Analyzing the Queer-Coded Killer in ‘The Hitcher’ [Horror Queers]

Fairy man.

We spent June discussing a cisgender male demon trapped in a female body, genderfluid dinosaurs and evil weaves, so we’re kicking off July with a film that’s a bit more grounded: Robert Harmon‘s classic cautionary tale The Hitcher!

In The Hitcher, Jim (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) while transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. After quickly showing Jim his murderous ways, John is kicked out of the car and begins a relentless pursuit of Jim, murdering anyone who gets in his way and framing Jim for the murders. With no one to help him except a local waitress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Jim must decide how far he is willing to go to survive.

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Episode 236: The Hitcher (1986)

Our mothers told us never to do this but we just couldn’t resist so we’re having an in-depth discussion of Robert Harmon’s 1986 classicThe Hitcher. Join us as we discuss the gay panic of it all in this queer-coded cautionary tale. From Rutger Hauer’s predatory queer to C. Thomas Howell’s virginal twink, The Hitcher has it all!

Plus: the film’s origins as a 190-page(???) script, lots and lots of saliva play, ferryman/fairy man and getting your car all kinds of wet.

Cross out The Hitcher!

Coming up on Wednesday: In celebration of the next installment of the Insidious franchise, we’re taking a look at the Bride in Black in the supernatural sequel Insidious: Chapter 2.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for nearly 250 hours of additional content! This month we’re going all in on the Insidious franchise with a episode discussing our thoughts on each entry, as well as delivering a full-length episode on the new film Insidious: The Red Door. We’ll also have episodes on the Netflix sequel Bird Box: Barcelona and the Set Rogen-produced horror film Cobweb.  Plus: our audio commentary for the month is on the original Bird Box!