The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
-
100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
63% of users liked it
(1,750 ratings)
Daniel Mainwaring took this story right out of the headlines of the day, penning this true story of a mass murderer who was eventually executed in San Quentin's gas chamber. Released during McCarthy's witch-hunt, Mainwaring was not given credit because Howard R. Hughes, who produced it under… More Daniel Mainwaring took this story right out of the headlines of the day, penning this true story of a mass murderer who was eventually executed in San Quentin's gas chamber. Released during McCarthy's witch-hunt, Mainwaring was not given credit because Howard R. Hughes, who produced it under RKO, refused to give credit to any "radicals." The story is that of two men on a fishing trip who pick up a hitchhiker. He turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who has committed multiple murders, a sociopath who hates humanity because of his own abuse as a child. He also has an affliction which terrifies these two men: an eye which is permanently open, thereby never allowing them to know if he is really asleep or just faking it--something which he does with regularity to scare them...letting them take off and then meeting up with them just as they feel they have escaped from him. A tense thriller skillfully directed by the only female director of the time, Ida Lupino, it is a suspenseful tale of terror on the highways. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ida Lupino
- Written By
- Ida Lupino, Collier Young, Robert L. Joseph
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Apr 29, 1953 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 14, 1999
- Studio
- Acme DVD Works
Critic Reviews
-
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This suspenseful film noir is superbly acted and sharply helmed by Ida Lupino, one of the few women directors in Hollywood of the 1950s.
-
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Talman's performance as a sadistic sleaze was powerful.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Edmond O'Brien
as Ray Collins
-
Frank Lovejoy
as Gilbert Bowen
-
William Talman
as Emmett Myers
-
José Torvay
as Capt. Alvarado
-
Sam Hayes
as Sam
-
Wendell Niles
as Wendell
-
Jean Del Val
as Inspector General
-
Clark Howat
as Government Agent
-
Natividad Vacio
as Jose
-
Rodney Bell
as William Johnson
-
Nacho Galindo
as Proprietor
-
Martin Garralaga
as Bartender
-
Tony Roux
as Gas Station Owner
-
Jerry Lawrence
as News Broadcaster
-
Felipe Turich
as Mexican Man in Car
-
Rosa Turich
as Woman
-
George Navarro
as Salesman
-
Joe Dominguez
as Man
-
Wade Crosby
as Joe the Bartender
-
Ed Hinton
as Chief of Police
-
Larry Hudson
as FBI Agent
-
Henry Escalante
as Mexican Guard
-
Gordon Barnes
as Hendrickson
-
Al Ferrara
as Gas Station Attendant
