The Hitcher (1986) (WB) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Robert Harmon

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

Release Date: October 22, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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.

Please note: This review contains reused segments from my ‘The Hitcher’ 4K UHD Review which you can read in its entirety HERE!

‘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 Blu-ray release of ‘The Hitcher’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and rewardingly filmic presentation from start to finish that holds up without any issues or faults to be located along the way. The same transfer as the 4K UHD release appears to be used here which shouldn’t surprise anyone and while the 4K release offers some undeniable improvement across the board, this Blu-ray still looks awfully spectacular in its own right and provides great detail on characters, environments and even the darkly lit or fast moving action sequences throughout, all with a great grain structure and nice coloring; perfectly boosted by deep, clean black levels throughout. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation that should easily excite fans of the cult classic that aren’t yet fully 4K capable.

AUDIO:

Please note: due to the fact that the audio options on the Blu-ray are identical to the 4K UHD release, please see the 4K UHD review for audio coverage HERE!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Hitcher’ includes the same few solid extras as its 4K counterpart and includes an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red’, along with ‘Bullseye: An Interview with Director Robert Harmon’ (running approximately 41 minutes in length). The film’s ‘Trailer’ (running approximately 90 seconds) is additionally included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They 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 this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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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 Blu-ray at Amazon HERE!

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