Robert Harmon, director
The screenwriter Eric Red said the idea for The Hitcher came to him when he was driving in the rain and thought of the Doors’ song Riders on the Storm. Specifically the line: “There’s a killer on the road.” John Ryder, the film’s hitchhiking serial killer, was originally described by Eric as having a damaged larynx, meaning he spoke using an electronic voice box. In those early drafts, he was much more monstrous – just a force of evil.
