed…
22:10 How do you like Shitsville?
25:15 You Spit on my Wrist…
28:35 I just wanted to help him…
29:40 Truck Conundrum…
32:25 Siskel and Ebert got it wrong…
33:15 “There’s something I gotta do…”
34:35 Scoring the Film…
38:45 Conclusion! Thanks for Listening!

The Hitcher (1986)
Directed by: Robert Harmon
Writer: Eric Red

Starring:

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

Music by Mark Isham

John Seale … Director of Photography

All video, pictures and audio used from The Hitcher is copyright © 1986 by HBO Pictures and Silver Screen Partners Used for educational purposes. No reproductions of any kind.