Product Details

• Actors: Joe Balogh, Josie Bissett, Jason Saucier, Robin Fox, Thomas Mitchell
• Directors: Umberto Lenzi
• Writers: Umberto Lenzi, Olga Pehar
• Producers: Joe D'Amato
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Shriek Show
• DVD Release Date: June 24, 2003
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008QSB6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,401 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Hitcher in the Dark" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The suspense classic by Umberto Lenzi is finally here. A young man traveling the Virginia Beach coastline picks up hitchhiking women in his camper. He forces them to take on the role of his dead mother, and if they cannot, he tortures and rapes them

Product Description

The suspense classic by Umberto Lenzi is finally here. A young man traveling the Virginia Beach coastline picks up hitchhiking women in his camper. He forces them to take on the role of his dead mother, and if they cannot, he tortures and rapes them

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Anybody read "The Collector"?, July 15, 2003

By	Sir Jub-Jub (Sir Jub-Jub's Lair, Alaska) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This interesting film is rather difficult to review. It tells the story of an RV driving serial killer who picks up unsuspecting women and who also has some serious issues concerning his mother. The acting of the male lead is rather poor and rarely demonstrates why anyone would actually want to enter this guy's RV, let alone be anywhere near him. This is the main problem as only the most unobservant person would think this individual is safe to get a ride from. That said, the film works on a tension level as the viewer truly wants to see the main female character find a way out of the situation. The film borrows rather freely from John Fowles novel "The Collector" with many scenes being lifted almost exactly. The DVD contains an interview with the director, Umberto Lenzi, in which, no mention of this connection is made. In all, "Hitcher in the Dark" is worth seeing if you are a fan of Italian Giallo, the director, or early eighties fashions as they are in full display here. The DVD presentation is acceptable with only very mild color saturation issues at one point. The extras include the director interview and three trailers. One warning; do not watch the director interview before the film as he explains why the ending is so dumb and how it had originally ended, which is much better.

2.0 out of 5 stars Oedipus In A Winnebago, January 7, 2007

By	Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't like Italian horror movies as much as some others, but I had heard that this was a worthwhile effort from director Umberto Lenzi. Although the film did have some suspenseful scenes they were few and far between, and many of the plot "twists" let me thinking "yeah, right" (especially the scene where the evil rich kid with the motorhome takes it to a drive-in movie with his two chained and shackled victims in the back). Interestingly, I was very intrigued with the film being shown at the drive-in and had to wonder what on earth it was. If it was a real movie (which seems likely) and not a contrivance for this film, then the reactions of the crowd are completely inappropriate given the very, very poor quality of the clips seen. I actually found that quandary more interesting than the central plot of the film, which doesn't speak well of Lenzi's handiwork.

The film does have high points, notably Josie Bissett, who turns in a very credible performance (although the conclusion can be seen coming a mile away) and a couple of well crafted plot twists. The problem is that anytime a genuinely scary twist occurs, it has an unbelievable resolution (especially the "road block" scene which made me roll my eyes and groan audibly).

The movie would have been much improved if Lenzi had done two things: reduce running time by about 15 minutes (it is 90 minutes long, and includes a lot of extraneous filler, most of which involve very bad dancing at truck stops) and recast the role of the evildoer with anyone other than Joe Balogh, who is good at the empty-eyed stare of a genuine lunatic, and, unfortunately, nothing else. His performance irritated me more as the film progressed, and for watching such a "taut thriller" I found myself very bored, the worst possible condemnation of a film of this nature.

I decided on two stars overall: Bissett is very pretty and is very good in her role, but that is the only thing to recommend "Hitcher in the Dark."

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars anyone for a ride, October 30, 2005

By	whitewolf (Austin Tx) - See all my reviews

This is a campy killer.The dude picks up hitchhikers (babes of course) and teaches them a lesson of their life. It has some excitment and suspense that are very spooky. I personally liked the movie and makes me and my wife a special event every time we go camping. Take a look if you can find it well worth it.Lenzi is a far out and off the wall director that has done some pretty scary stuff.