Hitch-Hike – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1977
Director: Pasquale Festa Campanile
Writers: Aldo Crudo, Aldo Crudo, Pasquale Festa Campanile
Cast: Franco Nero, Corinne Cléry, David Hess, Joshua Sinclair, Carlo Puri

Release Date: November 17th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 104 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99

"En route to Los Angeles, Walter (Nero) and Eve (Cléry) pick up a hitchhiker, Konitz (Hess). However, it soon emerges that Konitz is an escaped psychopath, who forces the couple to head to Mexico, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Hitch-Hike was scanned in 4K at Augustus Color in Rome using the original 35mm negative. 4K HDR color correction and restoration work was undertaken at Filmfinity, London, where Phoenix and Diamant image-processing tools were used to remove many thousand instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other perfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.“

Hitch-Hike comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 91.9 GB

Feature: 72 GB 

Hitch-Hike is another in a long line of inferior releases by Raro Video, and this new restoration is a massive upgrade that is vastly superior in every way. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic. This release uses seamless branching for the two versions: Hitch-Hike, the English-language version, and Autostop rosso sangue, the Italian-language version.

Audio: 5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in excellent shape, and once again they are a marked improvement over all of this film’s previous home media releases. Dialogue always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (86 images - stills/Japanese press book/advertisements/LP art, home video art/posters), an Italian theatrical trailer (2 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an international theatrical trailer #1 (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an international theatrical trailer #2 (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), UK theatrical trailer (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival making-of documentary, featuring interviews with Franco Nero, Corinne Cléry and David Hess titled The Devil Thumbs a Ride (17 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with removable English subtitles), an in-depth documentary by Eugenio Ercolani exploring the sub-genre of Italian rape and revenge films titled The Coldest of Dishes (60 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with removable English subtitles), an appreciation by Eugenio Ercolani contextualising Hitch-Hike within director Pasquale Festa Campanile’s wider career titled The Novelist’s Revenge (28 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with assistant director Neri Parenti titled Adventures in Abruzzo (25 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a newly updated documentary titled Road to Ruini, directed by filmmaker Federico Caddeo delving into the production, release, and reception of Hitch-Hike, featuring extensive interviews with Franco Nero, Corinne Cléry and David Hess, and Neri Parenti, an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Marcus Stiglegger,and and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Masculinity in Crisis written by Mikel J Koven, an essay titled Between Cinema and Literature: A Portrait of Pasquale Festa Campanile written by Alessandro Ticozzi, an archival interview titled Ottavio Jemma on Pasquale Festa Campanile conducted by Andrea Pergolari, an archival interview titled Franco Nero on Hitch-Hike conducted by Xavier Mendik, an archival interview titled David Hess on Hitch-Hike conducted by the horror website The Terror Trap, an archival interview titled Meeting on the Set in Venice with Corinne Cléry conducted by Piero Zanotto, an archival interview with Ennio Morricone conducted by Hubert Niogret, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Pasquale Festa Campanile directed Hitch-Hike. He is also known for directing other films, such as The Slave and The Libertine. He also worked extensively as a screenwriter, and some of his notable screenwriting credits include The Assassin and The Leopard.

A psychopath hitchhiker terrorizes a couple who are always fighting and forces them to work together.

What begins as a melodrama about a marriage slowly disintegrating transforms into a road trip to hell when a third character, a hitchhiker, is introduced. Although the addition of a third wheel often proves disruptive, this is not the case here. This is not the case here, as the hitchhiker character did not discriminate when he dished out his hostility. If anything, his appearance forces the couple to put their differences aside and, for now, join forces until they can break away from the man who now holds their lives in his hands.

The narrative is straightforward as it follows the troubled couple on their aforementioned road trip. In regard to building tension, Hitch-Hike does a superb job by letting each moment of conflict have just the right amount of time to resonate before moving on to the next moment of conflict. When it comes to the three main characters, they’re well defined and their motivations are clear.

Hitch-Hike’s greatest asset is undoubtedly the extraordinary performances delivered by its three leads. Up first is Franco Nero in the role of an alcoholic journalist named Walter Mancini. Corinne Cléry, known for her role in The Story of O, portrays Eve Mancini. Completing this trio is David Hess, recognized for his performance in The Last House on the Left, who plays the role of Adam Konitz, a psychotic bank robber.

Although a large portion of Hitch-Hike takes place in claustrophobic environments, such as inside a car, this does not mean that the film is lacking in visual appeal. In fact, the opposite is true; Hitch-Hike remarkably exploits its surroundings to create a powerful visual experience. Visually, Hitch-Hike's most memorable moment is the scene where the hitchhiker rapes the wife and makes her husband watch. Another strength of Hitch-Hike is the way the score reinforces the mood of the film. Ultimately, Hitch-Hike is a perfect example of Italian cinema turning nothing into something that far exceeds its meager resources.

This is an outstanding release, and, more importantly, it is region-free. That said, there is no reason for anyone to wait for or purchase Raro Video’s Blu-ray release. Hitch-Hike receives a definitive release from Powerhouse Films and comes highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Note: Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 1,000 Blu-rays) for the UK.

Written by Michael Den Boer