The Hitch-Hiker

"Who'll be his next victim... YOU?"

1953 1h 11m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 213

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.

“Who'll be his next victim... YOU?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Edmond O'Brien
Roy Collins
Frank Lovejoy
Gilbert Bowen
William Talman
Emmett Myers
José Torvay
Captain Alvarado
Sam Hayes
Radio Broadcaster
Wendell Niles
Wendell Niles
Jean Del Val
Inspector General
Clark Howat
Government Agent

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ida Lupino
Writers: Collier Young, Ida Lupino, Robert L. Joseph
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ida Lupino, shot by Nicholas Musuraca. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leith Stevens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Douglas Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy and William Talman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Who'll be his next victim... YOU?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ida Lupino directs. Nicholas Musuraca behind the camera. Leith Stevens scores. Douglas Stewart cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Ida Lupino, shot by Nicholas Musuraca. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Leith Stevens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Douglas Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy and William Talman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Who'll be his next victim... YOU?".
9IMDB entry: tt0045877 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nicholas Musuraca
Original score: Leith Stevens
Editing: Douglas Stewart
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Sound: Roy Meadows
Runtime: 71 min · 1h 11m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Also by

Ida Lupino

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-11-14
★ 6/10
William Talman ("Myers") is great in this thriller that follows the tortuous journey of two fishermen who stopped to pick up a traveller and discover they are now in the hands of a gun-toting psychopath. Determined to escape the pursuing authorities, he forces them to drive, then walk, through largely desert terrain heading for a port and his escape. To make matters worse, he has already informed them that when he gets there - he is going to kill them!. Ida Lupino directed this quite spooky drama with some skill and Edmond O'Brien and Frank Bowen play well together as the captives in what is essentially a taut three-hander. It does push the bounds of plausibility at times, though - there are opportunities to overwhelm their antagonist and after a while those begin to undermine the threat; you do begin to believe that good will out and so the tension starts to diminish quite quickly... It's a very darkly filmed, moody piece of cinema that is rarely seen nowadays and is still well worth catching up with almost 70 years on.

Production companies