Trivia for
The Hitcher (1986) More at IMDbPro »

• Eric Red, (writer), said that the film was inspired by the Doors song, "Riders on the Storm".
  
  
• C. Thomas Howell admitted that he was actually afraid of Rutger Hauer on and off the set because of the actor's general intensity.
  
  
• Sam Elliott and Terence Stamp were offered the role of John Ryder.
  
  
• The truck at the end of the film is a Dodge Ramcharger.
  
  
• The shotgun that the hitcher takes from the cops at the climax of the film is a spas-12 automatic tactical combat shotgun.
  
  
• Screenwriter Eric Red can be seen in a cameo role toward the end of the film, playing a sheriff's deputy escorting John Ryder to the prison bus for transfer.
  
  
• While performing the last bit of the windshield stunt Rutger Hauer hit out one of his teeth with the shotgun he held in his hands.
  
  
• Rutger Hauer did a lot of the stunt driving throughout the movie which amazed the film crew and even the real stunt drivers.
  
  
• In Rutger Hauer's book "All Those Moments," Hauer discusses how producer Ed Feldman settled on Sam Elliott for the role of John Ryder. Hauer states that "Apparently, Elliott was so scary when he came in to audition that Edward S. Feldman was afraid to go out to his car afterward." Sam Elliott had a scheduling conflict and had to back out the role.
  
  
• The coach stops at "Roy's Motel and Diner" which is a famous landmark on the old Route 66, now interstate 40. It can be found at Amboy, California in the Mojave desert. It is featured in many films and documentaries.
  
  

• SPOILER: In an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" (1982), Rutger Hauer stated that the film originally ended with Jim Halsey shooting John Ryder as Ryder lay prone on the highway. However, to avoid an X rating, the filmmakers shot the ending that was ultimately used (with Ryder getting to his feet, showing he is still a threat, and giving Jim at least partial justification for shooting him).
  
  

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