The Hitcher (1986) (WB) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Robert Harmon

Cast: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Release Date: October 22, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

In this 1986 cult classic, director Robert Harmon thrills the viewer with the story of young Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell), who stops on the highway to pick up a hitchhiker, not knowing that by doing so, he opens the door to terrible evil. The mysterious hitcher, unforgettably portrayed by Rutger Hauer, is a relentless slaughterer, preying on those who invite him into their lives. Somewhat dismissed at the time of its original release, THE HITCHER developed a rabid fan following in the ensuing years, now properly recognized as one of the most memorable and terrifying thrillers of the 1980s.

‘The Hitcher’ tells the haunting tale of a young man named Jim Halsey travelling to a new city who makes the unwise decision to pick up a hitchhiker on a lonely road. After picking up the mysterious stranger, Jim quickly discovers that the man doesn’t simply want a ride and after being taunted and threatened Jim is able to escape the hitcher’s clutches. Unfortunately, when he soon sees the man travelling with a family and attempts to warn them to no avail, he then becomes a pawn in the killer’s game as he finds himself being framed for various murders committed by the man, forcing him to find a way to stop him personally or pay the consequences, or perhaps even worse.

The beloved 1980’s cult classic ‘The Hitcher’ is directed by Robert Harmon from a screenplay written by Eric Red and Harmon does a fantastic job at the helm guiding along the thrilling ride into terror with style, tension and surprises around almost every turn. The film’s cast includes Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jeffrey DeMunn and Jennifer Jason Leigh who each offer capable and fitting performances altogether in their respective roles, although Hauer repeatedly tends to steal the show with his terrifying portrayal of the film’s brutal, hitchhiking villain.

‘The Hitcher’ is a thrilling, brutal and at times shocking ride into terror. A brilliantly executed suspense thriller with plenty of horror elements thrown into the mix that promptly grabs hold of the viewer and only builds the tension along its duration as one uncomfortable situation turns into a twisted game of cat and mouse with a sizeable body count and trail of blood following behind. First unleashed upon audiences in 1986 although failing to make much noise at the box office, the film has only tremendously grown its fan base in the decades after and today is often recognized as one of the more notable thrillers of its time (as well as spawning a remake in addition), and for good reason as it still serves up a wildly exciting, tense and unexpected experience today, just a couple years shy of four decades after its original release.

Director Robert Harmon does a marvelous job in the director’s seat guiding along the splendid chaos and an unforgettable, powerhouse performance by Rutger Hauer along with a solid performance by C. Thomas Howell in the lead all help the film a great deal to still hold up and offer a terrifying and enthralling experience. If you’ve never had the pleasure of ‘The Hitcher’ before but tend to enjoy a brutal, white-knuckle thriller then I can’t encourage you strongly enough to go out of your way to give this one a chance at your earliest convenience because it’s one wild ride that you won’t want to miss out on, not to mention one that has largely stood the test of time.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Hitcher’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 presented in the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular across the board and delivers a sharp, filmic and marvelously detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any unexpected troubles or faults to be uncovered throughout. The presentation offers a gorgeous grain structure that retains its filmic appearance, while also featuring outstanding detail on everything from character faces and clothing to the vehicles, sparse country roads and various interiors, plus just about everything else along the way. It’s all further upgraded by the Dolby Vision HDR which contributes finer, more lifelike coloring on various tidbits throughout and is perfectly balanced by deep, rich and problem free black levels and shadowing. Overall, this is a phenomenal Ultra High Definition presentation that should have fans of the cult classic utterly thrilled.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. While I viewed with the Atmos option utilized (which for my system folds into Dolby TrueHD 7.1), it should be noted that a 2.0 DTS-HD MA soundtrack option is additionally included. This multichannel soundtrack delivers a clean, crisp and surprisingly aggressive audio presentation, especially for a film of its age. It repeatedly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, vehicle noise, explosions, debris, rain and other action and weather effects regularly zipping throughout the various speakers whenever fitting, while never causing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or negatively affected in the process. Overall, this is a quite impressive Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that hits hard and offers a great deal more immersion than most are probably accustomed to for the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Hitcher’ includes a couple noteworthy extras including an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red’, in addition to ‘Bullseye: An Interview with Director Robert Harmon’ (running approximately 41 minutes in length). The film’s ‘Trailer’ (approximately 90 seconds) is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the separately released Blu-Ray edition and resized. They do not represent the 4K UHD presentation and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD and Blu-Ray releases are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘The Hitcher’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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You can Purchase ‘The Hitcher’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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