The Hitcher
Never pick up strangers.
While driving through the New Mexico Desert during a rainy night, college students Jim Halsey and his girlfriend Grace Andrews give a ride to a hitchhiker. While in their car, the stranger proves to be a psychopath threatening the young couple with a knife, but Jim successfully throws him out of the car. This sets off a chain of events that will change all of their lives forever.
Why watch The Hitcher
Sean Bean as a smiling psychopath hitchhiker is a masterclass in menace—he transforms a simple "wrong person in the car" premise into a relentless game of cat-and-mouse where the hunter never truly leaves. This isn't a slasher; it's a pursuit thriller that borrows DNA from No Country for Old Men and Duel, trapping you in the paranoia of not knowing when or where he'll strike next.
The film moves with brutal efficiency, cutting away the fat to deliver pure tension. Director Dave Meyers shoots the New Mexico landscape as both escape route and prison—wide open but inescapable—while Bean's quiet, methodical cruelty creates an atmosphere of inevitability that feels closer to prestige horror like A24's best work than typical 2000s genre fare. The pacing never lets you breathe.
This is for anyone who loved the claustrophobic dread of Squid Game or the cat-and-mouse dynamics of Mindhunter. You'll spend 84 minutes genuinely unsure who survives, and Bean's performance—courteous one moment, utterly unhinged the next—will stay with you long after the credits roll. The twist ending alone will have you immediately wanting to rewatch the opening scenes.
— The What2Watch desk · US
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The story
While driving through the New Mexico Desert during a rainy night, college students Jim Halsey and his girlfriend Grace Andrews give a ride to a hitchhiker. While in their car, the stranger proves to be a psychopath threatening the young couple with a knife, but Jim successfully throws him out of the car. This sets off a chain of events that will change all of their lives forever.
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Reviews & ratings
**_Thrilling desert road flick improves upon the original_** This takes the template of the original movie from the mid-80s, augments the character of Nash by turning her into the protagonist’s girlfriend, Grace (Sophia Bush), makes the villain more believable (Sean Bean), effectively clarifies things without going overboard and has a way more satisfying climax. It also cuts out the fat for a welcome streamlined e…Show more
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