"The
Hitcher," a 2007 remake, follows the rules of remakes for today's movie going
primary demographic. My mantra is this: Don't go if you don't like bloody horror
films. Stay home and rent "Schindler's List" for an uplifting morality
tale.
You
will not be forced into buying a $9.75 ticket to "The Hitcher." You
have a choice. You can choose to see "Freedom Writers." It has a message
about doing good.
Yes,
I saw the 1986 original and this remake is far superior to last year's remake
of "The Wicker Man" and the recent holiday horror movie, "Black
Christmas."
College
students Grace (Sophie Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) are going through a pouring
rain New Mexico to meet up with some friends during Spring Break. Happily going
along, they nearly run over a man standing drenched next to his disabled car.
Wisely, or callously, they don't stop.
Soon
they come to a rest stop – Grace has a weak bladder – and Jim runs right
into the man – John Ryder (Sean Bean). He is embarrassed into giving Ryder
a lift to the nearby motel. In the car, Ryder pulls a knife and everything goes
haywire from there on.
Ryder
is a traveling killer and as a predator, he starts hunting Grace and Jim on his
"killing spree".
This
remake (and, don't forget, the original was slammed by critics) is short on psychological
motivation. Ryder is a killer who likes killing. Enough said. Every crazy serial
killer knows who to target – that's why all victims die. They are not carrying
guns, knives, or cell phones that work in bad weather. Victims are trusting, kind,
and not prepared to fight back. And in movies, they are all young and wear skimpy
clothes (the bikini clad girls of "Turistas").
The
original had blank-faced C. Thomas Howell as Jim and Rutger Hauer as Ryder. Hauer,
who I still believe (though totally unfounded) was blacklisted by a jealous Harrison
Ford, used a threatening sex vibe that gave his Ryder a deeper, more frightening
edge. Sean Bean, has the muscularity and hard face that suits the role, but now
that the writers have added Grace, the character's homoerotic subtext is quashed.
He's not after Jim as a sport. He's just making his way across America hitching
rides and killing families.
What
makes a good horror movie? I screamed out loud, I was shocked by the brutality,
and the villain scared me. When I got home I put a switchblade in my coat pocket.
Who's
In It: 
