“The Hitcher” A bizarre road thriller created in the 1980s

“The Hitcher” synopsis

She meets the man, but at the end of her life, her fate turns into fear. Desert area from Chicago to San Diego. Jim Halsey, who works as a land transporter, picks up a hitchhiker in his car one stormy night. However, the man, who calls himself John Ryder, holds a knife to Jim's throat and begins to threaten him, saying, ``Try to stop me!'' John was a terrifying serial killer. Jim manages to push him out of the car, but that's just the beginning of the horror. John Ryder attacks relentlessly over and over again. The situation worsens with the involvement of the police and helper waitress Nash...

Index

• A tale of blood and violence inspired by The Doors classics
• Rutger Hauer's performance embodies the role of "a murderer on the street"
• "The holy" and "the evil." Who is John Ryder?

A tale of blood and violence inspired by The Doors classics

A never-ending nightmare begins when a young man picks up a hitchhiker on a highway in the Texas desert.

The Hitcher, released in 1986, is one of America's most unusual films. The box office revenue was about $5.84 million against a budget of about $6 million, so it was a commercial loss. Famous film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a harsh review, giving it "zero stars." Despite this, ``The Hitcher'' has captured, numbed, and captivated the hearts of many cinema freaks to this day.

“The Hitcher” preview

Christopher Nolan praised Rutger Hauer's performance as murderer John Ryder, calling it a ``full-fledged psychological performance.'' J.J. Abrams has publicly stated that `` 10 Cloverfield Lane '' (2016) was influenced by ``The Hitcher.'' Stanley Kubrick reportedly went around telling his staff how great the film was.

Eric Red wrote the script for this absurd road thriller. When he was only around 20 years old, he heard the Doors' ``Riders on the Storm'' and was shocked. The lyrics of this song, the last song on the album LA Woman released in 1971 (and also the last recorded song of Jim Morrison's life), are about a man who picks up a "killer on the street" in his car. An extremely disturbing story about a wonderful family dying. A revelation flashes in Eric Red's mind: ``Storm Rider = John Rider, the murderer who appears in the storm.'' He enthusiastically wrote up the script and sent it to the movie studio.

The Doors “Riders on the Storm”

When executives at 20th Century Fox received the scenario, they couldn't help but be confused. Because it was a story filled with too much blood and violence. They considered the film to be more of a "straight-out horror movie" than a suspense film. Ultimately, 20th Century Fox rejected the project due to budget issues. Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. had similar reactions. Some people clearly rejected the idea, saying, ``A movie in which the heroine is torn to pieces...'' (I guess so).

TriStar Pictures, which was established as a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures in 1982, came forward to make the film into a movie. The Hitcher project begins with Robert Harmon invited as director.

Rutger Hauer's performance embodies the role of "a murderer on the street"