1986 - The Hitcher

"The Hitcher" is about Jim (C. Thomas Howell), who is driving a car from Chicago to San Diego. He picks up a hitchhiker who tells him that he already killed a family and he's going to kill Jim next. The rest of the movie is a cat-and-mouse chase between the hitchhiker and Jim.

Ouch. He tied this poor girl to two semi trucks and pulled her apart.

This movie was actually pretty entertaining. I figured it would be kind of cheesy, but it had a decent storyline and kept a really quick pace. It was very similar to the 70's Spielburg movie "Duel" (which I also enjoyed). I also loved how they hitchhiker kept planting evidence to make it look like Jim was the criminal so the police were after him instead of the real killer. He made it so if the poor guy DID survive, he'd have all these murders pinned on him. Unless he proves his innocence, he's pretty much screwed either way.

There wasn't much I disliked about the film. It was a simple premise, which worked in this case. It wasn't an award winner or anything, but it was fun and told a great story.

I would not want him chasing after me.

Random Thoughts:
-This movie almost received an X rating due to a more graphic ending.
-That was awesome how he shoved the hitchhiker out of his car early on. But there is no way it would have worked. Even if a car isn't latched all the way, it won't just swing open.

Verdict?
4/5 - I really enjoyed this thriller! I probably wouldn't watch it over and over but it's pretty intense when you don't know how it is going to end.