Framed to Perfection XLV

THE HITCHER (1986)

Director: Robert Harmon

Cinematographer: John Seale

“They’ll catch you!”

“Yeah. Sure. So what?!”

 

Mmm, I do so love me some gratuitous 80s shaft-lighting! There was just a lot more cigarette smoke in the air back then, I guess. In fact, I’m surprised I wasn’t dead by my mid-20s thanks to second-hand smoke.

Certainly one of the more curious love stories you’ll ever encounter. No, not between C Thomas Howell and world-class mumbler Jennifer Jason Leigh, but between Howell and Rutger Hauer. They even share a kiss, in the form of an angry spit in the face. And you just know damn well that that was Hauer’s idea.

Alas! What a great loss.

The Hitcher has developed a cult following like few other films. Nerds meet in shady corners of conventions and whisper to each other: “Have you seen The Hitcher?! Yes? Cool, cool. Solidarity, brother/sister!”. Then they spit on each other.

Ahem…

My first experience of this film wasn’t an actual viewing, but by a VHS copy being persistently offered as a reward to subscribers of a home entertainment tech magazine my dad used to buy. I became sort-of obsessed with that page in the magazine each month and with Rutger standing there with a shotgun. But dad never did subscribe, and I never did end up getting my hands on a tape. I did finally watch it on TV though, with the fate of Leigh’s character disturbing me greatly. As it fucking should.

Roughly 30 years of personal and professional ups-and-downs later, I finally have a gorgeous-looking Blu-ray edition to call my own.

Although I’d still love one of those VHS copies.

As I watched The Hitcher this afternoon, I wondered which’d be the best film to pair it with. The Terminator? Thelma & Louise? Dust Devil? No Country for Old Men? All good candidates. Maybe watch all of them, then go lie down for a week with emotional exhaustion.

I only just realised this was Hauer and Leigh teaming up again after their kinky pairing in Paul Verhoeven’s Flesh+Blood, although they barely share a scene together here. I wonder if they worked together again after this. I could easily check, of course, but who honestly has the time?!

Yes. I do. I know.

So, well, if you’ve never seen or even heard of The Hitcher, then you’re clearly not hanging around in the right circles. People should just hand copies of it out to acquaintances and whisper: “Shhh! Don’t ask. Just watch it!”.

Then they spit on each other.

Do stay in touch, darlings.

Toodles!