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Hitcher in the Dark: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1989
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Olga Pehar, Umberto Lenzi
Cast: Joe Balogh, Josie Bissett, Jason Saucier

Release Date: July 25th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £25.00 (UK)

"Hitcher in the Dark, plunges us into the murky and nightmarish world of matriarch-obsessed serial killer Mark Glazer (Joe Balogh). Spending his evenings raping and murdering innocent female victims, he eventually comes across Daniella who bears a striking resemblance to his dead mother." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K Transfer from the Original Negative."

Hitcher in the Dark comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.3 GB

88 Films Feature: 26.6 GB

Vinegar Syndrome Feature: 26.1 GB

The verbiage used for this transfer is the same that Vinegar Syndrome used for their transfer, and both transfers are about the same size. That said, this transfer is on par with the transfer Vinegar Syndrome used for their release. Color saturation, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid. Also, the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English, and included are removable English SDH subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clean, and balanced. Range-wise, things are satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Alessandra Lenzi tilted A Daughter (14 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with sound department Piero Parisi (10 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Umberto Lenzi titled Il Cinema Kriminal Di Umberto Lenzi - Part 2 (27 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with author Troy Howarth, reversible cover art, a fold-out Poster, and a forty-page booklet with an essay titled Road Kill: Taking a Journey Through the Uneven Terrain of Umberto Lenzi’s Late 80s Horror Hitcher in the Dark written by Andrew Graves, and an essay titled Getting on at the Wrong Stop: Umberto Lenzi’s Hitcher in the Dark written by Chloe Leigh Taylor.

Extras on Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Umberto Lenzi (10 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians and authors Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger, reversible cover art, and an embossed slipcover limited to 4,000 units.

Summary:

Though Umberto Lenzi kept busy during the 1980s, when most of his contemporaries went to television, most of the films that he directed during this era of his career are easily his most "by the numbers" films. The only films from this decade that stands out being Eaten Alive! Nightmare City, and Cannibal Ferox. All three of these films are known for their extreme graphic carnage.

Hitcher in the Dark is one of two slasher films that Umberto Lenzi directed in the 1980s, the other being Welcome to Spring Break. Besides genre, the other thing that these two films have in common is that they go out of their way to look like American films.

The three main actors are all Americans: Joe Balogh (Monstrosity) as Mark Glazer, a serial killer who drives around in an RV; Josie Bissett (Mikey) in the role of Daniela Foster, a woman who resembles Mark’s mother; and Jason Saucier (Sister, Sister) in the role of Daniela’s boyfriend. The performances are best described as serviceable.

From a production standpoint, Hitcher in the Dark has all the hallmarks that are synonymous with the films that Filmirage made in the 1980s. These films were made on anemic budgets with small casts and minimal locations. That said, despite the opening killing having the visceral tone that Umberto Lenzi’s most notorious films are known for, the result is a film that lacks the nastiness that one has come to expect from Umberto Lenzi when it comes to carnage. Another weakness are the visuals, which are not as strong as Umberto Lenzi’s 1970s output. Ultimately, Hitcher in the Dark is a lackluster film that is only of interest if you're an Umberto Lenzi completist.

Hitcher in the Dark gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Note: Limited edition - 2000 Units Only.