tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post6129969519105633207..comments2024-03-28T16:52:10.619-04:00Comments on Radiator Heaven: The HitcherJ.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-5789570720787138162010-05-24T13:30:51.902-04:002010-05-24T13:30:51.902-04:00Stacia:
Thank you for stopping by!
And yes, THE ...Stacia:<br /><br />Thank you for stopping by!<br /><br />And yes, THE HITCHER is a very unsetttling film to watch. For me, it all boils down to the fact that you don't know why Ryder is doing this to poor Jim which is what is so scary!<br /><br />I was too young to see this in theaters when it first came out but I do remember its notorious reputation. It certainly was a film that was rediscovered on home video and, as you point out, repeated cable TV viewings.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-23048493844903537362010-05-21T22:03:00.460-04:002010-05-21T22:03:00.460-04:00I saw this when you first wrote it, of course, but...I saw this when you first wrote it, of course, but I wanted to give it a shout-out now that I got a chance to re-read it through the My Best Post blogathon. Great write up! "The Hitcher" was one of the first movies my husband -- who was just my high school sweetheart at the time -- insisted I watch with him. He'd seen it in the theatres on release and then insisted I watch it with him when it was on cable in the late 1980s. Freaked me the heck out. It's been over 20 years and I'm still a little squeamish about it. <br /><br />Until I read your post I had no idea it was not a hit at the time, because it seems like everyone I grew up with knew about the movie and liked it, but in retrospect I think it may have been repeated cable showings that helped its reputation.Staciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05250238254417726987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-81159097432365955782010-05-21T09:32:03.565-04:002010-05-21T09:32:03.565-04:00elgringo:
Thanks for stopping by and for the kind...elgringo:<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. yeah, the remake was gahd-awful so you should be pleasantly surprised by the original. Plus, you've got Rutger Hauer who is just amazing in the film.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-39392729317741037222010-05-20T18:05:14.783-04:002010-05-20T18:05:14.783-04:00You have convinced me 100% to watch The (original)...You have convinced me 100% to watch The (original) Hitcher. I've seen bits and pieces of the Sean Bean version because I'm a big Sean Bean fan but it wasn't very engrossing. This original version sounds awesome!<br /><br />---<br /><br />Thanks for participating in the My Best Post Blog-a-Thon. Your link (and some nice words from me) will be posted on Friday. Please take some time to comment on some other people's posts who's participated.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Gringo<br />He-Shot-Cyrus.blogspot.comelgringohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16856962746924193109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-34316700560777257312010-05-03T10:35:50.347-04:002010-05-03T10:35:50.347-04:00Neil Fulwood:
Thank you so much for the complimen...Neil Fulwood:<br /><br />Thank you so much for the compliments!<br /><br />I agree that the voicebox idea would have been an interesting avenue to explore but as you say, it would have distracted from the menace that the character exudes. With someone like Hauer you don't need much bells and whistles as he has such a commanding presence all on his own.<br /><br />I thought that Howell was good too. It's a shame that SOUL MAN pretty much killed off his mainstream career and he's been relegated to direct-to-video hell ever since. I also thought he was fantastic in THE OUTSIDERS, his other signature role.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-6966014686680150172010-05-01T10:31:47.069-04:002010-05-01T10:31:47.069-04:00I can only echo what's already been said: a su...I can only echo what's already been said: a superb, well-researched piece on a (still) overlooked movie. Fascinating background information: I knew 'The Hitcher' had been a hard sell, but I had no idea just <i>how</i> torturous its route to the screen was.<br /><br />Red's original idea of the hitcher having an electronic voicebox is intriguing. I guess it could have a creepy enough device, but I think it would have removed much of the menace from the character. Rutger Hauer's ability to switch from genial charm to icy cruelty to ironic detachment is the film's greatest asset: he truly is one of the cinema's most memorable villains.<br /><br />Howell was never better. Jennifer Jason Leigh is characteristically brilliant. Her death scene is as horrible and haunting as any I've seen. The "finger food" moment is equally squeamish. I can't help but find it amusing that so many producers and executives were opposed to an eyeball being used in this context but apparently happy to compromise with a finger. It's still a severed body part in a plate of freakin' food!<br /><br />Good overview of the totally redundant remake as well. I think we're all agreed that Michael Bay deserves a place in hell for what he's done to so many landmark 70s and 80s horror movies.Neil Fulwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-13949202822211110202010-04-30T16:25:06.277-04:002010-04-30T16:25:06.277-04:00What happened to originality, indeed! I think you ...What happened to originality, indeed! I think you hit the nail on the head with that question. With a few rare exceptions, Hollywood is devoid or originality and Michael Bay is certainly one of the worst examples of a lack of originality.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-7709648172618059482010-04-30T10:11:07.171-04:002010-04-30T10:11:07.171-04:00I was thinking Nightmare On Elm Street probably fa...I was thinking Nightmare On Elm Street probably falls within our conversation. Yet another lifeless, effortless remake. Your remark about Nightmare being a "rip-off, er, ..reboot" was pretty funny.<br /><br />I certainly understand Sam's familial obligations and it will probably be better than Transformers, which I was forced to see out of love for my son. He knows not what he likes.<br /><br />I shouldn't discount the effort that goes into these pictures, but what happened to originality or corking a new idea? Cheers J.D.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-46179838807487946572010-04-30T09:44:40.767-04:002010-04-30T09:44:40.767-04:00Sam Juliano:
Thanks for the kind words, my friend...Sam Juliano:<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words, my friend! This is a clever horror film that really gets under your skin (at least it does for me) and I can see how Tarantino might have been influenced by it when he wrote NATURAL BORN KILLERS.<br /><br />Good luck with the ELM STREET rip-off, er, I mean reboot.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-3288741417111084892010-04-29T18:11:50.215-04:002010-04-29T18:11:50.215-04:00Congratulations on yet another fantastic marathon ...Congratulations on yet another fantastic marathon review that combines the analytical with the historical, and again brings a film to the table that come may not have seen. Such is the case with me, though I do know of it, and have seen C. Thomas Howell in THE OUTSIDERS (as Ponyboy Curtis) and in RED DAWN, GETTSBURG and GODS AND GENERALS. It would seem that this film borrows some ideas for DUEL and NATURAL BORN KILLERS and the Twilight Zone episode of THE HITCH HIKER, but I will soon see if these are relevant, as you have convinced here to see the film. My kids are now of the age where all they want to watch is horror films, so you've filled a gap. I've even been asked to escort them to see the new NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Ugh.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-72153661688719030252010-04-29T10:59:07.483-04:002010-04-29T10:59:07.483-04:00Ned Merrill:
That's interesting, the parallel...Ned Merrill:<br /><br />That's interesting, the parallels between Hauer and Wings Hauser. I also like him, too and he certainly has been in his share of crappy films. I was shocked when I saw his little part in THE INSIDER! But you're right, Hauer did not want to be typecast and unfortunately, Hollywood only wanted him to play baddies. With the notable exception of LADYHAWKE, of course. I mean, look at the last 2 mainstream roles he had in SIN CITY and BATMAN BEGINS. He's playing bad guys again. But that's what happens you make such an impression as he did playing heavies in NIGHTHAWKS, BLADE RUNNER and THE HITCHER.<br /><br />And I agree, I'd love to see Hauer and Hauser team up in a film. Wow, that would be sweet.<br /><br /><br />Rupert Pupkin:<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words, my friend. I haven't seen CHINA LAKE either but if they get around to doing a Region 1 Special Edition DVD of THE HITCHER, its inclusion a an extra would be very cool.<br /><br /><br />John Kenneth Muir:<br /><br />Thank you for the compliment! Good to know that you also dig this film. I also think that the reason the film tanked initially was that it was just too extreme, too intense and critics felt that Hauer's character was too repulsive.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-87809988658307516662010-04-29T08:51:38.482-04:002010-04-29T08:51:38.482-04:00J.D: An excellent retrospective! I've always ...J.D: An excellent retrospective! I've always believed The original Hitcher was a great film (I gave it four stars out of four in Horror Films of the 1980s), and I think that critics at the time just didn't know what to make of a horror movie with so much sub-text. I didn't care much for the remake...<br /><br />Great post! <br /><br />best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-7780982092119356632010-04-28T17:00:43.188-04:002010-04-28T17:00:43.188-04:00Great stuff J.D.! Like usual! I love how well the ...Great stuff J.D.! Like usual! I love how well the HITCHER holds up for me still. Was just noticing that Robert Harmon did a short called CHINA LAKE prior to THE HITCHER. I'd be very interested to see that.Rupert Pupkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12198415905923278482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-11940331087391780322010-04-28T16:48:10.972-04:002010-04-28T16:48:10.972-04:00I love Rutger Hauer in the classics that have alre...I love Rutger Hauer in the classics that have already been mentioned here...I think what happened to him is similar to the story that Gary Sherman relates on the VICE SQUAD audio commentary track about Wings Hauser, who so memorably played the psychotic villain of that film. As Sherman tells it, Hauser could have had many plum villainous roles in major productions, but he wanted to be the hero and those types of roles were only made available to him in the direct-to-video / cable realm. He chose the latter and now no one outside of genre film geeks like ourselves, remembers him.<br /><br />Hauer and Hauser...why didn't someone team these two up?!<br /><br />Another thing going against Hauer is the fact that he was a foreigner and as everyone knows Hollywood loves to slot "the other" into villainous, nefarious roles. Other than Ahnold, it's difficult to find an English-as-second-language actor from this period ('70s onward) who became a good-guy hero and found prolonged success / stardom in that capacity, and on a major scale. Does anyone remember Dolph Lundgren as anything but Ivan Drago? ROCKY IV was high gloss, grade-A schlock in which he was perfectly utilized as a villain of few words...everything else, beginning with HE-MAN, was Z-grade schlock, but, hey, at least Dolph got to be the good guy!Ned Merrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15436251586131278302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-82727397554329565312010-04-28T14:24:51.929-04:002010-04-28T14:24:51.929-04:00THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND! That's the film I was tr...THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND! That's the film I was trying to think of. Good call. I haven't seen SPLIT SECOND. I'm sure you've seen SIN CITY. He had a small but very memorable role in that one.<br /><br />Glad to have you on board!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-61412310388615788492010-04-28T12:04:33.444-04:002010-04-28T12:04:33.444-04:00You're absolutely right on. I did enjoy Hauer...You're absolutely right on. I did enjoy Hauer in The Osterman Weekend and in the genre flick Split Second. I agree, good to see him in films like Batman Begins. If I'm missing a good film please let me know.<br /><br />I look forward to further reports from Radiator Heaven thanks to JKM for pointing me here.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-17722724281089974152010-04-28T10:00:02.939-04:002010-04-28T10:00:02.939-04:00le0pard13:
Thank you for the compliments, my frie...le0pard13:<br /><br />Thank you for the compliments, my friend. Thanks for that link to that Amazon.com review! Very interesting, indeed... I like it.<br /><br />And yeah, I wouldn't go out of your way to see the remake. I think it has shown up on Cinemax if you get that and SyFy Channel showed it last weekend (?) but otherwise I wouldn't go out of your way to see it. The people who made it understood nothing about the original - what a surprise!<br /><br /><br />The Sci-Fi Fanatic:<br /><br />What indeed happened to Hauer? It's like he suddenly stopped picking the right roles and started to doing all kinds of direct-to-video crap. Maybe after THE HITCHER and the notoriety that tagged it, stuck with Hauer and he wasn't offered mainstream film roles anymore. That being said, it is nice to see recent filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Christopher Nolan bringing him back into the mainstream and reminding others what a great actor he is.<br /><br />I am totally with you re: remakes. With the rare exception (I've heard the new version of THE CRAZIES is quite good), most remakes are awful because they are done for the wrong reasons and made by people who simply don't respect the original. It's interesting that in the late 1970s and into the 1980s we had some pretty interesting remakes with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE THING, THE FLY and THE BLOB that were are very good. What happened? It's like the quality went of trying to do something interesting and we just get lame rehashes now.<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by. I appreciate your fantastic comments!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-68478483806455258992010-04-27T21:24:55.100-04:002010-04-27T21:24:55.100-04:00Rutger Hauer was riding a wave with the films you ...Rutger Hauer was riding a wave with the films you mentioned. Night Hawks, Blade Runner and this film which you so thoroughly reevaluate for us here were simply classic. <br /><br />Hauer was a stunning screen presence. What happened?<br /><br />Your words have certainly motivated my interest in seeking these fine films out, though I do have Blade Runner, but Night Hawks and The Hitcher are essential too. Excellent, well-researched analysis with great detail.<br /><br />As for the slough of remakes that strewn the highways like discarded trash from thoughtless punks, I don't know. I simply cannot connect to the CGI-laden [The Fog remake], mindnumbingly paint-by-numbers [The Hitcher remake] remakes that continue to pound away at classics like this one. Sean Bean is a fine actor, but it begins with the script and direction and much in modern cinema is sorely lacking in that department.<br /><br />Michael Bay truly sucks [no need for niceties here]! How on Earth does this man do it? He simply has no vision. The Island is a minor success when it comes to Bay, but by and large his work is just dreadful. Why people flock to cinemas for his films is staggering really. I suppose there's just no accounting for taste or the lack thereof.<br /><br />Enjoying your blog J.D.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-59547159852493505102010-04-27T18:39:00.751-04:002010-04-27T18:39:00.751-04:00Another fine film selection and review, J.D. I did...Another fine film selection and review, J.D. I didn't see this one in the theaters, but I certainly remember renting the VHS tape and being blown away by it (probably sometime in '87, I think). You're so right about this being a signature role for Hauer (along with BLADE RUNNER and NIGHTHAWKS). The history of the film you include is a fascinating one. So, too, are the theories concerning its story. The take I favor is one forwarded by an customer reviewer for Amazon. It can be found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hitcher-Rutger-Hauer/product-reviews/0783114893" rel="nofollow">here</a> about half way down the page (titled <i>Surreal, dreamy, and absolutely thrilling</i> by a Mr Vess), and effectively uses <i>The Flying Dutchman</i> folklore to explain <i>The Hitcher's</i> unique touches (and the meaning behind the casting of Hauer).<br /><br />Rutger Hauer remains mesmerizing in this role. When I heard the Michael Bay machine was doing a remake, I simply rolled my eyes. We both appreciate Sean Bean as an actor (your wonderful review last year of SILENT HILL confirmed that). But, I knew Bay would likely find a way to screw it up and waste Bean's efforts. Maybe I'll take a look at it, if it shows up on cable, or something (but, I'm not going out of my way for it).<br /><br />This is another of your fine examinations of films that weren't understood and died (but came back) when they came out, my friend. I agree that if Hitchcock were making his start into cinema in the mid-80's, he'd have done something as enthralling (and shocking) as this. Thanks for this, J.D.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-75592787680891896492010-04-27T13:05:34.315-04:002010-04-27T13:05:34.315-04:00Sean Gill:
You are more than welcome for the plug...Sean Gill:<br /><br />You are more than welcome for the plug and thank you for the kind words!<br /><br />The alt. casting is fascinating and I could only imagine what Sam Elliott would have brought to the table. Terence Stamp, maybe in THE LIMEY mode might've been interesting but once you've seen Hauer in the role, you just can't see anyone else as Ryder. Sorry, Sean Bean but you couldn't touch Hauer's performance.<br /><br />I have yet to watch the sequel, despite the presence of Jake Busey who I adore in all of his shlocky glory. And it has Kari Wuhrer so there's that too. The remake is gahd-awful and should be avoided at all costs. I'm just glad that I didn't have to pay to see it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-21363577256522111492010-04-27T11:33:36.298-04:002010-04-27T11:33:36.298-04:00Another outstanding and informative write-up, J.D....Another outstanding and informative write-up, J.D.! In terms of alternate casting- Sam Elliot or Harry Dean Stanton would have been freakishly soothing, I imagine (soothing in a more down-home, hospitable manner, not like Hauer's ice-cold Zen master); and Terence Stamp in the role would've probably been similar to his brief turn as Satan in THE COMPANY OF WOLVES; but clearly this movie shouldn't belong to anybody but Hauer. I appreciate your thoughts on the offshoots- I may one day be tempted to see the sequel (hey, I'm a sucker for Gary Busey and his descendants), but I don't foresee any reason to check out the remake. And thanks for the plug!Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.com