The Hitchhiker

I'm sure this film will get scathing reviews, but I actually found it to be quite tense, scary and disturbing. As much as you'd like to rip it apart at times for what it doesn't deliver, it does deliver enough to keep you glued to that screen the entire time, just like the box promises. The hell with Jason, Freddie, Michael Myers and the others; the scariest monster is the average guy-next-door that appears nice on the surface, then slowly morphs into a fearsome psychotic. Jeff Denton did an admirable job as this particular "nice-guy" killer, and he was pretty darned believable. Even though the girls were obviously not professional actresses, they managed to deliver worthy performances in these roles, adding to the dreaded atmosphere. The dumb-cop segment was pretty far-fetched, but like I said, it can be forgiven in favor of the unsettling mood this movie created. As soon as I saw that plastic-lined motel room, I knew this was going to get brutal. Call me a sadist, but I just really love this type of movie. 8 stars.